DRAMATIS PERSONAE

Born November 1820 in a storm; orphaned at two days old when his parents died in a carriage accident. Raised by solicitors, tutors, and servants. Wealthy, passionate, impulsive. Falls instantly in love with Elizabeth Dufray at Cambridge recital, May 1843. Shot in the chest by Beaumont but survives when bullet hits his father's silver flask. Narrator of the Victorian manuscript (if authentic).

Baron and Baroness, killed in carriage accident when Edward was two days old. Left letters for their son, suggesting they somehow knew they would not survive to raise him. Adrian was son of William Witherspoon, the patriarch who built the family fortune.

Loyal, cautious, protective. Raised Edward from infancy. Warns Edward about the Dufrays at the ball ("wolves in sheep's clothing"). Accompanies Edward to confront Beaumont; injured defending his master. Wise counsel throughout the crisis.

Oversees the day-to-day operations of the estate.

Manages the household staff and domestic arrangements.

Beautiful soprano, educated at Cambridge. Falls in love with Edward at first sight but bound by childhood marriage contract to Count Beaumont. Orphaned when mother Angelica dies mysteriously in Prague (August 1843). Kidnapped by Beaumont at her mother's funeral in Amiens using chloroform. Imprisoned aboard The Montesquieu, taken to Antigua, violated while drugged. Transforms from gentle lady to fierce survivor. Nicknamed "Lizzy."

Textile merchant with mills in France and England. Signed marriage contract with Count Beaumont when Elizabeth was infant, believing it non-binding. Devastated by wife's death and daughter's kidnapping. Forms alliance with Edward to rescue Elizabeth. Collapses from exhaustion after Amiens, sleeps two days at Harrowgate Hall.

French noblewoman. Dies suddenly in Prague, August 1843, officially of "brain fever." Buried in Amiens. Inspector Wilmont suspects she was poisoned by Beaumont (Dresden-Prague proximity). Hotel records show "English gentleman" visited her the day before her death. Body later exhumed for forensic examination.

Fierce, protective, carries a parasol as weapon. Sits vigil over Lord Dufray's sickbed. Forms unlikely alliance with Lady Elvira Beaumont. French matriarch with sharp instincts and sharper wit.

Eldest son, died in hunting accident at age 19. His death made Elizabeth sole heir to the Dufray fortune.

Part of the extended French family network.

Villain. Holds childhood marriage contract with Elizabeth. Inherited massive debts from gambling father. Desperate to marry Elizabeth for her inheritance to pay debts and restore Beaumont fortune. Shoots Edward (August 1843). Follows Dufrays to France; possibly murders Angelica in Prague. Kidnaps Elizabeth from cathedral with chloroform. Rapes her while drugged aboard ship. Takes her to Antigua where family runs illegal slave trade and rum operations. Cold, calculating, obsessed with legitimacy and titles.

Gambler and speculator who squandered the family fortune. Made Beaumont wealth through illegal slave trade (Africa to West Indies to American South). Died in debt. Possibly poisoned by his own son Fitzgerald.

Barely twenty years old, small and timid-looking. Kept away at French boarding schools by her father. Returns to London when father dies. Discovers family's involvement in slave trade. Brings shipping manifests, property deeds (Antigua, Mozambique, Carolinas) to Edward and Lord Dufray, betraying her brother. Given sanctuary at Harrowgate Hall by Edward. Forms friendship with Madam Katrina.

Second and third sons. Benefited from family's slave trade profits, educated at Oxford on those funds. Fled England after father's death to escape family shame. No longer in contact with Fitzgerald.

African servant/thug in Beaumont's employment. Participates in violence and intimidation.

Middle-aged, sharp-eyed, no-nonsense. Investigates Elizabeth's kidnapping. Suspects Beaumont murdered Angelica based on Dresden postmark and Prague hotel records. Orders exhumation of Angelica's body. Coordinates international search across Antigua, Mozambique, and the Carolinas.

Younger officer, takes meticulous notes. Accompanies Wilmont on investigation.

Dispatched to Caribbean to investigate Beaumont's operations. Goes missing in Antigua.

Former privateer mate who climbed to captaincy through murder (drowned one captain, slit another's throat). True pirate at heart. Runs slave and rum cargo for the Beaumonts. Uses shanghaiing and murder to control crew. Square-rigger Montesquieu officially reported sunk but secretly operating illegally.

Manages Beaumont sugar plantation and slave operations in the West Indies.

Enforcer in Antigua operations.

Assigned to serve Elizabeth in Antigua. Becomes her confidante and means of escape. Helps Elizabeth flee Beaumont's control.

Sloop pilot. Rescues Elizabeth and Consuelo from Beaumont's plantation. Legendary pirate of the Caribbean. Navigates them through dangerous waters.

Pierre's trusted second-in-command on pirate sloop.

Royal Navy captain searching for The Montesquieu and Beaumont.

Corrupt city official on Beaumont's payroll.

Edward's legal representatives managing the Witherspoon estate. Raised Edward in practical matters. Conservative counsel.

Legal assistant in the solicitors' office.

Edward's intimate acquaintance. Tenured professor at Cambridge. Organized the recital where Edward first heard Elizabeth sing. Facilitates introduction to Johann Strauss I for Edward's ball.

Renowned Viennese composer and conductor visiting England in 1843. Edward hires him to conduct at the ball where he courts Elizabeth. Known as "The Waltz King," Strauss was famous for being light on his feet and charming with the ladies. Historically accurate: Johann Strauss I (1804-1849) toured England multiple times in the 1840s, including for Queen Victoria's coronation festivities in 1838. His presence at an aristocratic ball in 1843 is entirely plausible.

Part of Edward's social circle.

Local clergyman serving the estate's parish.

Conducts Angelica's funeral mass. Last person to speak with Elizabeth before her kidnapping.

London novelist, age approximately 30-35. Estranged from half-brother Richard over father's brewery fortune. Ruled mentally unfit in court hearing (November 2024) but given 3-year review period. Obsessed with proving manuscript's authenticity to validate his own suffering. Moves into own apartment December 2024. Develops romantic relationship with Sarah. Voice appears in blue italic boxes with ► prefix, signed "OW."

Oliver's rival for inheritance. Court awarded him control of Witherspoon brewery after Oliver was ruled unfit. Relationship with Oliver is strained but not entirely broken—they are trying to navigate being brothers rather than competitors.

Recently died, leaving brewery fortune contested between his sons. Oliver struggles with his father's expectations and his own sense of inadequacy.

Scholarly narrator and manuscript authenticator. Discovered the manuscript November 2024 in documents from demolished Bow Brewery. Descendant of Mr. Pembrick (Edward's servant). PhD in Victorian literature. Initially skeptical of manuscript's authenticity. Hides violent pages to protect Oliver. Loses scholarly objectivity as she becomes emotionally involved with Oliver and the story. Voice appears in tan boxes with [BRACKETS], signed "SPC."

Descendant of original Victorian solicitors. Manages Witherspoon estate matters. Provides Oliver with access to complete manuscript after court hearing. Conservative, protective of Oliver.