Anne Chaplet
Anne Chaplet was a 16th century Huguenot and servant of Cardinal Charles de Guise.
After overhearing Roger Colbert and the captain of the guard talking about the planned St Bartholomew's Day massacre, which they likened to the massacre at Wassy which she survived, Anne fled and met Steven Taylor, whom she befriended. Steven and the First Doctor later left her in France.
Anne's ultimate fate was unknown to the Doctor and Steven, but they came to believe that she might have survived after meeting Dodo Chaplet, a possible descendant of hers.
Biography
Early life
Anne was born circa 1567 and lived in Wassy with her father and her younger brother, Raoul. In March 1562, the Reform Church was set ablaze by Catholics and Anne and Raoul escaped to the roof, leaping onto a hayrick. Their father, however, died in the fire. They fled to Paris, being taken in by their aunt and living in a modest house on the rue des Fossés Saint Jacques. (PROSE: The Massacre)
Week of the massacre
Anne worked as a servant for Cardinal Charles de Guise and was to work for the Abbot of Amboise whilst the Cardinal was in Rome, but she ran away on 19 August 1572 after hearing Roger Colbert and the captain of the guard discussing a massacre similar to the one in Wassy. She met Steven Taylor and Gaston Lerans and told them what she overheard, after which Lerans and Nicholas Muss sent her to work in Admiral Gaspard de Coligny's kitchens for her safety.
According to one account, Anne was recognised by Colbert when he paid the house a visit, but Lerans claimed that her name was Genevieve, and she defended Steven when Lerans and Muss questioned her about him, believing that he was a Catholic spy. Unable to stay at her aunt's without being discovered, followed Steven and, at his suggestion, they spent the night in Charles Preslin's shop. He took her to the Abbot as he believed that he was the First Doctor in disguise, but they left upon overhearing a plan to kill de Coligny. The next day, Anne helped Steven look for the Doctor's TARDIS key and met the Doctor when he returned, being sent by him to her aunt's house and told to stay indoors on St Bartholomew's Day. She wished Steven a safe journey before leaving. (TV: The Massacre)
According to a second account, Anne helped Steven sneak out of de Coligny's house and went with him upon learning that he was heading to Montparnasse, which was near where her aunt and brother were living. After stopping at Preslin's shop, they went to Anne's aunt's house and learnt that she and Raoul had been captured on the Abbot's orders, so they instead went to the rubbish dump where the TARDIS materialised. They watched the ship as it was carried to the Bastille and slept in a tomb in the Lutèce cemetery. The next day, Anne handed herself in and was locked up with her aunt and brother, but the Doctor posed as the Abbot and had her and her family released. (PROSE: The Massacre)
Fate
According to one account, Steven had reason to assume that Anne was killed in the St Bartholomew's Day massacre and accused the First Doctor of abandoning her to her death. When they met Dodo Chaplet, whose grandfather was French, the Doctor deemed it "very possible" that Dodo was descended from Anne, indicating that she survived the massacre. (TV: The Massacre)
According to another account, the Doctor told Anne and her family to leave Paris for Picardy as the Governor of Picardy was amongst the few who refused to obey King Charles IX's orders. When the Doctor was questioned by the Time Lords about his adventure in Paris, he told them that he did not have "the foggiest notion" as to whether Anne and her family survived and that there was no reason to assume that Dodo was descended from them, although he thought to himself about the resemblance between her and Anne. (PROSE: The Massacre)
For a school project, Dodo researched her family tree and found evidence that she was descended from Huguenots who left France to escape persecution. (PROSE: Who Killed Kennedy)
Legacy
Steven was angry with the First Doctor for abandoning Anne and intended to leave the TARDIS because of it. (TV: The Massacre) Whilst he and the Doctor reconciled, he continued to disagree with him about Anne. (PROSE: Salvation)
Whilst thinking about religious wars, the Doctor remembered Anne and her possible death. (AUDIO: The Bonfires of the Vanities)
Appearance
Anne had a healthy complexion and curly, auburn hair which reached her shoulders. She often looked as though she were about to burst into laughter at any moment as the corners of her mouth frequently twitched. (PROSE: The Massacre)
Behind the scenes
Originally, Anne was going to become the Doctor's new companion following the deaths of both Katarina and Sara Kingdom. However, as the writers wrote out Katarina due to her ignorance of modern concepts, they passed on the idea for the same reasons and Dodo Chaplet was created instead. (REF: TCH 7)
