Character guide

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.