Man and Wife · Characters
Character guide
Key figures in Man and Wife by Wilkie Collins.
Skim names here — open a free preview to see character cards and Character Web beside the page as you read.
Geoffrey Delamayn
major
Also known as Mr. Delamayn, Mr. Geoffrey Delamayn, The Honorable Geoffrey
Geoffrey Delamayn moves through drawing rooms and sporting circles with the confidence of a man who has never been denied. When a legal flaw in a marriage threatens to bind him, he circles the problem like a man trapped, furious at any obstacle to his will. His cold calculation and casual cruelty toward women set the novel's central scandal in motion.
Anne Silvester
major
Also known as Miss Anne Silvester, Miss Silvester, Anne
Anne Silvester grew up the gifted, neglected daughter of heartless parents, sent to make her fortune on the stage. Her childhood friendship with Blanche Lundie—sealed in a tearful vow aboard an Indiaman—remains the one pure thing in her life. When a hidden marriage entangles her with Geoffrey Delamayn, her loyalty and silence become both her strength and her trap.
Sir Patrick Lundie
major
Also known as Lundie, Patrick, Sir Patrick
Sir Patrick Lundie watches his niece Blanche's romantic entanglements with the weary amusement of a man who has seen too many foolish contracts signed in haste. A bachelor of sharp tongue and sharper judgment, he is drawn into the Delamayn scandal not by ambition but by affection. His legal expertise and moral clarity make him the one figure everyone eventually needs.
Arnold Brinkworth
major
Also known as Mr. Arnold Brinkworth, Mr. Brinkworth, Brinkworth
Arnold Brinkworth is the sort of open-hearted young man who acts first and thinks afterward, especially where a woman in distress is concerned. His affection for Blanche Lundie is sincere, but his chivalrous impulse toward Anne Silvester leaves him legally bound in ways he cannot untangle. His predicament exposes how the law can punish decency as readily as deceit.
Blanche Lundie
major
Also known as little Blanche, Miss Blanche, Blanche
Blanche Lundie arrives from India with round cheeks, saucy eyes, and a heart full of affection for her childhood friend Anne. She is the picture of health and happiness, but her devotion to Anne and her growing love for Arnold Brinkworth place her at the center of a conflict she cannot control. Her innocence and loyalty make the novel's legal tangles feel personal and urgent.
Lady Lundie
supporting
Also known as Dear Lady Lundie
Lady Lundie returns from India after years abroad, bringing with her the strict moral codes of colonial society and a determination to manage her stepdaughter Blanche's future. Her sense of propriety is absolute, and she regards any irregularity—especially in matters of marriage—as a personal affront. Her interference raises the stakes for everyone caught in the Delamayn scandal.
Hester Dethridge
supporting
Also known as Dethridge
Hester Dethridge moves through the house as a silent witness, her slate carrying blunt warnings that Anne cannot afford to ignore. She has known Geoffrey's kind of violence before, and her dread is not nervousness but recognition. Her mute vigilance gives the novel its coldest barometer of danger, turning domestic service into something close to prophecy.
Julius Delamayn
supporting
Also known as Mr. Julius Delamayn, Julius
Julius Delamayn belongs to the same landed family as Geoffrey but shares none of his appetites, preferring books, travel, and measured conversation to sport and drink. His mild interventions in family affairs carry a moral weight his brother cannot match, and his presence quietly raises the question of what the Delamayn name actually stands for. Where Geoffrey takes, Julius considers — and that contrast shapes how the reader judges every choice the family makes.
Mr. Bishopriggs
supporting
Also known as Bishopriggs, Sawmuel Bishopriggs
Bishopriggs trades in information the way other men trade in drink, and he knows exactly what his correspondence is worth to the people who want it buried. When Geoffrey's fists make direct negotiation unwise, the innkeeper simply turns to the next interested party and lets the market decide. His sly, self-preserving scheming turns private scandal into a commodity, and his choices keep the plot's secrets circulating long after they should have died.
Mrs. Glenarm
supporting
Mrs. Glenarm moves through society as a small fortune wrapped in silk and lace, courted by men who calculate her worth before they compliment her wit. She has a direct interest in knowing whether another woman holds a prior claim on Geoffrey, and that question makes her both a rival and a potential ally to Anne. Her vanity and her vulnerability pull her toward the same trap Anne barely escaped, and her choices test how far the novel's men will go to secure a rich wife.
Mr. Vanborough
supporting
Also known as Vanborough
Mr. Vanborough disowned and deserted the woman who bore his child, then married Lady Jane and climbed toward the peerage with the strictest attention to propriety. He offered money instead of his name, and the refusal he received became the seed of everything the novel's next generation must untangle. His past is the original crime that the plot keeps returning to, and his comfortable second marriage is the lie his daughter's existence is designed to expose.
Lady Jane Parnell
minor
Also known as Lady Jane
A gossipy society lady who spreads rumors.
Mr. Kendrew
minor
A lawyer consulted by the characters.
Mrs. Vanborough
minor
Anne's mother, a quiet and suffering woman.
Lady Holchester
minor
Also known as the Dowager Lady Holchester
Geoffrey and Julius's mother, a dignified matriarch.
Mr. Moy
minor
A solicitor involved in legal matters.
Mr. Speedwell
minor
A doctor attending to characters' health.
Mrs. Karnegie
minor
The landlady of the inn where Anne stays.
Lord Holchester
minor
Also known as the new Lord Holchester
Geoffrey and Julius's father, a peer.
Mr. Crum
minor
A lawyer in Glasgow handling Anne's case.
Duncan
minor
Also known as the faithful Duncan
Sir Patrick's loyal servant.
Sir Thomas Lundie
minor
Also known as Thomas, poor Sir Thomas, Tom
Blanche's deceased father, mentioned in backstory.
Reuben Limbrick
minor
A brutal man connected to Hester Dethridge's past.
Mr. Bapchild
minor
Also known as good Mr. Bapchild
A minor gentleman acquaintance.
Mr. Camp
minor
A lawyer involved in the legal proceedings.
Mistress Inchbare
minor
The housekeeper at Windygates.
Joel Dethridge
minor
Hester Dethridge's husband, a cruel man.
Mr. Perry
minor
Geoffrey's trainer and confidant.
Mr. Karnegie
minor
The innkeeper, husband to Mrs. Karnegie.
Fleetwood
minor
A servant at Windygates.
Craig Fernie
minor
Also known as Craig, Fernie
A location name personified in dialogue.
Hopkins
minor
A servant at Windygates.
Mr. Marchwood
minor
Also known as Mr. Marchwood of Hurlbeck
A neighbor and friend of the Lundies.
Captain Newenden
minor
A military man and acquaintance.
Mrs. Dethridge
minor
Hester Dethridge's mother-in-law, mentioned in backstory.
Miss Lundie
minor
Also known as Miss Lundie of Windygates
Sir Patrick's sister, briefly mentioned.
Crouch
minor
Also known as the great and terrible Crouch
A servant at Holchester House.
Mrs. Graham
minor
A minor character mentioned in passing.
Dowager Lady Lundie
minor
Also known as the new Lady Lundie
Sir Thomas's widow, a minor figure.
Mrs. Silvester
minor
Anne's mother, deceased before the story.
Jaffray Delamayn
minor
An ancestor of Geoffrey, mentioned in family history.
Mrs. Geoffrey Delamayn
minor
Geoffrey's wife, mentioned late in the story.
Mr. Murdoch
minor
A doctor consulted briefly.
Miss Karnegie
minor
The Karnegies' daughter, briefly mentioned.
Janet
minor
A maid at Windygates.
Mrs. Camp
minor
Mr. Camp's wife, briefly mentioned.
Thomas Pennyquick
minor
A lawyer's clerk.