This is the most up to date one, and should cover everything; I have finished the book and the last chapter is with my first beta
Dramatis Personae
Ellery
Morecambe, 7th Earl Wroth
Anne
Morecambe, Countess Wroth, his wife.
Hortensia
Maplin, cousin of Anne, brain damaged. Ellery’s pensioner.
Peacock, the
butler at Wrotherhyde Hall
Mrs. Yorke,
housekeepr at Wrotherhyde Hall.
Jagger, head
groom at Wrotherhyde Hall, has flamboyant style in waistcoats.
Claudia Hyde, dowager Countess Wroth, relict of Charles Hyde, 5th
Earl Wroth.
Lady Amanda Hyde
Lady Miranda Hyde
Lady Lucenda Hyde
The daughters
of the dowager, collectively known as ‘the gerundives’ for their names
Larry
[Laurence] Hyde, 6th Earl Wroth, deceased diseased.
Drusilla
Haversedge/Tiffany Hyde, illegitimate daughter of Larry Hyde, charity girl in
Mrs. Chorley’s school.
Selena
Johnson, illegitimate daughter of opera dancer, Celeste Johnson, and Fenton
Harcourt, an uncle of Larry Hyde, friend
of Drusilla/Tiffany, also charity girl in Mrs. Chorley’s school.
Jane
Jefferson, parlour boarder in Mrs. Chorley’s school, friend of the charity
girls
Amelie Dubois,
daughter of a ci-devant vicomte, pupil at Mrs. Chorley’s school. Not a nice
girl.
Francis Hyde,
4th Lord Wroxley, deceased.
Depraved waste of space.
Hugo Hyde, 5th
Lord Wroxley, nephew of above, captain in the 7th hussars.
Collins, his
devoted valet and ex batman
Lord Robert
Bradley, magistrate, widower. A fair
man.
The Hon.
Thomas Bradley, his son. Less of a pill
than he used to be
The Hon.
Amelia Bradley, his daughter. Still coltish
Miss Lydia Lawford,
Amelia’s governess. A nervous lady
Sir Henry
Bradley, brother of Lord Bradley, colonel of local militia.
Lady Sophia
Bradley, his wife, motherly and sweet.
John Landry,
wealthy industrialist, bully and voluptuary.
Aurelia Landry,
his trophy wife. Older daughter of a parson with unholy instincts.
Beatrice
Clement, Aurelia’s sister, the daughter who was not favoured.
Susanna
Gorringe, Aurelia’s maid/dresser/companion/crony. The real mother of small John
Landry, as Aurelia refuses sexual contact with her husband.
Luke
Sanderville, owner of Kersey Abbey, late of the 7th Hussars, missing
a hand
Ophelia
Sanderville, his wife
Matthew
Sanderville, their son
Lucy
Sanderville, Luke’s daughter AKA the Queen’s Own Lucy
Sebastian/Seb
Rackham
Philemon/ Phil
Rackham
Eglamour/Egg
Rackham
Ophelia’s brothers who live with her and Luke
Mrs. Celia
Rackham, mother of Ophelia and the Rackham boys, self-absorbed
Jeffery
Thorngate, son of factory owner, raised as a gentleman, quite erudite
Paul Fulkard,
son of an old family of gentry folk, very musical which was denied to him by
his parents.
Death Morville,
son of old family of gentry, his first name is his mother’s maiden name but he
refuses to pronounce it De’ath. Had
infantile paralysis and is left with a limp.
Crumshawe,
Morville’s devoted valet.
Jack Mayhew,
the eldest son of the Reverend Mayhew. Has job as apprentice joiner to pay for
his siblings’ education. Chestnut hair.
Miriam Mayhew,
oldest daughter of the Rev. Mayhew. Musical. Bright red ginger hair
Michael
Mayhew, second son, already at university. Auburn.
James Mayhew,
third son, aspires to university, musical. Bright red ginger hair
Ezekial/Zeke
Mayhew fourth son, wants to work outside. Bright red ginger hair
Abigail Mayhew,
second daughter. Strawberry blonde
Other Mayhew children:
Elizabeth and
Esther. Sandy red hair.
Daniel/ Dan.
Chestnut hair
Gabriel/ Gabe.
Auburn hair.
Jesca.
Strawberry blonde.
Reuben,
musical. Bright red ginger hair.
Adalia and
Aziza, musical. Bright red ginger hair.
Rectory children currently farmed out
Priscilla.
Chestnut hair.
Mark.
Strawberry blonde hair.
Tobias Smith,
cornet in local militia, yeoman farmer’s son
Mr. Wickes,
schoolmaster
Mrs. Wickes,
schoolmistress of girls, née Catherine [Aunt Catty] Dawlish, wife of Mr. Wickes and former companion to
Mrs. Rackham
Harry Tweedie,
adoptive son of the Wickes, he and one sister being the sole survivors of
typhus
Towser, a dog,
rescued by Harry at risk to his own life.
A faithful and intelligent hound.
Lionel Samms,
an old school friend of both Ellery and Luke, a Corinthian and noted horseman
George, an
infant
Maggie
and Emmie Thwaite, village girls from Wrotherhyde, good at sewing
Bessie
Porrit, aka Madame Bellescheveux.
Married daughter of Luke’s bailiff, Jem Butler.
Others coming for the ball
Reverend
Jerome Blake, vicar in Wrotherhyde
Jerusha
Blake, his daughter.
Mr.
and Mrs. Smith, Tobias’ parents
Polly
[Mary], their daughter
A
selection of militia men, parsons, squires, and prominent yeomen farmers and
families.
