Character guide

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.