Adelaide is Mildred’s mother, while Catherine is Adelaide’s fictional alter-ego in Harold Vanner’s novel, Bonds. Catherine is also Leopold’s wife. In Bonds, Catherine and Helen’s family was once prominent but has fallen on hard times, though Catherine’s vibrant social life helps the family remain relevant. Catherine and Helen also have a strained relationship, which is mirrored in Mildred’s relationship with Adelaide, as Mildred writes in her diary that it will take her an enormous amount of energy to respond to a letter from her mother.