# Ultor de Lacy — Short Fiction character guide

> Ultor de Lacy in Short Fiction by J. Sheridan Le Fanu.

**Role:** major

**Also known as:** Ultor, De Lacy, Ultor De Lacy, Walter De Lacy

**First appearance:** 0023-ultor-de-lacy

## Snapshot

A haunted man whose return to his ancestral home drags old curses and spectral riders out of the Irish dark and into the present.

## Who they are

Ultor de Lacy moves through a world of ruined houses, moonlit bridges, and whispered family legends, pursued by something older than memory. His presence unsettles everyone he meets—Bob Martin flees from him in terror, and the very horses snort at his approach. Whether he is victim or agent of the supernatural, his arrival sets the machinery of the story in motion, drawing the living into a reckoning with the dead.

## Relationships

### [Ally Moran](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_31_se/characters/ally_moran)

_friendship_

Ally Moran and Ultor de Lacy are loyal friends, often supporting each other in difficult circumstances.

### [Ally Moran](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_31_se/characters/ally_moran)

_friendship_

Ally Moran and Ultor de Lacy are loyal friends, often supporting each other in difficult circumstances.

### [Ally Moran](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_31_se/characters/ally_moran)

_friendship_

Ally Moran and Ultor de Lacy are loyal friends, often supporting each other in difficult circumstances.

## In the story

### [Ultor de Lacy: A Legend of Cappercullen](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_31_se/chapters/ultor-de-lacy)

Central figure of the legend, a ghostly presence haunting Cappercullen.

### [I: The Jacobite’s Legacy](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_31_se/chapters/i-the-jacobite-s-legacy)

The only son of the dying Jacobite, inherits a black box with a portrait and instructions; later settles in Ireland and fathers Alice and Una.

### [II: The Fairies in the Castle](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_31_se/chapters/ii-the-fairies-in-the-castle)

Implicated in the Rebellion of '45, attainted, estate forfeited; directs his daughters to take shelter in the old castle.

### [IV: The Light in the Bell Tower](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_31_se/chapters/iv-the-light-in-the-bell-tower)

Mentioned as the old master and grandfather of the young ladies, having campaigned in Italy.

### [V: The Man with the Claret Mark](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_31_se/chapters/v-the-man-with-the-claret-mark)

Sees the spectral figure, fires at it, and later reveals marriage plans for Una; expresses terror and despair about the family curse.

### [VI: Voices](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_31_se/chapters/vi-voices)

Returns and listens to Alice's narrative with marked uneasiness; plans to hasten the family's departure to Paris.

### [VII: Una’s Love](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_31_se/chapters/vii-una-s-love)

De Lacy is Una's father, who reacts with rage and horror at her disappearance and attempts to recover her through exorcism.

### [VIII: Sister Agnes and the Portrait](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_31_se/chapters/viii-sister-agnes-and-the-portrait)

Recently deceased; his daughter Alice finds the portrait among his effects.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_31_se/characters/ultor_de_lacy
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_31_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_31_se/characters