The Great Roxhythe · Characters
Character guide
Key figures in The Great Roxhythe by Georgette Heyer.
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Lord Roxhythe
major
Also known as Roxhythe, Christopher Dart, Christopher Dart Roxhythe, Dart, Chris, Chris Dart, Milor Roxhythe, Marquis of Roxhythe, le Marquis de Roxhythe, Roxhyt'e, Lord Roxhyt'e
To the court he is an idle, cynical darling of the King; to Christopher Dart, the raw young secretary he recruits at midnight, he is a spellbinding and unreadable master. Roxhythe's languor vanishes whenever intrigue calls, and the double life he leads — frivolous ornament and coldly efficient plotter — is the engine of the whole story. His charm, his ruthlessness, and his refusal to explain himself keep everyone around him guessing.
King Charles II
major
Also known as Charles, Sir Charles, King Charles, Charles R., the King
Charles rules a court of wit and license, trusting Roxhythe above all others while his brother James chafes at being kept in the dark. He wants French gold and a Catholic alliance, but he wants them on his own terms, and he plays his sister Henriette and Louis XIV against each other with patient cunning. His favour is the prize everyone at Whitehall circles, and his hidden negotiations drive the book's central intrigue.
Mr. Milward
supporting
Also known as Milward, the amiable Mr. Milward
Milward is the sort of genial, worldly acquaintance a young secretary is delighted to meet abroad, full of stories of Italy and the Hague. He attaches himself to Christopher's company just as Roxhythe falls mysteriously unwell, and his eagerness to join the ride to Bergen sits oddly with his earlier excuse of a cast shoe. His affability is exactly the kind that makes a reader wonder what lies beneath it.
Roderick Dart
supporting
Also known as Roderick, the old Roxhythe, Roderick Dart Roxhythe
Roderick is everything his brother is not: cold, austere, and openly contemptuous of the King's court and its foppish favourite. He comes to Roxhythe's inn only at Christopher's request, hand near his belt, convinced he may be walking into a trap. His honest grey eyes and his suspicion of the man who has taken charge of his impressionable brother make him both a moral counterweight and a useful, wary ally.
Lady Frances Montgomery
supporting
Also known as Frances, Fanny, Fan, Lady Fanny, Montgomery
Lady Frances moves easily in the glittering, morally loose world of Whitehall, where flirtation is a game and the devil is never idle. She is drawn to Roxhythe's charm and daring, yet the rival she cannot name — his secret work abroad — costs her bitter tears. Her presence humanizes the intrigue, showing what Roxhythe's devotion to the King's business actually costs the people who love him.
Duke of York
supporting
Also known as York, James, King James, James Dart, the Papist James
James wants the French alliance and the restoration of his religion, but he wants them openly, with Parliament's consent and the army behind him — not through clandestine treaties that make kings into thieves. He resents Charles's careless confidence in Roxhythe and suspects Louis of laying traps. His moral anguish and his jealousy of the favourite make him a restless, dangerous counterforce within the royal family itself.
William of Orange
supporting
Also known as William, Prince William, Orange, William of Nassau, Nassau
William of Nassau moves through European politics with a cold discipline that unnerves the pleasure-loving English court, inspiring absolute loyalty in servants who would sooner die than betray him. Roxhythe, returning from Holland, warns the King plainly: 'The Orange is a man, and one who must not be forgotten.' His refusal to unbend, his air of gloom and calculation, marks him as the coming power against whom Charles must guard — a shadow over every negotiation that follows.
Madame d'Orléans
supporting
Also known as Madame, la Roxhythe, Henriette
Madame d'Orléans moves between the English and French courts with charm as her weapon and half-knowledge as her currency, teasing Roxhythe for the truth about Charles's intentions even as she admits she has 'but half' the King's confidence. She knows Louis will be furious at the Dutch marriage, and she presses Roxhythe to declare which side he truly serves. Her exchanges with him — flirtatious, needle-sharp, never quite honest — make her the story's most elegant sounding board for the double game at its heart.
Lord Ashley-Cooper
supporting
Also known as Ashley, Cooper, Lord Ashley, Shaftesbury
Lord Ashley-Cooper sits uneasily beside the foppish Buckingham, tapping his foot and watching Roxhythe with open suspicion, a man who has no use for comfits or courtly polish. He is not at ease in the King's designs and cannot tell whether he is being used or is using others. In the charged meeting of the King's councillors, his discomfort and Roxhythe's impassive bow set the tone for a political world where nobody's loyalty is certain and every courtesy conceals a calculation.
Lady Crewe
supporting
Also known as Crewe
Lady Crewe confronts Roxhythe at a ball, silks rustling and red lips pressed thin, demanding to know why he ignored her letter and missed her party. She knows he is cold, knows he only pretends because it amuses him, and forgives him anyway the moment his hand finds hers. Their alcove scene — her tiny sob, his practised tenderness, her whispered warning about her husband — shows exactly how Roxhythe operates, and what it costs the women who love him.
Sir Henry Crewe
minor
Also known as Henry, Crewe
A gentleman of standing, involved in the affairs of the court.
David
minor
Also known as Davy, Poor David, Dear David
A loyal servant or friend to Roxhythe, often addressed with affection.
Monmouth
supporting
Also known as Duke of Monmouth, the Duke
Monmouth returns from Scotland triumphant, his cause fanned by rumours of a marriage certificate sealed in a box, and shows himself everywhere the moment Charles falls ill. Shaftesbury sways him to his will, inducing him to defy the King and return to London against orders. His ambition becomes the lever by which the Exclusion crisis is forced to a head — and the reason Charles must choose between a son who will not wait and a brother he has already banished once.
Sydney Harcourt
minor
Also known as Harcourt, Madam Harcourt, Sydney
A friend and confidant to Roxhythe, often involved in delicate matters.
Mynheer de Staal
minor
Also known as de Staal, Mynheer de Staal
A Dutch contact or ally, assisting Roxhythe in foreign intrigues.
Lord Danby
minor
Also known as Danby, my Lord Danby
A key minister in Charles II's government, navigating political storms.
Sir Jasper Montgomery
minor
Also known as Montgomery, Jasper
A relative of Lady Frances, with his own stake in events.
M. Colbert de Croissy
minor
Also known as Colbert, de Croissy
The French ambassador, a shrewd negotiator for Louis XIV.
Buckingham
minor
A flamboyant duke and courtier, often at odds with the King.
Lord Sunderland
minor
Also known as Sunderland, the pious Lord Sunderland
A cunning politician who shifts allegiances to survive.
Lord Holles
minor
Also known as Holles
A diplomat and peer, part of the English delegation abroad.
Mr. Trenchard
minor
Also known as Trenchard
A gentleman involved in the Whig plots against the King.
Lord Grey
minor
Also known as Grey
A conspirator in the Rye House Plot and Monmouth's rebellion.
M. Barillon
minor
Also known as Barillon
The French ambassador to England, a key player in secret diplomacy.
Katherine
minor
A woman of the court, possibly a servant or minor noble.
Richard Worth
minor
Also known as Worth
A minor gentleman or official in the story.
Lady Mary
minor
Also known as Mary, Poor Lady Mary
A princess, daughter of the Duke of York, later Queen Mary II.
Lady Castlemaine
minor
Also known as Lady Castelmaine
A former mistress of King Charles II, a figure of scandal.
Mrs. Chester
minor
A minor female character, possibly a housekeeper or companion.
Sedley
minor
A wit and courtier, part of the King's libertine circle.
Mr. Fletcher
minor
Also known as Fletcher
A conspirator in the Rye House Plot.
Mynheer Heenvliet
minor
Also known as Heenvliet
A Dutch diplomat or official.
La Kéroualle
minor
Also known as Mademoiselle de Kéroualle
A French spy and mistress of Charles II, later Duchess of Portsmouth.
Louise
minor
A French maid or attendant to Madame d'Orléans.
Sir Thomas Clifford
minor
Also known as Clifford, Thomas
A member of the Cabal ministry, involved in state secrets.
Colonel Rumsey
minor
Also known as Rumsey
A military man involved in the plots surrounding the succession.
Halifax
minor
A prominent statesman and advisor to the Crown.
Lord Essex
minor
Also known as Essex
A nobleman involved in the political machinations of the era.
Mr. Sydney
minor
Also known as Sydney
A republican thinker and plotter against the Stuart monarchy.
Mr. Burnest
minor
Also known as Burnest
A minor courtier or official in the King's circle.
Mr. Ferguson
minor
Also known as Ferguson
A radical Whig conspirator involved in plotting.
Mr. Cherrywood
minor
Also known as Cherrywood, Frederick Cherrywood
A friend or associate of Roxhythe, possibly a servant.
Fortescue
minor
A minor character, possibly a servant or agent.
Lord Roberts
minor
Also known as Roberts
A peer involved in the political events of the reign.
Lord Russell
minor
Also known as Russell
A Whig leader executed for his role in the Rye House Plot.
Mynheer De Witt
minor
Also known as De Witt, Cornelius De Witt
A Dutch republican leader, a key figure in Dutch politics.
Madame Harcourt
minor
Also known as Harcourt
The wife or mother of Sydney Harcourt, a minor presence.
Rodrigue
minor
A foreigner or servant, possibly a messenger.
Lord Stafford
minor
Also known as Stafford
A Catholic peer executed during the Popish Plot hysteria.
Faith
minor
A female servant or minor character in the household.
General Bentinck
minor
Also known as Bentinck
A Dutch military officer and confidant of William of Orange.
Sir Thomas Killigrew
minor
Also known as Killigrew
A playwright and courtier, part of the King's circle.
Henri
minor
A French servant or minor noble in the story.
Sir Richard
minor
A minor knight or official, briefly mentioned.
La Belle Stewart
minor
Also known as Henrietta Stuart, Stuart, Miss Stewart
A famous beauty at the court of Charles II.
Lord Arlington
minor
Also known as Arlington
A member of the Cabal ministry, a key secretary of state.
Armstrong
minor
A conspirator executed for treason.
Lord Macclesfield
minor
Also known as Macclesfield
A peer involved in the Monmouth rebellion.
Lord Buckhurst
minor
Also known as Buckhurst
A courtier and poet, part of the King's circle.
Marquis de Dangeau
minor
Also known as Marquis
A French courtier and memoirist.
Montague
minor
A minor courtier or politician.
Mr. Rumbald
minor
Also known as Rumbald
A conspirator involved in an assassination plot.
Villiers
minor
A member of the powerful Villiers family, a courtier.
Lucy Walters
minor
Also known as Lucy
The mother of the Duke of Monmouth, a former mistress of Charles II.
Lord Arundell
minor
Also known as Arundell
A Catholic peer, involved in secret negotiations.
Mr. Hyde
minor
Also known as Hyde
A minor official or lawyer.
Lord Lauderdale
minor
Also known as Lauderdale
A Scottish peer and member of the Cabal ministry.
Dimcock
minor
A minor character, possibly a servant or tradesman.
Justin
minor
A minor character, possibly a servant.
Bab
minor
A minor character, possibly a nickname for a servant.
Dick
minor
A minor character, possibly a servant or commoner.
Mr. Chiffinch
minor
Also known as Chiffinch
A courtier and keeper of the King's private closet.
Sir Malcom Digby
minor
Also known as Digby
A minor knight or gentleman.
Mynheer Dagvelt
minor
Also known as Dagvelt
A Dutch contact or merchant.
Dupont
minor
A French servant or agent.
Titus Oates
minor
Also known as Oates
The fabricator of the Popish Plot, a notorious liar.
Sir William Temple
minor
Also known as Temple
A diplomat and essayist, involved in English-Dutch relations.
Mr. Curtis
minor
Also known as Curtis
A minor conspirator or printer.
Jeremy
minor
A servant or minor character.
Madam Dart
minor
The mother of Christopher Dart, a minor figure.
de Guiche
minor
A French nobleman, a rival in love or politics.
Jan Van den Busch
minor
Also known as Jan
A Dutch servant or minor official.