I wish characters would STAY STILL

In The Broken Land, Helegan the Harbour Master was may favourite character to write. She's middle aged with a tragic backstory, but as a girl she’d grafted her way out of poverty to look after her mother and infant brother. And during the book’s centrepiece siege she stepped forward to lead the defence of the town. She was earthy, obstinate, stoic and clever. A joy to write. I loved her as I tapped out her life on my keyboard. I loved her each time I read the story. She was the secret main character who didn’t appear in the blurb.

And recently I reread the book so I could keep the third book consistent. I HATED her. She had a habit of delivering monologues at inappropriate times. She lets herself be misled by every lie. She was antagonistic towards the real hero of the siege. And, despite a youth of poverty, she was dedicated to upholding the same system that had - but for a minor miracle – kept her down. How on earth can the words stay the same but the character change SO MUCH in my head?

This kind of thing plague anyone else?