ISOBELLA 'ELLA' BRIDGES

If you're acquainted with the cases Ella has investigated thus far, then you'll already know she is a young woman with several extraordinary gifts. But it wasn't always that way, her more unusual talents resulted from her purchase of The Yellow Cottage, the Dower House once belonging to Arundel Hall, the large manor house situated on the bluff overlooking the sea on Linhay island. But her early life, although luxurious by the standards of the day, was relatively ordinary.

Born in 1910 into a wealthy family, she grew up with her younger brother Jerry. Her father owned a textile factory and was the largest employer in the area. He was a popular and fair man, with a tendency to see the best in people, treating them as he would expect to be treated himself. On occasion this meant he was easy to take advantage of. 

When Ella was almost seventeen her father became seriously ill and died. A result of a poor investment to which he'd put up the factory as collateral and subsequently lost it. He became consumed by guilt, losing the will to live. Barely a month later, having been forced to sell their home, Ella, Jerry and their mother Elspeth relocated 70 miles away to Sheffield, where for the next two and a half years they lived with their mother's sister Margaret. Under the tutelage and encouragement of her aunt, Ella began to show a natural aptitude and flair for puzzles and mysteries. Skills that would become instrumental in the future.

By nature Ella is easy going and relaxed. She's somewhat absent-minded, particularly when she has a knotty problem on her mind. As a result she has a tendency to leave the house wearing odd shoes. Unlike her sister-in-law Ginny, she has no interest in the fashions of the day, preferring something for its comfort and practicality as opposed to whether it's deemed the 'latest thing.' Her interests are cerebral and she relishes the challenge of solving the crossword puzzles her Aunt Margaret regularly sends her.

In fact, although she fell into detective work quite by accident, she is the perfect person for the role. This became apparent when she was officially made a consultant with Scotland Yard. The first woman ever to hold such a post, and certainly the youngest.

Her book 'The Art of the Lie,' is now used in the training of all new detectives.