Isabel Navarro

Isabel Navarro
Race	Earth
Other names	Née Velador Mrs Navarro, Mrs N
Born	1969
Age in “Snow”	56
Occupation/rank	Owner of Portian House
Family	Edwin Navarro† (husband)

Isabel Navarro is the aunt of Caroline Maddison and the great-aunt of the Maddison siblings. Although unknown to her relatives, she is the descent of a Priestess and Guardia officer who passed through the portal from Altierra to protect the Earth entrance.

Appearance

Mrs Navarro is a darkly elegant, sharply presented woman, only in her forties but with a severe, old-fashioned manner that makes her seem older. She has deep black hair worn in a tight bun, a harsh, beautiful face, and a highly controlled appearance that suits the Victorian atmosphere of Portian House. In the image-based version, she wears a plain black dress with a blue belt, which gives her a formal, almost ceremonial look. Her clothing is neat, restrained and unsmiling, suggesting discipline and authority rather than warmth.

Prefers dark, clean clothing. Has a blue belt, the only colour. Dark skin. Jet black hair in a bun.

Character

Mrs Navarro is strict, authoritarian and deeply particular about manners, dress and order. She rules Portian House like a commandant rather than a hostess, and she expects immediate obedience from the Maddison children. Her approval is conditional and limited; she has allowed them to stay only as a favour to their mother, and she makes clear that they are to be quiet, compliant and grateful.

She is not simply fussy, though. Mrs Navarro is controlling and intimidating, with a strong tendency to dominate through rules and punishment. She quickly asserts her authority over the children, correcting their behaviour and striking Emily with the strap when she disobeys. Her sense of order extends beyond etiquette into surveillance and discipline, and she does not tolerate curiosity or independence when it conflicts with her wishes.

She is also secretive. The locked library, the scrapbook of moon images and her immediate response to the children’s wandering all suggest that she is hiding something important. Even before the later revelations about the cellar and the tunnel, she feels like a woman guarding a private world. She can appear calm and composed, but that composure is part of the threat: she is the sort of person who never seems hurried because she always assumes she will be obeyed.

An imposing, traditional woman in her fifties who believes in strict manners and etiquette. She is intimidating and immediately asserts her dominance over the children. She is also referred to as “Auntie Isabel” by Luke's mother, which is in stark contrast to her character. Her strictness is foreshadowing what the children will have to deal with for the duration of their summer.

Prefers old-fashioned manners and habits. Expects the girls to curtsey to her, and wear skirts or dresses. However, she allows Susan and Meg to continue with jeans because of their age and allowance for not being her children.

Speech

Mrs Navarro speaks in a precise, formal and commanding manner. She uses full names, titles and direct corrections, insisting on “ma’am” and proper forms of address. Her speech is often declarative rather than conversational, and she tends to state rules as though they are facts of nature.

Her language is stern and moralising. She often frames behaviour in terms of propriety, gender and discipline, as when she insists that young ladies should dress like ladies and young men should wear collars and ties. She does not ask for compliance; she assumes it. Even her politeness has an edge, because it is usually attached to an order or a warning.

She also uses pointed, memorable phrases, such as “going to is a debt that never clears” and “the less we see of each other, the better.” These make her sound sharp-minded, exacting and emotionally distant. When she is displeased, her tone becomes icy and prosecutorial, but she rarely raises her voice. Instead, she relies on controlled severity, which makes her more intimidating.

• “Good lord”
• “Child”

Timeline

Year	Age	Event
1969	-	Born
1992	23	Married Edwin Navarro
2006	37	Edwin dies
2025	56	Maddisons enter Altierra

Isabel Navarro is a direct descendent of Seferina and Garavito, the Priestess and Guardia officer who passed through the Mundumbra portal to secure the Earth end and prevent others passing through. However, by the time of the novel, she had lost all memory of the portal and Altierra. She still retains some folk memory of her ancestors such as her clothing, her insistence on old-fashioned manners, and the use of the strap.

Isabel married Edwin Navarro in 1992 at the age of 23. He was tall and balding. He died in 2006 from pancreatic cancer when she was 37 and he 45. They had no children.

She was the dominant partner in the marriage, not only because of her character but because her family owned the house and the fortune that came with it.

Genealogy

Images

Isabel Navarro with a punishment strap