Ruth Carroll

Ruth Carroll (sometimes called "Ruthie") is one of the five protagonists of The Secret Country.

She is the eldest and tallest of her siblings, and has black hair. Her age in The Secret Country is unclear, although she is described as "Laura's eldest cousin," and Laura's other cousin Katie Barrett is identified as being 17 -- meaning Ruth is theoretically 18 or older.

At home
Ruth's siblings are Ellen and Patrick; Ted and Laura are her cousins.

In the Secret Country
In the Secret Country, Ruth is Lady Ruth of the Green Caves, a student sorcerer. While she used to have family ties to the Princes and Princesses Edward, Patrick, Ellen, and Laura, these were severed when she began studying the Green Caves magic.

During The Secret Country, she begins as a journeyman of the Green Caves, but is demoted to apprentice status by Meredith as a punishment for sneaking out.

Despite being a student, Ruth commands respect in High Castle. She has her own room (perhaps a haunted one, as it's where Mad John hanged himself), a personal womanservant ("a lady-in-waiting, or a chambermaid, or something") and a set of all the castle keys.

As a baby, she was betrothed to Lord Randolph by King William.

Comparing Ruth Carroll and Lady Ruth of the Green Caves

 * In the game version of the Secret that the children played, Lady Ruth and Prince Edward want to marry each other. While some characters' behavior in the Secret Country indicates they may think this to be true, Ruth and Edward do not evince any real romantic interest in one another in The Secret Country.
 * While Lady Ruth can be imperious and has a bit of a temper, the narration in The Secret Country remarks that "Laura's eldest cousin had never snapped at anyone." (This does not seem to be borne out in the events of the book, however; in the Secret Country, Ruth is indeed sometimes argumentative or stubborn.)