Character guide

Philip Jettan

major

Also known as young Philip, little Philip, Mr. Philip Jettan, Mr. Jettan, A Jettan, Jettan, Philippe, le petit Philippe, M. Philippe Jettan

Philip grows up at Jettan's Pride, content with horses and harvests, until Cleone Charteris makes clear she wants a fashionable gentleman and not a country bumpkin. Stung by her rejection and by the elegant Mr. Bancroft's easy mockery, he vows to remake himself in London and Paris under his uncle's tutelage. His transformation is the engine of the novel: the question is whether the polished Philip can still be the man Cleone actually needs.

Cleone Charteris

major

Also known as Little Mistress Cleone, Mistress Cleone, Cleone Charteris, Charteris, the pretty Cleone, little Cleone, Clo

Cleone has known Philip since childhood and loves him, but she wants a suitor who can turn heads in a ballroom, not one who smells of the stables. Her demand that he change sets the whole plot in motion, and her own contradictions—wanting polish, then resenting the polished man—drive the middle of the book. She is not merely a prize: her jealousy, pride, and quick temper make her Philip's most difficult and most necessary audience.

Sir Maurice Jettan

supporting

Also known as Maurice, a Jettan, Maurice Jettan, Jettan, Maurry

Sir Maurice is the elder Jettan who sowed his wild oats and settled at the Pride, and he reads his son with uncomfortable accuracy. When Philip announces he will become a fop to win Cleone, Sir Maurice neither forbids nor mocks him outright—he simply observes, advises, and waits. His dry asides and steady presence give the early chapters their comic and emotional ballast, and his approval matters more to Philip than either admits.

Sir Thomas Jettan

supporting

Also known as old Tom, Tom, Tom Jettan, Thomas, Mr. Thomas Jettan, His Uncle Thomas

Tom Jettan lives in town, dresses with exquisite care, and knows everyone worth knowing; he is the natural destination when Philip flees Sussex for a makeover. He takes on the project with relish, schooling Philip in dress, dancing, and the arts of flirtation, and his running commentary on the boy's progress supplies much of the book's comedy. Yet Tom is no fool—he sees the danger in teaching a man to wear a mask, and his affection for Philip complicates his role as Pygmalion.

Sir Deryk Brenderby

supporting

Also known as Sir Deryk, Brenderby, Deryk, ce scélérat Brenderby, this Brenderby, cher Brenderby

Brenderby is everything Philip has been taught to imitate: elegant, assured, and fluent in the language of drawing-rooms. He pursues Cleone openly, and his attentions force Philip to confront whether his borrowed polish can compete with the genuine article. He is not a villain so much as a mirror—his ease exposes the strain in Philip's performance and raises the stakes of the courtship.

Mr. Bancroft

supporting

Also known as Bancroft, the resplendent Mr. Bancroft, ce cher Bancroft, M. Bancroft, Henry Bancroft, Harry Bancroft, Sir Harold Bancroft

Bancroft is the glittering expatriate who embodies everything Philip is trying to become—and everything that is hollow in it. He mocks the raw country boy, wins Cleone's passing attention, and then humiliates Philip in a duel that leaves him wounded in body and pride. That defeat is the hinge of the novel: it strips Philip of his illusions and sets him on the harder path toward becoming genuinely formidable rather than merely fashionable.

François

supporting

Also known as Poor François

François serves as Philip's valet in Paris and follows him back to London, where his anxious scuttle and fractured English ('Eef m'sieu' would come up to ze chamber of my mastaire?') mark him as foreign, faithful, and faintly absurd. His pride in Philip's wardrobe and his alarm at the sheer volume of baggage register the transformation Philip has undergone — and the cost of maintaining it. He matters because his fussing presence keeps Philip's new identity visible and slightly ridiculous, a running reminder that the elegant gentleman is a construction, not a birthright.

James Winton

minor

Also known as Young James Winton, Winton, young Winton, Jamie, young James, James Winton

A young man from the neighborhood, friend to Philip and Cleone.

Lady Malmerstoke

supporting

Also known as Malmerstoke, old Sally Malmerstoke, Sally Malmerstoke, Sally, Old Sally Malmerstoke, old Malmerstoke, Sarah Malmerstoke

Lady Malmerstoke — 'Sally' to her friends — moves through London drawing rooms with the ease of a woman who has outlived scandal and now dispenses advice on husbands and marriage. Tom has loved her for years, and she keeps him at arm's length with affectionate exasperation; Philip enlists her as an ally in his scheme to test Cleone's heart. Her amused, unsentimental counsel gives the novel its clearest-eyed view of courtship, and her willingness to stand Philip's friend makes her the pivot on which his deception turns.

Jennifer Winton

minor

Also known as Jennifer, Winton, Mistress Jennifer, Mistress Jennifer Winton, little Jennifer, Jenny, little Jenny

James Winton's sister and a friend to Cleone.

Comte de Saint-Dantin

minor

Also known as the Comte de Saint - Dantin, Comte, Saint - Dantin, le Comte de Saint - Dantin, The Comte

A French nobleman and friend of Sir Maurice in Paris.

Moggat

minor

Also known as the hapless Moggat, Mrs. Moggat, that rascal Moggat, ce bon Moggat, this Moggat, the detestable Moggat

A servant in the Jettan household, often the butt of jokes.

De Bergeret

minor

Also known as Jules de Bergeret, Jules

A French acquaintance of Philip and Sir Maurice in Paris.

Mademoiselle de Chaucheron

supporting

Also known as Mademoiselle, mademoiselle, Clothilde de Chaucheron, Clothilde, de Chaucheron, Chère Clothilde, the lovely Clothilde

Mademoiselle de Chaucheron belongs to Philip's Paris season — one of the elegant women whose notice made him 'dangerously popular' and whose name gossip attached to his quarrel with Bancroft. The rumor that Philip fought over a French lady is false, but Clothilde's presence in the story gives that falsehood its plausible shape, feeding Cleone's jealousy and Philip's silence. She matters less as a rival than as the mirror in which Cleone is forced to see how thoroughly Philip has been remade — and how little she knows of the man he has become.

De Vangrisse

minor

Also known as De Vangrisse yonder, Paul de Vangrisse, Paul

A French acquaintance in Parisian society.

Mr. Charteris

minor

Also known as Charteris

Cleone's father, a gentleman of Little Fittledean.

Vicomte

minor

Also known as the Vicomte, The Vicomte

A French nobleman in Parisian society.

Jacques

minor

Also known as the good Jacques

A servant or friend in the French household.

Aunt Sally

minor

Also known as Sally, Aunt Sarah, Sarah

An older relative of the Jettan family.

Le Vallon

minor

A French character encountered in Paris.

Lord Charles Fairfax

minor

Also known as Fairfax, Lord Charles

An English nobleman who appears in the story.

Mistress Ann Nutley

minor

Also known as Mistress Nutley, Ann Nutley, Mistress Ann, the lovely Ann, Mistress Ann Nutley yonder

A young lady in the social circle of Little Fittledean.

Marquis de Château-Banvau

minor

Also known as Le Marquis de Château - Banvau, le Marquis, The Marquis, M. de Château - Banvau, Château

A French nobleman in Parisian society.

De Chambert

minor

Also known as M. de Chambert

A French acquaintance in Paris.

Madam Charteris

minor

Also known as Madam

Cleone's mother.

De Farraud

minor

A French character mentioned in Parisian society.

Mr. Winton

minor

Father of James and Jennifer Winton.

Lady Marchand

minor

Also known as Dolly Marchand

A society lady in the story.

Satterthwaite

minor

Also known as Old Satterthwaite

An older character in the village.

M. de Foli-Martin

minor

Also known as M. de Foli - Martin, M. de Foli - Martin⁠—closely

A French acquaintance in Paris.

Mademoiselle de Marcherand

minor

Also known as Mademoiselle, mademoiselle

A French lady in Parisian society.

Madame de Sauverin

minor

Also known as Madame

A French lady in Parisian society.

Henri de Chatelin

minor

Also known as Henri, Henri de Chatelin⁠—oh

A French acquaintance mentioned in Paris.