Character guide

Jack Marvel

major

Also known as I, me, myself, Jack, Jack Marvel, the Cheap Jack, dear Jack

Jack Marvel is a young royalist messenger whose chance errand—returning a dropped paper to a stranger—drags him into a tangle of duels, letters, and hidden enemies. He is quick to laugh, slow to trust, and honest enough to be dangerous in a war where nobody's coat stays one color. His voice carries the book: wry, watchful, and forever a little out of his depth, which is exactly why we follow him.

Joan

major

Also known as Joan of Arc, she, her

Joan of the Tor moves between the Cornish hills and the edges of the war, mending wounds, hiding fugitives, and speaking in a blunt country tongue that hides a fierce competence. She saves Jack's life with sackcloth and steady arms, then refuses to be thanked or ordered about. Her loyalty is real but unsentimental, and her presence quietly reshapes what Jack thinks courage looks like.

Delia Killigrew

major

Also known as Delia, Mistress Delia, Mistress Killigrew, Mistress Delia Killigrew

Delia Killigrew is the mistress of Gleys, a royalist lady whose beauty and name make her a prize in more than one schemer's game. When she is snatched aboard a sloop by Settle and his knaves, Jack's private errand becomes a rescue. She is no passive captive—her composure among strangers and her instinct for villainy steady the men around her, and her claim on her father's house drives the middle of the book.

Captain Billy Pottery

supporting

Also known as Billy, Captain Billy, Billy Pottery, Captain

Captain Billy Pottery is a disreputable, cheerful rogue whose coat is a patchwork of blue, orange-tawny, and flame-color over the parent black. He has been a Turkish slave, a Gravesend husband, and a survivor of more scrapes than he can count, and he shares his bread and his stories with equal generosity. His company gives Jack a taste of the road's odd brotherhood, and his luck—good and bad—colors the early chapters.

Sir Deakin Killigrew

minor

Also known as Deakin, Sir Deakin, Sir Deakin Killigrew, Deakin Killigrew

Delia's late father, a royalist whose death sets events in motion.

Molly

minor

Also known as herself

A servant or companion to Delia, appearing in domestic scenes.

Mr. Hannibal Tingcomb

supporting

Also known as Hannibal, Master Hannibal Tingcomb, Master Tingcomb, Tingcomb

Hannibal Tingcomb is the Killigrews' scheming steward, a man whose straight hair, soft voice, and appetite for ham hide a colder purpose. When Jack and Delia arrive at Gleys, they find him presiding over a closed coffin and a household of hired mourners, insisting the master is dead. His performance is the hinge on which the middle of the book turns: a villain who works through paperwork, poison, and other people's grief.

Anthony Killigrew

supporting

Also known as Anthony, Mr. Anthony Killigrew, Master Anthony Killigrew, Killigrew

Anthony Killigrew serves in Lord Bernard Stewart's troop of guards and carries a letter from the King to the Army of the West. Punctilious to the point of absurdity, he nearly fights Jack over a dropped paper, then clasps his hand and calls him friend within the hour. His brisk, foreign manners and his Cornish name open the door to the Killigrew plot, and his errand sets the whole story in motion.

Sir Bevill Grenville

minor

Also known as Sir Bevill

A prominent royalist commander in the West Country.

Luke Settle

supporting

Also known as Captain Settle, Settle, Captain Luke Settle

A turncoat captain whose polished menace collapses into shrieking agony when Sir Deakin's punch bowl erupts in flame.

Matt Soames

minor

Also known as poor Matt

A fellow prisoner and friend to the narrator in Bristol.

Master Timothy Carter

minor

Also known as Master Carter, Carter

A loyal servant or steward to the Killigrew family.

Prince Maurice

minor

Also known as Maurice, the Prince Maurice

A royalist prince and military commander.

Dick

minor

Also known as Black Dick

A rough sailor or servant encountered in the story.

Colonel Essex

minor

Also known as Colonel

A parliamentarian colonel who captures the narrator.

John Davenant

minor

Also known as Master John Davenant, Master Davenant

A royalist officer or gentleman known to the narrator.

Reuben Gedges

minor

Also known as Reuben

A local man who helps the narrator in his travels.

Sammy

minor

Also known as Sam, Black Sampson

A servant or attendant, possibly of African descent.

King Charles I

minor

Also known as His Late Majesty King Charles I, King Charles, The King

The executed king, whose letter the narrator carries.

Sir Ralph Hopton

minor

Also known as Hopton

A leading royalist general in the West.

Ruthen

supporting

A soft-voiced Justice of the Peace whose saintly reproofs mask the halting step of a man the narrator has already met committing murder.

Earl of Stamford

minor

Also known as Stamford, the Earl of Stamford, Earl o' Stamford

A parliamentarian commander.

Jan Tergagle

minor

Also known as Joan—Jan Tergagle

A Cornish character, possibly a musician or storyteller.

Ben Halliday

minor

Also known as Ben, Benjamin Halliday

A minor character, possibly a soldier.

Mr. John Marvel

minor

Also known as Master Marvel, Marvel

The narrator's father, a royalist gentleman.

Master Short

minor

A minor character encountered during the narrator's travels.

Prince Rupert

minor

Also known as Rupert

The famous royalist cavalry commander.

Master Pottery

minor

Captain Pottery's father or relative, mentioned in passing.

Lord Mohun

minor

Also known as Mohun, The Lord Mohun

A royalist nobleman and commander.

Master Simon

minor

Also known as Simmy

A servant or minor character at the Killigrew estate.

Jack Frog

minor

A minor character, possibly a nickname for a soldier.

Giles

minor

A servant or minor character at an inn.

Mr. Rob

minor

Also known as Robin

A minor character, possibly a servant.

Mr. Robert Drury

minor

A gentleman encountered by the narrator.

Colonel John Digby

minor

Also known as Digby, Col. John Digby, John Digby

A royalist officer and commander.

Sir John Berkeley

minor

A royalist officer and governor of Bristol.

Alsie Pascoe

minor

Also known as Alsie

A young woman encountered in the countryside.

Mistress Fanshawe

minor

A lady of the royalist circle.

Eli Sprat

minor

Also known as Eli

A minor character, possibly a servant or local.

Mistress Finch

minor

Also known as a Mistress Finch

A lady mentioned in passing.

Gabriel Hutchins

minor

Also known as Gabriel

A local man who aids the narrator.

Jeremy Toy

minor

Also known as Jeremy

A minor character, possibly a servant.

Lady Grace Grenville

minor

Also known as Lady Grace

Sir Bevill Grenville's wife, a royalist lady.