Characters The Seven Rings Nora Roberts

Cleo Fabares: Artist, Protector, and Heart of Lost Bride Manor

Overview

Cleo Fabares is Sonya MacTavish’s best friend and a gifted visual artist who moves into Lost Bride Manor at the start of the series. In The Seven Rings, she becomes far more than a supportive roommate: Cleo is a proactive defender of the manor, using inherited protective magic and her creative eye to strengthen the household against the vengeful witch Hester Dobbs. Her journey from painter of dreamy landscapes to a courageous ally in a supernatural war is central to the novel’s emotional and thematic core.

Plot Role

Cleo’s role unfolds across several key events:

  • Early haunting resistance: When the seven brides reenact their deaths in the foyer, Cleo joins Sonya, Trey, and Owen in singing “The Pretender” to break the spell (Chapter 1). She then cooks breakfast, grounding the group with normalcy.
  • Art as strategy: She conceives the idea of turning the Gold Room into a gallery of Poole family and friends, transforming dark history into light (Chapter 2). Her painting of the seven brides standing together becomes a talisman of unity.
  • Protective wardings: Cleo uses charms inherited from her grand-mère—black tourmaline, labradorite, and salt circles—to repel Dobbs’s attacks. In Chapter 27, she deflects a monstrous bird entity with a labradorite ball while Sonya and Trey fight a psychic assault.
  • The final ritual: During the Samhain climax, Cleo burns cloth from Dobbs’s dress, setting the witch aflame and ending the curse (Chapter 31). She also helps plan the timeline for the seven mirror crossings.
  • Epilogue celebration: By June, Cleo reveals her own engagement to Owen, standing as a testament to the love that replaced the curse.

Motivations and Traits Shown Through Actions

Cleo’s primary motivation is protecting her found family—Sonya, Trey, Owen, and the manor’s spirits. Her actions reveal several core traits:

  • Courage under pressure: Despite not being a direct descendant of the cursed line, she repeatedly puts herself in harm’s way. When a shadow bird screams at her studio window, she grips her tourmaline and stands firm (Chapter 27).
  • Creativity as power: She believes art holds transformative force. Her painting of the brides “shoulder to shoulder” is not merely decorative; it physically connects their spirits and strengthens their collective will. The portrait glows when all seven rings sparkle in sequence (Chapter 26).
  • Practical optimism: She counters fear with action. After the first mirror crossing, she insists on waiting until Samhain for the full retrieval, trusting both strategy and intuition (Chapter 30).
  • Loyalty and empathy: She comforts Sonya after emotional revelations—most notably when Sonya sees her father through the mirror. Cleo’s arm around Sonya and her steady presence provide emotional ballast (Chapter 17).

Chronological Arc

Cleo’s development mirrors the novel’s movement from fear to victory:

  1. Arrival and adjustment (Chapters 1–2): She witnesses the initial haunting, helps set up the gallery, and begins integrating protective measures into her daily life.
  2. Growth of skill and alliance (Chapters 8–16): She volunteers for Corrine’s photo shoot, accepts a contract to illustrate a YA horror trilogy despite her own genre fears, and deepens her relationship with Owen. Her studio becomes a sanctuary warded against Dobbs.
  3. Active defense (Chapters 17–30): She deflects the bird attack, helps Sonya interpret the ring sequence, and insists on being part of the final strategy. She takes charge of burning the cloth in the ritual.
  4. Climax and resolution (Chapters 31–33): She executes the destruction of Dobbs and later announces her engagement, symbolizing the curse’s complete reversal.

Relationships

  • Sonya MacTavish: The bedrock of Cleo’s emotional life in the manor. They share sappy movie nights, collaborate on projects (the gallery, the painting), and support each other through losing battles and victories. Cleo is Sonya’s sounding board and fiercest advocate.
  • Owen Poole: Their romance develops naturally—he helps her hang paintings, teases her (the cartwheel challenge), and partners with her in the final fight. By the epilogue they are engaged.
  • Trey: A friendly ally and brother-in-law figure; they work together on the manor side during the mirror crossings.
  • The brides (especially Clover): Cleo develops a rapport with Clover’s ghost, who communicates through music. Cleo’s painting explicitly honors them as sisters.
  • Hester Dobbs: Cleo’s art directly antagonizes Dobbs. When the witch makes the studio shake, Cleo interprets it as a compliment.

Key Decisions and Consequences

Decision Consequence
Creating the seven-bride painting The portrait becomes a symbol of unity; its presence sparks the ring-glint sequence that reveals the retrieval order.
Using protective stones and warding She survives multiple attacks (bird, psychic assault) and protects her workspace.
Accepting the YA horror illustration contract Expands her professional network and proves she can confront her fears.
Burning Dobbs’s cloth Directly destroys the witch, breaking the curse for good.
Agreeing to wait for Samhain Allows proper planning; the rings are retrieved in one marathon session, maximizing effect.

Theme/Symbol Connections

Cleo embodies several of the novel’s core themes:

  • Love as a counterforce: Her love for Owen and Sonya fuels her courage. The epilogue engagement proves love outlasts hatred.
  • Family legacy and heritage: She respects the brides’ histories and preserves them through art. Her grand-mère’s charms connect her to her own lineage.
  • Defiance and resilience: She refuses to be cowed by supernatural threats, whether it’s a slamming door or a battering bird.
  • Community and found family: She treats the manor’s ghosts as equals and builds a network of support with the living.
  • Breaking the curse: Her climactic act—burning the cloth—is the ritual’s decisive blow. She is an active agent of liberation, not a bystander.

Frequently Asked Questions About Cleo Fabares

  1. What type of artist is Cleo Fabares?
    Cleo is a painter who works primarily in watercolors and oils. Her portfolio includes dreamy landscapes (the pergola painting), realistic portraits (the seven brides), and commercial pieces for the YA horror trilogy.

  2. What protective magic does Cleo use?
    She uses charms passed down from her grand-mère, including black tourmaline and labradorite crystals, salt circles, and a protective circle marked with blood and seawater. She also wards her studio with layered spells.

  3. How does Cleo contribute to breaking the curse?
    She designs and paints the group portrait of the seven brides, which reveals the retrieval order of the rings. On Samhain, she burns cloth from Dobbs’s dress, causing the witch to catch fire and disintegrate.

  4. What is Cleo’s relationship with Owen Poole?
    They become a couple during the story. Owen helps her with the gallery installation, defends her during attacks, and proposes by the epilogue. Their bond grows through shared experiences and mutual respect.

  5. Does Cleo ever hesitate or show fear?
    Yes. In Chapter 27, she admits the bird attack frightens her, but she doesn’t run. Later, she confesses her fear of the horror genre yet accepts the illustration contract. Her courage is defined by acting despite fear.

Further Reading