These Old Shades · Characters
Character guide
Key figures in These Old Shades by Georgette Heyer.
Skim names here — open a free preview to see character cards and Character Web beside the page as you read.
Justin, Duke of Avon
major
Also known as Avon, Alastair, His Grace, Lord Rupert Alastair, Alastair of Avon
Avon moves through Parisian society as a master of irony and manipulation, his motives as opaque to his friends as to his enemies. He acquires the boy Léon with suspicious ease, installs him as a ward, and watches with amusement as the page becomes the toast of Paris — while refusing to explain why he cares. His friends whisper that he has never looked at anyone the way he looks at Léonie, and the mystery of what he knows about her origins drives the plot's central engine.
Léonie de Bonnard
major
Also known as Mademoiselle Léonie de Bonnard, Mistress Léonie, Léonie, Mademoiselle
Léonie enters the story disguised as a boy, quick with a blade and quicker with a retort, and is swept into Avon's household where she blossoms into a beauty with no memory of her true parentage. She adores Avon with a devotion she cannot name, yet bristles at the idea that she is too lowborn to wed him — a tension Lady Fanny gleefully stokes. Her unguarded recollections of Versailles and her striking resemblance to someone the Comte de Saint-Vire fears make her the puzzle everyone is trying to solve.
Hugh Davenant
supporting
Also known as Davenant, Hugh, the good Davenant
Hugh Davenant is the rare man who can tease Avon about his ruling passions and still be trusted with his secrets, moving between London and the Continent as his friend's discreet agent. He is the one who notices Léon's suspiciously short memory and the odd gaps in the boy's story, and who later watches Léonie's transformation with affectionate concern. His dry amusement and unshakeable loyalty anchor the novel's more extravagant characters, and his observations often tell the reader what Avon will not.
Lady Fanny Marling
supporting
Also known as Fanny, Marling, Fan, Lady Fanny
Lady Fanny Marling moves through Parisian society with an eye for a petticoat of gold net and an ear for the latest scandal, and she takes the bewildered Léonie under her wing with genuine warmth. She reads Avon's feelings for his ward long before he admits them, teasing Léonie about jewels and duchesses until the girl bursts into tears — then regrets her runaway tongue. Her blend of frivolity and real kindness gives the novel its social texture and pushes Léonie toward confronting what she feels for Monseigneur.
Comte de Saint-Vire
supporting
Also known as Saint-Vire, Comte, the Comte de Saint-Vire
Saint-Vire arrives at Merivale with a story about a schooner and a friend named Chalmer that no one quite believes, and his composure cracks the moment Léonie's name is mentioned. He probes for news of Avon's whereabouts and the girl's presentation with a hunger that alarms his hosts, and his old scandal with the Alastair family surfaces in Merivale's memory. His quiet menace makes him the shadow pursuing Léonie across the novel's middle chapters, and his fear of what she might remember drives the plot's central conflict.
Léon Bonnard
supporting
Also known as Léon, Bonnard, little Léon
Léon Bonnard is the page who shares Léonie's face and her secret history, left behind when Avon carries her off to Paris and reduced to playing chess with Hugh Davenant while he waits for news. He plays a monstrous reckless game, claims a conveniently short memory, and asks after Monseigneur with a proprietary 'us' that betrays how much he misses his twin. His separation from Léonie gives the novel its quiet ache of loss, and his eventual fate is bound up with the identity she is only beginning to discover.
Lord Rupert Alastair
supporting
Also known as Lord Rupert, Rupert, Alastair
Rupert moves through the Polite World as a lounging man about town, forever betting Merivale a monkey on his brother's schemes and fleeing drawing rooms where anyone reads verse. Yet his real tension is loyalty: he has lived with Justin for years and knows that still waters run deep, that the quarrel with Saint-Vire was never forgotten. His gleeful suspicion that 'there's something afoot' makes him the reader's first hint that Avon is playing a long game.
Armand de Saint-Vire
supporting
Also known as Armand, Saint-Vire, the good Armand
Known in society as 'the good Armand,' he moves through the same glittering salons as Avon and Léonie while carrying a name that others spit upon. His position is quietly impossible: he is heir to a man whose hatred of the Alastairs is legendary, and any friendship he forms with Léonie places him between two houses at war. His presence sharpens the question of whether goodness can survive inside a corrupt inheritance.
Jennifer Merivale
supporting
Also known as Jennifer, Merivale, miladi Jennifer
Jennifer moves through the Marling and Merivale circle as the soft-spoken counterweight to her brother's bluntness and Rupert's noise. Where others are dazzled by Léonie's daring or troubled by her strangeness, Jennifer is simply kind, troubled only that the girl's eyes 'make her shiver' when they fall on Saint-Vire. Her quiet sympathy gives Léonie something the plot rarely offers: uncomplicated affection, and a witness to her vulnerability.
Anthony Merivale
supporting
Also known as Anthony, Merivale
Merivale is the reliable friend in Avon's orbit, the man who watches his host with curious eyes and dares to say, 'I think that you have grown, Alastair.' He trades snuffbox observations with the Duke about Léonie's scars, and he refuses to bet against a certainty when Avon finally moves. His honesty makes him the story's moral barometer, measuring how far the cold Duke has been changed by the girl he rescued.
Madam Field
minor
Also known as Madam, Mr. Manvers, Madam Field
The Duke of Avon's formidable housekeeper at his English estate.
Prince de Condé
minor
Also known as le Prince de Condé, Condé, Young Condé
A powerful French prince and ally to the Duke of Avon at the court of Versailles.
Monseigneur le Duc
minor
Also known as Monseigneur, Duc, Monseigneur le Duc
A high-ranking French nobleman, often referred to with deference at court.
Madame de Saint-Vire
minor
Also known as Madame, Saint-Vire, de Saint-Vire
The Comte de Saint-Vire's wife, a cold and calculating woman.
Edward Marling
minor
Also known as Dear Edward, Edward, the worthy Edward
Lady Fanny's brother, a sensible and kind-hearted country gentleman.
M. le Curé
minor
Also known as The Curé, the Curé
The local priest in the French village where Léonie and Léon grew up.
Madame Dubois
minor
Also known as Madame, Madame Dubois, Madame le Baronne
A gossipy French baroness who provides comic relief and local news.
Gaston
minor
A servant in the Duke of Avon's household.
Walker
minor
Also known as This Walker
A servant at the Duke of Avon's English estate.
Henri
minor
Also known as the noble Henri, the young Henri
A young French nobleman and friend of Armand de Saint-Vire.
Jean Bonnard
minor
Also known as Jean, Bonnard
Léonie and Léon's father, a poor but proud Frenchman.
Rachel
minor
A maid in the Duke of Avon's household who attends to Léonie.
Mère Bonnard
minor
Also known as Bonnard
Léonie and Léon's mother, a gentle and loving woman.
M. de Beaupré
minor
A French nobleman and acquaintance of the Duke of Avon.
Léon the Page
minor
Also known as Léon
Léonie's alias while disguised as a page boy for the Duke of Avon.
Florimond de Chantourelle
minor
Also known as Florimond, Chantourelle
A young French nobleman and suitor to Léonie.
Maman Marthe
minor
Also known as Maman, Marthe
An elderly woman who cared for Léonie and Léon in their youth.
Milor Merivale
minor
Also known as Milor, Merivale, Milor ’ Merivale
Jennifer and Anthony's father, a titled English gentleman.
Cain
minor
The Duke of Avon's loyal and silent manservant, often acting as a bodyguard.
De Beaupré
minor
Also known as de Beaupré
A French nobleman and acquaintance of the Duke of Avon.
Léonie de Saint-Vire
minor
Also known as Saint-Vire, Léonie
The Comte de Saint-Vire's daughter, a name that causes confusion with the heroine.
Duc of Avon
minor
Also known as Avon
A French title held by Justin, used in formal contexts at the French court.
Vicomte de Valmé
minor
Also known as the Vicomte, Vicomte, the Vicomte de Valmé
A French nobleman who appears at court and social gatherings.
De Faugenac
minor
A French nobleman and acquaintance of the Duke of Avon.
Madame du Deffand
minor
Also known as Madame
A historical French salonnière mentioned in passing at court.
Madame de Verchoureux
minor
Also known as Madame
A French noblewoman who hosts a social event crucial to the plot.
Lavoulère
minor
A French nobleman and associate of the Comte de Saint-Vire.
Madame de Vauvallon
minor
Also known as Madame
A French noblewoman and acquaintance of the Duke of Avon.
Harriet
minor
Also known as Cousin Harriet, Cousin
A cousin of the Marling family, a gossipy and conventional woman.
Charles Edward Stuart
minor
Also known as Edward
The Young Pretender, a historical figure mentioned in the context of Jacobite plots.
M. de la Douaye
minor
A French nobleman and acquaintance of the Duke of Avon.
Lord Merivale
minor
Also known as Merivale
Jennifer and Anthony's father, a titled English gentleman.
M. de Richelieu
minor
Also known as Richelieu, old Richelieu, de Richelieu
The famous French cardinal and statesman, a historical figure at court.
Mr. Fletcher
minor
Also known as Fletcher
A lawyer or man of business for the Duke of Avon.
Marie de Lespinasse
minor
Also known as Marie, this Marie de Lespinasse
A historical French salonnière mentioned in passing.
Old Farmer Mauvoisin
minor
A local farmer in the French countryside who aids the plot.
Comte de Stainville
minor
Also known as de Stainville
A French nobleman and acquaintance of the Duke of Avon.
Tony
minor
A nickname for Anthony Merivale, used by family and friends.
Faith
minor
A maid in the Duke of Avon's household.
Abel
minor
A servant in the Duke of Avon's household.
Jenny
minor
A nickname for Jennifer Merivale, used by family.
Charlotte
minor
A minor female character mentioned in society gossip.
Vassaud
minor
A French servant or agent of the Comte de Saint-Vire.
Madame Bonnard
minor
Also known as Bonnard, Madame
A neighbor or relative of the Bonnard family in France.
Johnson
minor
Also known as the tedious Johnson
A minor character, possibly a servant or tradesman, described as tedious.
Lady Fountain
minor
A society lady mentioned in passing at social events.
Colehatch
minor
Also known as The great Lord Colehatch
A nobleman mentioned in society gossip.
Julia Falkner
minor
Also known as Mistress Julia Falkner, Julia, Mistress Falkner, Julie
A young woman mentioned in the context of a past scandal.
Sir John Cotton
minor
Also known as John, Sir John Cotton
A gentleman and acquaintance of the Duke of Avon.
Coggin
minor
A servant in the Duke of Avon's household.
Victor
minor
A servant in the Duke of Avon's household.
Hector
minor
A servant in the Duke of Avon's household.
De Châtelet
minor
Also known as de Châtelet
A French nobleman mentioned at court.
De Salmy
minor
A French nobleman mentioned at court.
Marchérand
minor
Also known as Madame, de Marchérand, Madame de Marchérand
A French noblewoman mentioned in society.
De Brionne
minor
A French nobleman mentioned at court.
Young de Chantourelle
minor
A young French nobleman mentioned in passing.
Mr. Marling
minor
Also known as XI Mr. Marling, Marling
Lady Fanny and Edward's father, a country gentleman.
Duc de Penthièvre
minor
Also known as Penthièvre, de Penthièvre
A French nobleman mentioned at court.
Madame de Pompadour
minor
Also known as Madame
The famous mistress of Louis XV, a historical figure at court.
Madame de la Roque
minor
A French noblewoman mentioned in society.
Madame de Marguéry
minor
Also known as Madame
A French noblewoman mentioned in society.
Madame Tournoise
minor
Also known as Madame
A French noblewoman mentioned in society.
De Foquemalle
minor
Also known as de Foquemalle
A French nobleman mentioned at court.
Mademoiselle de Sonnebrune
minor
Also known as Mademoiselle
A young French noblewoman mentioned in society.
Marquis de Chourvanne
minor
A French nobleman mentioned in passing.
D'Anvau
minor
Also known as d'Anvau
A French nobleman mentioned at court.
Mr. Selwyn
minor
A gentleman and acquaintance of the Duke of Avon.
Nash
minor
A servant or minor character in the Duke of Avon's circle.
Duc de Noailles
minor
Also known as de Noailles
A French nobleman mentioned at court.
Rudolph Alastair
minor
A relative of the Duke of Avon, mentioned in passing.
M. Marling
minor
Also known as Even M. Marling
A Frenchified version of Mr. Marling, used in jest.
De Sally
minor
Also known as de Sally
A French nobleman mentioned at court.
La Douaye
minor
A French nobleman mentioned at court.
Mr. Davenant
minor
A formal address for Hugh Davenant.
Julie de Cornalle
minor
Also known as Cornalle, Julie de Cornalle
A young French woman mentioned in a past scandal.
Comtesse de Marguéry
minor
Also known as Comtesse
A French noblewoman mentioned in society.
Duchesse de la Roque
minor
Also known as Duchesse de la Roque
A French noblewoman mentioned in society.
Comte de Brionne
minor
A French nobleman mentioned at court.