Character guide

Captain Hugh Drummond

major

Also known as Hugh Drummond, Drummond, Hugh, Captain Drummond, Captain, young Drummond, Bulldog Drummond, Monsieur Hugh, Master Hugh

Demobilized after the trenches and restless in peacetime, Drummond fills his days baiting gendarmes and trading quips with an American detective hunting a missing millionaire. His charm is a weapon: he plays the genial fool while reading everyone in the room, and he trusts no one, not even a badge. When a chance encounter pulls him into a kidnapping plot, his appetite for the game sets the whole adventure in motion.

Carl Peterson

major

Also known as Mr. Peterson, Peterson, Carl, little Carl

Peterson runs a disciplined network of kidnappers and killers, yet he never comes himself when a job needs doing, sending lieutenants instead. Drummond treats him almost as a sporting rival, planning to part amicably if Peterson behaves, which reveals how much the two men enjoy the duel. As the gang's strategist, he is the mind Drummond must outthink before he can outfight anyone.

Henry Lakington

major

Also known as Lakington, Henry, Mr. Lakington, Herr Lakington, little Henry

Where Peterson schemes, Lakington enjoys the dirty work, and his reputation for cold-blooded violence follows him through the gang's operations. Drummond speaks of him with a softness that is really menace, promising their little Henry the shock of his life before the end. He is the physical threat that keeps the early intrigue dangerous, the reason the game cannot stay merely clever.

Algy Longworth

supporting

Also known as Algy, Longworth

Algy is the first friend Drummond ropes into the conspiracy, greeting the scheme as the most priceless thing he has ever heard. His one condition, an armistice during Ascot week, captures his priorities, but Drummond trusts his iron nerve and his eye for people. He is the recruiter and sounding board who turns a solo vendetta into a gang of trustworthy sportsmen.

Peter Darrell

supporting

Also known as Darrell, Peter, Mr. Darrell, the immaculate Darrell

Darrell strolls into Drummond's flat in a gorgeous dressing-gown, but the moment orders are given the vacant youth vanishes and a keen-faced officer takes his place. He offers everything he has without hesitation, though he would rather whip up the boys for a real scrap than practice low cunning. His willingness to follow precise instructions shows how Drummond's old battalion loyalty carries into civilian warfare.

Toby Sinclair

supporting

Also known as Toby, Sinclair

Sinclair, a V.C. man, drives through the summer night with Drummond and presses to join the coming confrontation, only to be ordered to take the car back instead. He protests peevishly and threatens to marry the girl himself, a flash of temper that never shakes his allegiance. His eagerness and his willingness to stand down on command mark him as the dependable second Drummond needs in the field.

James Denny

supporting

Also known as James, Denny

James runs Drummond's household with military precision, answering his employer's wilder schemes with a murmured 'Indeed, sir,' and a smart heel-click. When Drummond needs someone trailed, misdirected, or quietly watched, it is James who stations himself behind the curtain and reports the man watching the house. His dry loyalty grounds the story's early chaos, proving that even a gentleman adventurer needs a good man at his back.

Irma Peterson

supporting

Also known as Irma, the beautiful Irma, Miss Irma

Irma moves through the criminal underworld as Peterson's elegant partner, her beauty a lure and her composure a warning. She is the polished surface of a ruthless operation, and Drummond's circle learns to read her smile the way they read a threat. In the early skirmishes she embodies the glamour and menace of the enemy, making the conspiracy feel less like thuggery and more like a gentlemen's game with lethal stakes.

Mr. Hiram Potts

supporting

Also known as Mr. Potts, Hiram Potts, Potts, the wretched Potts, Hiram C. Potts, the hapless Potts

Potts arrives in London trailing a steel trust and a name no man should have to carry, only to fall into the orbit of Lakington and lose days to a drug-clouded haze. When Drummond finds him, the millionaire can only mutter 'Danger' and shrink from his own signature, a wreck where a captain of industry should be. His vacant stare becomes the first hard proof that the conspiracy is real, and his recovery a race against whatever the villains plan next.

Ted Jerningham

supporting

Also known as Ted, Jerningham, old Ted

Ted belongs to the tight circle of ex-officers who treat Drummond's schemes as the best sport going, greeting each new plan with delighted enthusiasm and a demand to be included. Where Drummond supplies cunning, Ted supplies appetite for the fight, and his eagerness to rope in old friends like Toby Sinclair keeps the band growing. He represents the easy camaraderie that makes the coming campaign feel like a reunion as much as a manhunt.

Phyllis Benton

supporting

Also known as Phyllis, Miss Phyllis, Benton

Phyllis has turned amateur detective to save her father from Lakington and Peterson, tracing secretaries to Belfast and asking careful questions at the Carlton. She warns Drummond that the men at The Elms suspect everything and everyone, yet cannot quite hide the spark that passes between them when their eyes meet. Her desperation and courage give the early investigation its emotional urgency, and her presence at The Larches places her dangerously close to the enemy next door.

Mr. Benton

minor

Phyllis's father, a wealthy man targeted by the criminals.

Jerry Seymour

minor

Also known as Jerry

A friend of Drummond's who assists in the investigation.

Mullings

minor

Also known as the wretched Mullings, Mr. Mullings

A hapless servant or minor character in the employ of the villains.

Mr. Jerome K. Green

minor

Also known as Mr. Green, Jerry, the phlegmatic Mr. Green

An American associate of Potts, calm and resourceful.

The Marquis of Laidley

minor

Also known as Laidley, young Laidley, England

A young aristocrat who helps introduce the American performers.

Jem Smith

minor

Also known as Jem

A minor character, possibly a servant or local.

Mr. Ditchling

minor

Also known as Ditchling

A minor character, possibly a servant or associate.

The Duchess of Lampshire

minor

Also known as Lampshire, the Duchess

A society figure who appears briefly.

Steinemann

minor

Also known as Herr Steinemann

A German character, possibly a villainous associate.

Heinrich

minor

Also known as German, the dead German Heinrich

A German henchman of the villains.

Ivolsky

minor

A Russian character, possibly a spy or associate.

Mrs. Denny

minor

Also known as the wretched Mrs. Denny

James Denny's wife, a minor character.

Miss Benton

minor

Phyllis's aunt or guardian, who accompanies her during the story.

Vallance Nestor

minor

Also known as Nestor, Vallance

A detective or police inspector involved in the case.

Mr. John Crofter

minor

Also known as John, Crofter

A man who appears to be a friend but may have ulterior motives.

Mr. James Granger

minor

Also known as Mr. Granger, the wretched Granger, Granger, Jimmy Granger

A man who gets into trouble, possibly a victim of the villains.

Von Gratz

minor

Also known as von Gratz

A German or Austrian character, possibly an ally of Peterson.

Comte de Guy

minor

Also known as the Comte de Guy, le Comte de Guy, de Guy

A French count encountered during the Paris trip.

Mr. Ram Dar

minor

Also known as Ram Dar

An Indian character, possibly a servant or mystic.

Lady Jerningham

minor

Ted Jerningham's mother, a society lady.

Hocking

minor

Also known as Mr. Hocking

A minor character, possibly a servant or police officer.

Victor Terrance

minor

Also known as Terrance, Victor

A minor character, possibly an actor or associate.

Olaki

minor

A mysterious foreign character, possibly a servant.

Wal

minor

A minor character, possibly a nickname for a friend.

Freddie

minor

A minor character, possibly a friend or servant.

George Dringer

minor

A minor character, possibly an American associate.

Aunt Kate

minor

Also known as Fortunate Aunt Kate

A relative of one of the characters, mentioned briefly.

Mr. Rum Bar

minor

Also known as Mr. Rum, Mr. Rum Rum

A minor character, possibly a comic figure.

Lady Frumpley

minor

A society lady mentioned in passing.