A list of characters that appear in Emma: A Victorian Romance and the various tropes associated with each.
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Main Protagonists
Emma
Emma
- Voiced by: Yumi Touma (JP), Eileen Montgomery (EN)
- Apologizes a Lot: The very first words out of her mouth are an apology for smacking William in the face with a door. Beyond that, most of her apologies relate to her insecurity at acting above her station or being a burden to anyone (mostly William).
- Babies Ever After: The final episode of the anime ends with Emma and William living happily with their four children.
- Averted in the manga, which ends with their wedding reception.
- Blind Without 'Em: Emma needs her glasses, but it's played realistically. A myopic Emma can tell apart figures at a distance but not exact details. She still may trip over a carpet though.
- Without her glasses, she was unable to recognize the love of her life (that'd be William) until he was literally standing right in front of her
- Brainy Brunette: To an extent. Her hair is a deep auburn (other characters, mostly the Germans, have explicitly darker hair) and she's very good at her job. In addition, Kelly decided Emma "look[ed] clever enough" to give the same type of all-round education she gave William Jones – a much greater amount than the average maid; for example, Emma can read French to a small degree.
- Character Title: She's the Emma the series is named after.
- Curtains Match the Window: Brown hair and eyes. She's one of the only brown-eyed English characters in the series (most other brown-eyed characters are German).
- Dark and Troubled Past: Touched upon in the anime; the manga goes into more detail. Emma was born in a desperately poor seaside village somewhere in Yorkshire (on a real map it would be somewhere down the coast from Whitby, in the North York Moors). She had no father and her mother died when she was very young, leaving her to be raised by her uncle and his wife, who often abused her and denied her meals. One day while walking (barefoot) to the nearest town to sell mussels, a man kidnapped her and brought her to London where she was to be sold to a brothel. She escaped, but quickly became lost. She spent the next few years begging, selling flowers, and doing menial labour for food until Kelly Stownar encountered her and took her in to train her as a maid.
- Emma mentions during her train trip that she has no idea if her home village still exists after the passage of nearly a decade and a half. In the anime, she returns there and, sure enough, it's been completely abandoned.
- Dude Magnet: Apart from William, Emma attracts a lot of suitors. Even at the very start of the series Emma had a backlog of letters from men trying to court her, to which she wrote responses turning them down. Hakim and Hans both also express interest in her over the story.
- Insecure Love Interest: She often worries that her poor (literally) upbringing makes her not good enough for William and that their relationship will only cause trouble for him because of their class difference. She's right, but he doesn't care.
- It Was a Gift: Kelly was the one who gave Emma her glasses, and it was the first tangible gift anyone ever gave her, so Emma cherishes them and refuses to give them up despite her worsening eyesight. William convinces her to get new lenses fitted after one cracks during her unwilling sojourn to America.
- Meet Cute: Emma and William meet when Emma opens a door just as William raises his hand to knock. Mrs. Stownar is more than a little amused at the mark it leaves.
- Nephewism: Emma is an orphan. During her early childhood she was "taken care of" by her uncle. In reality, she did chores for his wife who was never satisfied with her efforts, accusing her of "just playing around" and denying her meals as punishment for her "infractions".
- Only One Name: She's Emma, just Emma. This is justified in-story due to her being an illegitimate child – "no father to speak of" – and her mother died young. Her aunt treated her like a burden to the point she either never knew their surname or forgot it. When she must write a surname in the Church register for her marriage with William to be valid, he suggests she use "Stownar" – Kelly's surname – reasoning (likely correctly) that Kelly would have approved. Emma does so.
- Princess for a Day: Emma, against her own wishes (but under orders from her employer), accompanies Mrs Trollope to an upper-class party dolled up to look like any other wealthy young woman. While Mrs Trollope is impressed at how well the disguise looks, Emma is absolutely terrified.
- The Quiet One: She isn't particularly talkative, especially after she moves to Yorkshire. The male servants in the Mölders household argue whether that makes her appear cold or just calm.
- After she returns from accompanying Dorothea and Wilhelm on their trip to London where she met William again and they had almost a tryst and decided to begin written correspondence, Emma becomes much more talkative. This thoroughly confuses everyone in the Mölders' employ, who invoke O.O.C. Is Serious Business.
- She Cleans Up Nicely: Not that she's unattractive in her everyday maid outfit – it was obviously enough to get the (unwanted) attention of well over a dozen young men in the City Of London, plus an Indian prince, and (wanted this time) William – but when she gets dolled up to accompany Mrs Trollope to the party, she's stunning.
- Shrinking Violet: Adding to her already quiet nature, she has a tendency to become extremely frantic when asked to do anything outside her social station – witness her freak-out when Dorothea orders her to accompany Mrs Trollope to William's engagement party as a guest rather than as a handmaid. Thanks to her horrible formative years noted above, she's keenly aware that a girl from beginnings as… humble as hers would never have dreamed of moving up enough in the world to become a lady's maid (a respectable position for a poor girl during that time) and recognizes her absurd luck that Kelly Stownar discovered her, took her in, and educated her. As a result, she is extremely reluctant to do anything that might jeopardize her career. Or hurt William's standing. Indeed, she showed at least twice that she was willing to leave the man she loves so that Society wouldn't turn on him.
- Street Urchin: Lived as one for a few years after escaping her captors in London, until Kelly took her in.
William Jones
- Voiced by: Tokuyoshi Kawashima (JP), Ted Lewis (EN)
- Babies Ever After: Anime only. He marries Emma and we see their children in the final episode.
- Badass Boast: Rarely prone to these. However, he makes a big one in the manga during his knock-down-drag-out war of words with Richard after telling Eleanor their engagement is off.Richard: "DO YOU WISH TO BE CUT OFF WITHOUT A SHILLING??"
William: "IF MOVING OUT OF THIS HOUSE WOULD RESOLVE THIS WHOLE BUSINESS THEN I SHOULD GLADLY DO IT!!"- Shortly thereafter, he says this to Viscount Campbell after learning the viscount masterminded the plot to have Emma abducted and shipped (literally) off to America…"I understand. So that's the way you think, is it, Viscount? I came here to discuss the engagement civilly, sir, and have no intention of submitting to such ill treatment without complaint! I don't care if you're a viscount, earl, or duke; from this point on, I will have nothing more to do with you! Even 'social climbers' have pride! DO AS YOU WILL, SIR!!"
- Shortly thereafter, he says this to Viscount Campbell after learning the viscount masterminded the plot to have Emma abducted and shipped (literally) off to America…
- Butt-Monkey: A frequent target of other characters' antics, particularly Hakim. Kelly also enjoyed taking him down a peg or three every chance she could.
- Childhood Friends: With Hakim. He also attended Eton with Robert Halford.
- Determinator: His actions might not be as spectacular as most usual examples of this trope, but boy does he get headstrong whenever Emma is involved.
- When she disappears, his efforts to get to her cannot be stopped even by minor details like near-total lack of information or entire oceans."I know, I know. But I'll use everything I have at my disposal. What are my social standing and fortune for if I can't employ them at a time like this?"
- After his confrontation with the Viscount, William angrily demands to be taken to the train station. When told the trains aren't running this late at night, he declares that he will make them run. The next chapter opens on Emma answering the door in the middle of the night to reveal William, who apparently followed through on making the trains run.
- When she disappears, his efforts to get to her cannot be stopped even by minor details like near-total lack of information or entire oceans.
- Eye Scream: Just barely avoids it when chasing a fleeing Emma through some brambles. His pained outburst gets Emma to turn back. While he may not have lost an eye, Scars Are Forever; his injury is still visible at their wedding years later.
- Historical Detective Fiction: Finds himself thrown into one when Emma is abducted. He's neither Amateur Sleuth, nor Great Detective, yet is forced to solve that mystery by using the Victorian equivalents to a Hardboiled Detective's methods… while notoriously avoiding most of the anachronistic-for-Victorian-times clichés associated with the latter trope.
- To go into specifics: While he obviously recognized Emma's handwriting in her 'farewell' note, he knew something was off due to its sloppy penmanship (she was in the back of a wagon while writing it). Also, he saw the letter was posted from Burnley, a town in Lancashire twenty miles by road from Haworth, where the Mölders Estate is and from where all her other letters were posted. Because she had written in her note that she was leaving for America, William quickly deduced she was headed for Liverpool, the closest port. He took a train there and pulled rank to go through the passenger manifests of every ship he could. When that turned up nothing (because Emma had been shipped as freight), he used his business connections to send a Missing Person telegram to every port on the East Coast his firm had connection to. He lucked out that Emma happened to still be in one of those towns working at the wharf.
- Language of Love: Platonic version. When William and Hakim met the first time as children, they had no common language (William spoke English and Hakim spoke some Hindustani language). They had an interpreter, though. However, after their first tennis match (ending in William's defeat), they start talking without the interpreter, which can be seen as a symbol of their budding friendship. The interpreter notes that he "won't be needed anymore".William: Hakim! Let's play again!
Hakim: *exclaims something in Hindi and points at William*
William: I'm NOT a sore loser! - Love at First Sight: Towards Emma.
- Master of the Mixed Message: He acts this way towards Eleanor. He can inadvertently say comments that get her hopes up when he's just trying to be polite.
- Promotion to Parent: Has shades of this, due to being the eldest sibling who takes care of his youngest siblings while his mother is absent and father is busy. For example, he was often the one who looked the drawings that his younger siblings wanted to show him. His oldest little sister Grace takes the major role though.
- Straight Man: When accompanying Hakim.
- Uptown Guy: Gender-inverted version of Uptown Girl; the girl is the poor maid and the guy is the wealthy gentleman from the Ritz.
- You Are Too Late: William is just a bit too late to catch Emma when she leaves town.
The Jones household
William's family. They are a merchant family quickly climbing up the social ladder, while not quite considered to be on the level of the actual noble families. General
- All of the Other Reindeer: Due to their non-aristocrat background, the Jones family is frowned upon by certain individuals of Society, especially during Richard's youth.
- Spell My Name With An S: One fan translation, while very good in most respects, insisted on the spelling 'Jounes'.
- The original official spelling was "Jounse
◊", so this might not be as ludicrous as one might think.
- The original official spelling was "Jounse
Richard Jones
- Voiced by: Akio Nojima (JP), Wayne Grayson (EN)
- Animation Anatomy Aging: He looked like a cross between William and Arthur when he was young but in the present day barely resembles either of them.
- Everybody Has Standards: He opposes William's marriage with Emma but he also doesn't put a stop to it once William makes it clear that he intends to follow his heart. While he's worried about how society will perceive the Jones family because of this, he would much rather be seen as "over-indulgent" (at least by Victorian standards) in allowing William to pursue Emma than a cold-hearted bastard who would disown his own son to save face or scrape forgiveness. Even by the time they are are wedded he doesn't seem to have changed his mind, staunchly refusing to acknowledge Emma during the ceremony, but he ultimately drew the line at cutting his son off from the family and admits privately that he doesn't want to be close-minded about the marriage.
- Parental Hypocrisy: His steadfast disapproval of William's pursuit of Emma counts to an extent. However, there is a key difference – while Aurelia was considered a pariah amongst Society due to her introversion and unconventional interests thus Richard also broke norms by marrying her, she was still a Lady of the upper class. William brings this up during his fight with Richard, asking why either of them should kowtow to a group of people and a system that nearly killed Aurelia.
- Later that night, after William has left, Aurelia asks if Richard regrets marrying her. His answer? He does, and he doesn't. She feels the same way. That said, it's made very clear that they still love each other.
- Shipping Torpedo: Launches it early and often, stating bluntly that he will never consent to William marrying a maid. He sees no sense in it. Justified, as William is the heir to the Jones business interests and much of the family fortune. Thus, William is responsible for not only helping to keep the business running, he's also responsible for his younger siblings, the family's hundred or so servants, and maintaining the social viability of the Jones name. That last one isn't on very firm footing due to the Jones family's position as nouveau-riche non-noble merchants.
- Strong Family Resemblance: When younger, Richard looked a lot like his sons, especially Arthur.
- The Unseen: As far as Emma is concerned. While they did meet face to face once early in the series when Richard paid a visit to Mrs Stownar following her accident, after that he refused to even look at Emma much less meet her (William failed to tell him which maid he wanted to marry, not that it would have mattered). The closest the two come to meeting is when he watches her leave his home from his upper-floor office and they briefly make eye contact, though he turns away as she curtsies; then at William and Emma's wedding, she walks down the aisle right past him but he keeps his eyes focused on the altar.
- Averted in the anime, where Richard personally stops Emma as she's leaving the Jones Estate to give her a very literal slap of reality and then proceeds to verbally tear her to shreds. Though she had already decided to leave London, that encounter further pushed her to do it.
- Whole Episode Flashback: The story of how Richard and Aurelia met.
Aurelia Jones
Aurelia Jones (née Hartwick)
- Voiced by: Sumi Shimamoto (JP)
- Animation Anatomy Aging: She looked very different when she was young Miss Hartwick.
- Cloud Cuckoolander: A quirky girl when younger. Still quirky at middle age, though in a different way.
- Cute Clumsy Girl: Young!Richard thought Young!Aurelia was just shy when she said she couldn't dance. He had to learn she was telling the truth the hard way.
- Delicate and Sickly: She was ordered to leave London because, according to a doctor, her lungs were weak. That was a lie and everyone including her knew it, though she was ill. The true reason for her departure is that she couldn't stand all the social pressure and anxiety of the upper class life of London, which took a toll on her mental health to the point that she was having panic attacks during functions and had to move to the countryside. It's also possible she suffered from postpartum depression after giving birth to several children over a short period – Colin was an infant at the time.
- Outdoorsy Gal: A noble-girl version of this. She enjoys walking in the forests and caring for plants and animals more than attending social gatherings.
- Missing Mom: She is nowhere to be seen during the first part of the manga (or the first season of the anime), making her first appearance in Volume 3. It's only revealed that she's William et al's mother later on.
- Strong Family Resemblance: When younger, Aurelia looked a lot like Grace.
- Uptown Girl: She comes from a noble family, her husband was only a (high-class) merchant.
- Whole Episode Flashback: The story of how Aurelia and Richard met.
Grace Jones
Grace Jones
- Voiced by: Sayaka Ohara (JP), Claire Curtis-Ward (EN)
- Babies Ever After: She's married to Lionel by the Distant Finale, and the couple has a baby son.
- Is That Cute Kid Yours?: She gets this now and then about Vivian and Colin. She does not take it well.
- Promotion to Parent: She has to fill in for her absent mother and busy father with Vivian and Colin. She might be a bit too good at it, since an omake shows her being unhappy about being mistaken for Colin's mother rather than his older sister.
- Shipper on Deck: She's friends with Eleanor, and she sometimes tries to get her closer to William.
Arthur Jones
- Voiced by: Kōki Miyata (JP)
- Bookworm: Easily the most studious sibling.
- Blue Oni, Red Oni: Blue oni to the red oni of Henry Preston, his fellow prefect.
- Foolish Sibling, Responsible Sibling: Sees himself as the responsible brother while William is the foolish one. Despite this, Arthur has zero interest in taking over the family business; he wants to become a barrister.
Vivian Jones
Vivian "Vivi" Jones
- Voiced by: Kaori Mizuhashi (JP), Tara Tisch (EN)
- Annoying Younger Sibling: Often portrayed as this, since her headstrong nature causes her to clash with her older siblings fairly often. Arthur seems to find her particularly annoying.
- Genki Girl: A little enthusiastic girl who climbs up ladders to see Hakim and dauntlessly slides down the stair railing when rushing to call out Emma.
- Precocious Crush: It's implied that she has a crush on Hakim. The anime doubles down on this in one episode by having her play Juliet to Hakim's Romeo during a charity function.
- She Is All Grown Up: When reaching her teens by the Distant Finale.
- Shipper on Deck: She wants William to get together with Eleanor.
- Spoiled Brat: Constantly demands having frivolities and other things. And she doesn't get better as a teen, either.
- Tomboy Princess: She may not be of royalty, but her wealthy upbringing in tandem with her headstrong personality and willingness to participate in rowdier activities makes her evoke this. In a side story, Arthur deals with a disruptive underclassmen boy who he notes reminds him of her.
Colin Jones
- Voiced by: Noriko Shitaya (JP)
- Forgettable Character: A Running Gag is how poor little Colin is nearly always ignored and forgotten by everyone. William at least attempts to pay attention to Colin but, every time he tries, something comes up that forces him to leave. When Grace, Arthur, and Vivian are spying on Emma's first visit to the mansion, they literally forgot they left Colin on the other side of the door, face-to-face with the unfamiliar woman by himself (until Vivi barges in to yell at Emma).
- Shrinking Violet: A shy, quiet boy who enjoys drawing and is prone to crying.
- The Voiceless: Almost. Speaks extremely rarely, until the finale.
Staff of the Jones' household
Stevens
- Voiced by: Yuji Mikimoto (JP)
- Apologizes a Lot: Has a tendency to apologize his employers about things that aren't really his fault or which don't really matter much. Justified by that he is a butler and therefore he is responsible of his actions to his employers.
- Friend to All Children: He saves all the drawings Colin gives to them and proudly pins them onto the wall of his office.
- Last-Name Basis: His given name is never revealed.
- Old Retainer: He's worked for the Joneses for decades and Mori stated that he is one of the two oldest characters in the series (the other being Aurelia's longtime maidservant Martha).
Theresa Hamilton
- Voiced by: Noriko Suzuki (JP)
- Insistent Terminology: Keeps calling William "young master" despite him telling her not to do so.
The Mölders family
Another merchant family, coming from Germany and currently living in a stately mansion near Haworth, Yorkshire. General
- Spell My Name With An S: Mölders? Malders? Maulders?
- Big Fancy House: They live in one.
Wilhelm Mölders
- Voiced by: ??? note (JP)
- Cool Old Guy: He's not that old, admittedly, but he's one of the coolest guys in the series. Most notably, he agrees to give Emma away at her wedding to William in place of her nonexistent father.
- Crash-Into Hello: Dorothea almost ran Wilhelm down with her horse when she first saw him.
- Face of a Thug: Dorothea comments that Wilhelm looks (or looked in his youth) rather scary, and due to this she asked him to grow a moustache. She didn't expect him to actually do it.
- Happily Married: To Dorothea. They are two of the nicest aristocrats you'd ever meet and they have a very active and loving sex life. This is in stark contrast to just about every other extant married couple in the series.
- High-Class Glass: Wilhelm owns a monocle, though he only wears it sometimes, usually when reading the paper.
Dorothea Mölders
- Voiced by: Gara Takashima (JP)
- Comic-Book Fantasy Casting: According to Mori, Dorothea's appearance was modeled after renowned opera singer Maria Callas.
- Crash-Into Hello: Dorothea almost ran Wilhelm down with her horse when she first saw him.
- Eternal Sexual Freedom: In the manga Dorothea has a very frank attitude toward sex, though this may be partly to emphasize her "foreignness". Standing naked in front of a window is probably going over the line, though. It's also shown that Dorothea's attitudes have rubbed off on her husband as well.
- Fanservice: Dorothea gets several rather gratuitous naked scenes.
- Funny Foreigner: Has shades of this, though Hakim is in the spotlight when it comes to this trope.
- Happily Married: To Wilhelm. They are two of the nicest aristocrats you'd ever meet and they have a very active and loving sex life. This is in stark contrast to just about every other extant married couple in the series.
- Raven Hair, Ivory Skin: And proud of her luxurious black hair.
- Shipper on Deck: Strongly supportive of Emma and William's romance.
Erich Mölders
- Voiced by: Reiko Takagi (JP)
- Cheerful Child
- Language Barrier: Speaks only German, which causes issues when communicating with non-German speaking staff of the household (notably Emma). Thankfully pulling them to the right places helps, and some of the bilingual adults also translate for him. He learns English by the Distant Finale.
Ilse Mölders
- Voiced by: Noriko Shitaya (JP)
- Character Development: Is less shy by the Distant Finale and capable of arguing with her brother.
- Language Barrier: Speaks only German. Thankfully adults translate for her. She learns English by the Distant Finale.
- Raven Hair, Ivory Skin: Inherited from her mother.
- Shrinking Violet: During the main series, she is a very quiet and shy little girl. She does grow out of most of her meekness though, but she still enjoys peaceful activities like drawing with Colin.
Theo
Erich's pet squirrel.
- Author Appeal: He exists because Kaoru Mori enjoys drawing squirrels.
- Distressed Dude: How Theo was introduced in the manga. He was climbing on the roof of Erich's bed, but his claw got stuck in the tassel lining, and he ended up clinging from the tassels. Emma rescued him.
- Parrot Pet Position: How he mainly rides on Erich.
Staff of the Mölders household
General
- First-Name Basis: Only higher-rank staff are addressed by their last names.
- Meido: Duh. The household has eight maids Emma included... which still isn't enough. According to Adele, they would need four more. After all, the Mölders live in a Big Fancy House.
Tasha
- Voiced by: Naomi Wakabayashi (JP)
- Cute Clumsy Girl: Her coworkers consider her only a little better than useless. She gets teased a lot, but they can't bring themselves to fire her or really lay into her.
- According to a side story, she inherited that from her mother.
- The Ditz: She is also mentally clumsy.
- Insistent Terminology: Demands her little brother to call her "Big Sister" and not by her given name, apparently in order to get a little piece of respect she can't get anywhere else.
- Not Me This Time: Non-villainous example. An omake features Tasha's colleague Polly knocking over a mopping bucket and afterwards cleaning it. Everyone first assumes that Tasha did it, much a cause of moping to Tasha herself.
- Another omake features an inversion. The maids encounter a perfectly arranged and cleaned up room, and they start to wonder who cleaned it. Just look at their faces after Tasha enthusiastically tells that it was her. Too bad she spent so much time on cleaning that room that she didn't have time to clean the other rooms.
Adele
- Voiced by: Mitsuki Saiga (JP)
- The Ace: Not shy to say that she is the best and most thorough maid in the household. Mrs. Wieck also comments that if someone is praised by Adele, it means a lot.
- The Alcoholic: Can consume large amounts of alcohol. Hans even uses that to make Adele to do his bothersome chores in exchange for a wine bottle.
- Aloof Dark-Haired Girl: Most serious and most dark-haired maid in the Mölders household.
- Forceful Kiss: Given to Hans in the Distant Finale.Hans: "Are you drunk?"
Adele: "No, but it just feels good." - Married to the Job: Prefers her job over marriage or a relationship. She finds the life as a maid more meaningful.
- The Perfectionist: She sees pleasure in perfectly arranged cozy rooms.
- Ship Tease: With Hans, see Forceful Kiss. Tomas also lampshades it in the Distant Finale.
- Smoking Is Cool: A smoker, too.
- Workaholic: States that she feels sick when she isn't thinking about work.
Hans
- Voiced by: Hiroki Touchi (JP), Dan Green (EN)
- The Ace: Handsome, tall, a brilliant male servant. According to an omake, he claims to another male servant that he doesn't have a single weakness.
- However, it turns out that Tomas might know what is his weakness. And this (the fact that Tomas might know Hans's weakness) is Hans's weakness, and Tomas successfully uses it to bribe Hans to do a chore for him. It's never told what is the weakness that Tomas knows about or if he is just bluffing.
- Forceful Kiss: Given by Adele in the Distant Finale.
- Friend to All Children: Hinted. He is mentioned to be kind by the errand boys of the Mölders household, and he is also liked by Erich. Downplayed since the same errand boys also mention that he is demanding, and also downplayed since Erich possibly likes Hans just because he doesn't coo at him (unlike the female staff of the household). According to Hans himself, he doesn't differentiate between adults and children.
- Hopeless Suitor: It is heavily implied in the manga, and outright expressed in the anime, that Hans developed feelings for Emma. You can guess how well that goes for him.
- I Want My Beloved to Be Happy: To Emma. Hans has feelings for her, though it's not expressed as clearly as Eleanor's feelings to William.
- Ship Tease: With Emma, though the feelings turn out unrequited. Later with Adele, see Forceful Kiss. Tomas also lampshades it in the Distant Finale.
- Tall, Dark, and Handsome / Tall, Dark, and Snarky: He is tall, he is dark, he is handsome, and especially he is snarky.A Mölders maid: "If he wasn't Hans, he would be perfect."
Other maids: *sighing*
Maria
Maria
- Voiced by: Sayaka Ohara (JP)
- Good Bad Girl: Claims to have a rather open sexual life, but is constantly told by Adele to knock it off before it impacts her work. Maria claims that won't be a problem since she has no desire to be tied down to/by any man.
- Smoking Is Cool: A smoker, too. She's one of the few women seen smoking (many of the adult men, including William, smoke).
Polly
Polly
- Voiced by: Yuku Sasamoto (JP)
- Blue Oni, Red Oni: Red oni to Alma's blue oni.
- Country Mouse: Polly is aware she's one, and wants to live a more exciting life in a city. This almost causes her to take a job offer in Whitechapel, before Hans explains what the neighbourhood is really like.
- The Ditz: She's more naïve than anything, and neglects to think before she acts.
- Genki Girl: Can sometimes be even more of one than Tasha, which is no small feat.
- Gossipy Hens
Alma
Alma
A maid in the Mölders household. She is often seen with Polly.- Blue Oni, Red Oni: Blue oni to Polly's red.
- Determinator: States it when first employed with an appropriate expression.Alma: It is an honor to serve in this fine house! I will do my best!
Jan
Jan
- Voiced by: Rie Kugimiya (JP)
- Hormone-Addled Teenager: Hinted. His older coworkers snicker at him about him preferring flashy showgirls over quiet, proper women like Emma.
Thomas
Thomas
- Voiced by: Reiko Takagi (JP)
A male servant in the Mölders household. He is often seen with a fellow servant Hans. By the Distant Finale, Tomas has resigned from the servant job, started working in an alcohol store, and ended up married.
-
Cross-Dressing Voices: Despite being a full-grown man, he is voiced by a woman in the anime. - Shipper on Deck: To Adele and Hans in the Distant Finale.
- Tiny Guy, Huge Girl: His wife, introduced in Distant Finale, towers over him by ease. Justified, as he is considerably shorter than other male characters, and his wife is very tall for a woman.
Johanna
Johanna
- Voiced by: Shoko Tsuda (JP)
- Apron Matron: Enjoys bossing around her kitchen staff and also those who don't work under her. She does have the best intentions, though, as usually her preaching is related to well-being of others.
- I Was Quite a Looker: Claims to be this but, aside from an omake sketch in Volume 6, we only have her word for it.
- Language Barrier: In the manga, she speaks only German (as do most of the kitchen staff), but acts like the barrier doesn't exist at all. On more than one occasion, she starts chatting with Emma, who can't understand a word she says.
- Played for both laughs and drama when she launches into a very serious and well-intended rant to Emma. When one of Johanna's underlings notes the language barrier, another replies to "let Johanna give her sermon".
The Campbells
A family of noble lineage currently living in London. The head of household hold the title of Viscount. Viscount Campbell
Viscount Campbell
- Voiced by: Katsunosuke Hori (JP)
- Aristocrats Are Evil: The only true played-straight example in the series, and boy is he ever.
- He shows total disdain for anyone and everyone he considers "beneath" him – which would be most of the human race except possibly The Queen (though Mori never told us his thoughts about ol' Vicky). After Richard Jones shakes his (gloved) hand, he waits until Richard is out of sight and throws his gloves out onto the street as he considers them too "polluted" to wear again.
- He's even able to pull rank on people who outrank him. When his middle daughter Monica finally ticks him off enough that he decides to banish her from the family's London house forever, he does so by ordering his servants to remove her husband The Earl Mildrake, who is one peerage level higher (as is Monica by marriage).
- Big Bad: He's the closest thing this series has to one. Depending on which version of the story you're seeing, he pulls his revenge in different ways.
- In the anime, he tries to destroy the Jones trading empire by using his societal connections to convince other aristocrats to abrogate their contracts, forcing William into a mad dash to raise funds before his father's business is declared insolvent.
- In the manga, he has Emma abducted from the Mölders estate and shipped off to America – it's not clear how he discovered which maid William had dumped Eleanor for or how he knew where Emma was working, but he did it. Once William returned to England with Emma, learned the truth, and told the Viscount off, the Viscount immediately used his influence to excise the Jones family from respectable society forever. He also banished Eleanor to a sanitarium.
- Impoverished Patrician: This guy is living way outside his means. Literally the only reason he's willing to allow Eleanor to marry someone outside the peerage is so that he can shore up his own finances.
- High-Class Glass: Usually wears a monocle.
- Hypocrite: Despises William even more than he normally would for preferring a maid over Eleanor when he carries on a (rather expensive) affair with an actress who herself is only using him for money. It doesn't end well for her.
- Karma Houdini: He never faces any repercussions for any of the horrible things he does. The few who stand up to him are summarily banished.
- No Name Given: His first name is never revealed.
- Screw the Rules, I Have Connections!: He's able to leverage his title and terrifying personality to force people to do his bidding. Including, as noted above, people who otherwise outrank him.
- Tsurime Eyes: Runs in family.
Viscountess Campbell
- Voiced by: Keiko Aizawa (JP)
- Deadpan Snarker: In the anime, upon overhearing from gossiping women about William's previous dalliance with Emma, the Viscount angrily asks her if she knew about it. She replies that, as a man, he would know all about that sort of thing, implying she's very aware of his affair with Violet.
- Tsurime Eyes: A mild case.
Sophia Bradford
Sophia Bradford (née Campbell)
Eldest of the Campbell sisters, married to The Earl of Bradford. She only appears in the side-stories and doesn't say much.- Serial Spouse: Went through five fiances before marrying the sixth one.
- Tsurime Eyes: Runs in family.
Monica Mildrake
Monica Mildrake (née Campbell)
- Voiced by: Kikuko Inoue (JP)
- Ambiguously Gay: if you're little bit open minded about the possibility, the signs are there: despite being married, she lives away from her husband (and does everything she possibly can to keep it that way), openly admits that she wasn't attracted to any of the suitors presented to her, and visibly perks up only in the presence of beautiful women (especially those that were nice to her sister).
- Arranged Marriage: She had many suitors, but she admits she romantically loved none of them. Ultimately, she chose the most chivalrous one to ensure she would be able to live a comfortable life.
- Knight Templar Big Brother: To Eleanor, though not quite as extreme as most examples. Monica does however become visibly distressed at the idea of Eleanor falling in love with anyone, and quickly decides she needs to see the suitor and judge him. Harshly.
- Large Ham: Monica absolutely doesn't shy from making bold declarations to get her way.
- Odd Friendship: Develops something of an interesting friendly relationship with Hakim shortly after they meet, with her ending up spending some time with him in India. She even gets her own Indian triplet harem girls (who are noticeably younger than Hakim's quadruplet harem girls).
- Tomboy and Girly Girl: has a bit of this dynamic with her younger sister Eleanor. Eleanor is very much a proper and somewhat meek Victorian lady, but Monica is extremely strong-headed, bold, and by comparison comes off masculine, especially in the way she becomes overprotective of Eleanor and demands to meet William even while dripping wet from riding a horse in pouring rain.
- Tsurime Eyes: Runs in family.
Eleanor Campbell
- Voiced by: Sanae Kobayashi (JP), Jessica Calvello (EN)
- Hopeless Suitor: She has obvious feelings for William. Unfortunately for her, he doesn't quite feel the same way. Even more unfortunately, he's terrible at communicating this to her.
- I Want My Beloved to Be Happy: She tries to invoke this with William, but she can't get over that she wants William to be happy with her.
- It's All My Fault: Eleanor invokes this regarding William's breaking off their engagement. It's expanded upon in the side-stories when she meets Ernest Reeve and explains her story. Of course readers have information Eleanor doesn't and know she's completely blameless in the whole affair. Nonetheless, Eleanor still feels that her actions were selfish and caused William undue pain. She doesn't dwell on it for too long, because the realization actually helps her move on and find her Second Love.
- Love at First Sight: To William. Unfortunately for her, he met Emma first.
- Nice Girl: One of the big reasons Eleanor is such a tragic character is because, unlike everyone else in her family, she doesn't have a mean bone in her body.
- Stylish Sunhats: She wears dark pink sunhat is so wide it covers her shoulders, and has a plumage of feathers sticking from the left.
- Tomboy and Girly Girl: Has a bit of this dynamic with her older sister Monica. Monica is a brash, bold and overprotective older sister, while Eleanor is very much a proper Victorian girl with a meek and naive personality.
- Tsurime Eyes: Runs in family.
- You Have Failed Me: Got a serving of this from her own father. After her engagement to William falls apart, the Viscount in a fit of rage banishes her to a sanitarium. She's still there during the manga side-stories.
Annie
- Voiced by: Yoko Honna (JP)
- Parental Substitute: Has taken care of Eleanor even since her childhood and is very close to her, to the point that she insists on accompanying Eleanor on her banishment from society.
Other Londoners
Kelly Stownar
- Animation Anatomy Aging: She looks totally different in the photograph with Doug (and the flashback).
- Apron Matron
- Cool Old Lady: Probably the coolest in the entire series.
- I Was Quite a Looker: Boy was she ever.
- Life Will Kill You: After Kelly falls and twists her ankle, her health declines rapidly and she dies before the end of the second volume (about two-thirds into the first anime season).
- Nice to the Waiter: She treats Emma as if she was family instead of her servant.
- Parental Substitute: More than Emma's employer, Kelly was the closest thing Emma had to a mother. She took her under her wing at a young age, personally trained Emma to be her maid and even taught her how to read and write. Taken further when Emma adopts the Stownar surname so she can marry William.
- Plot-Triggering Death: Kelly's death leaves Emma without a home, prompting her to leave London for Yorkshire, which throws a major spanner into Emma and William's relationship.
- Shipper on Deck: Despite knowing how unusual it is, Kelly wants to support Emma and William's relationship, seeing how smitten Emma is by William. She believes this kind of love might not happen again in Emma's life.
- Sorry That I'm Dying: Basically says this to Emma as Emma sets up a makeshift bed in Kelly's room so she can assist her at any time.
- Stern Teacher: To William. He remembers her as a very strict though not mean teacher. Apparently she has mellowed later though.
- Tsundere: Only when she was around Doug. Everyone else except Emma got mostly her acidic side.
- Vague Age: Kaoru Mori's timeline for Kelly doesn't quite jive with history, unusual for a series otherwise exacting in its detail. Her tombstone lists her birth year as 1838 but the Great Exhibition, which she attended with Doug, was in 1851. Obviously she wasn't 13; she was 18, meaning she was born in 1833. The manga is never clear exactly in which year the first chapter occurs – is it 1895, 1896, or 1898? Either way, Kelly is well into her sixties when she falls ill.
- Whole Episode Flashback: Young!Kelly is shown alongside her husband in a side story in which they go to see the Great Exhibition.
- Widowed at the Wedding: Okay, not quite that quickly, but, well… here's Kelly's own take on it."I married when I was 18. At 20, I became a widow."
Douglas Stownar
Voiced by: Kohichiro Morioka (JP)
Kelly's late husband. They married in 1851 when she was 18 (and he wasn't much older), but he died – possibly of cholera – in the Spring of 1853. He was close friends with Al.- Childhood Friends: With Al.
- Keet: He's shown in flashbacks to always be happy-go-lucky and smiling.
- Posthumous Character: By the time the main story begins, he's been dead for over forty years. However…
- Whole Episode Flashback: He is shown alongside Young!Kelly in a side story in which they go to see the Great Exhibition.
Al
- Voiced by: Tomomichi Nishimura (JP), Martin Billany (EN)
- Extreme Doormat: Downplayed yet existing. When Kelly asks for help, Al comes to help, whether it actually fits him or not.Kelly: "How could you ever not help an old lady?"
Al: We're the same age. - First-Name Basis: We never learn Al's last name.
Robert Halford
- Voiced by: Hirofumi Nojima (JP)
- Armor-Piercing Question: Asks one of William towards the end of the series after the Joneses' social standing has been completely shot to hell and William explains what happened."I knew… thought I knew… that you had en eccentric streak. But this has the side-effect of treating Miss Campbell cruelly, doesn't it?"
- Tsurime Eyes: A mild case.
Lionel Lloyd
- Voiced by: Yasunori Matsumoto (JP)
- You're Cute When You're Angry: To Grace in omakes.
Violet Grey
Viscount Campbell's mistress.
- High-Class Call Girl: Considered to be out of just about everyone's league. She's not a cheap date.
Other non-Londoners
Hakim Atawari
- Voiced by: Yuji Ueda (JP), James Rieser (EN)
- Childhood Friends: With William.
- Foil: To a serious, reserved William.
- Funny Foreigner: Is fascinated about European innovations such as cars and cheerfully tries those. Also sees no problem with parading on an elephant through the middle of London's streets. Also constantly accompanied by a small harem of beautiful (but unspeaking) Indian girls.
- Language of Love: Platonic version. When Hakim and William met first time, they had no common language (Hakim spoke possibly Hindi, and William spoke English). They had an interpreter, though. However, after their first tennis match (ending to William's defeat), they start talking without the interpreter, which could be seen as a symbol of their starting friendship. The interpreter notes that "he won't be needed anymore".William: Hakim! Let's play again!Hakim: *exclaims something in Hindi(?) and points at William*William: I'm NOT a sore loser!
- Odd Friendship: Develops some sort of friendship with Monica shortly after they meet. Hakim in particular finds Monica's bold personality interesting. At some point he even manages to get her connections to travel to India.
- The Rival / Love Triangle: Originally intended so, according to Kaoru Mori. He was supposed to rival William in Emma's affections, which is shown in the early chapters of the manga. However, he becomes quickly more supportive to William and Emma's relationship, justifying that he knows about William's feelings. However, he doesn't do it very humbly:Hakim: I stepped aside, because it was about William. If you give up that easily now, I will look ridiculous! Your responsibility is to make your relationship accepted!
Mrs. Trollope
An eccentric middle-aged lady who lives in an exotic house that looks like a greenhouse. She is also Dorothea's friend.
- Meaningful Name: Sort of. While Mrs. Trollope isn't actually a troll in the best-known sense, she is a highly unusual individual when contrasted to Victorian era (a middle-aged lady with high social standing but no interest to actively take part to social gatherings. Therefore it could be said that she "trolls" the Victorian society. The name may also refer to the more traditional kind of forest-dwelling mysterious trolls. The name could also be a reference to the Victorian author, Anthony Trollope.
- Misunderstood Loner with a Heart of Gold: Shades of this. Due to her hermit nature, people wonder if she's a misanthrope, but actually she is a genuinely kind woman. In reality, she is just very, very introverted, and excessive social interaction exhausts her. That's why she had to move away from London and get away from high society.
- Unusual Pets for Unusual People: Owns a pet monkey named Nini, which highlights her eccentric nature.
Martha
- Voiced by: Noriko Suzuki (JP)
- Cool Old Lady: She's able to still do quite a lot in spite of her advanced age. That said, her employer feels Martha has earned the opportunity for a dignified retirement.
- Matron Chaperone: Used to have shades of this. When a young Aurelia (future Mrs. Trollope) intended to marry Richard, Martha was tearfully against it, considering Richard unworthy of her.
- Old Retainer: Mrs. Trollope's life-long loyal servant. Mori states that Martha is the oldest female character in the series (about the same age as Richard's butler Stevens, the oldest man).
Manga side story characters
(Named) characters featured solely in side stories (except Eleanor Campbell's older sister Sophia Bradford neé Campbell who was featured earlier). Additionally, the opera singers of Covent Garden Theatre are featured here, despite the fact that they briefly appear in the main story. Ernest Reeve
A young man Eleanor encounters in Brighton in the 3rd side story.
- Cunning Linguist: Used French to tell a Frenchman to stop seducing Eleanor's maid Annie. He knows French because his mother is from France.
- Second Love: It's implied in a later story that Eleanor and Ernest have mutual feelings to each other.
Characters from the 5th side story
Edna
A cook currently working in a restaurant and formerly in a manor. She was taught by the head cook of the manor, Mrs. Darrymore. She was featured in the 5th side story.- The PerfectionistEdna's colleague: (About Mrs. Darrymore's visit) You sure will use extra effort today.Edna: Not more than usual. I don't remember I had ever cooked anything slobbishly.
- Supreme Chef
Mrs. Darrymore
The head cook in a manor. She was featured in the 5th side story.- Supreme Chef: Even Edna respects her.
Violet's new patron
An old man living with Violet, Viscount Campbell's former mistress.- Not Distracted by the Sexy: Prefers reading his newspaper rather than paying attention to a naked Violet.
Bear
A bartender and a former butler of the Borrower manor. He was featured in the 5th side story.- Old Retainer: While he isn't a butler anymore, he still cares of the son of the manor, Stephen.
Tasha's family
Tasha's family is featured in the 6th side story. Her family consists of her parents, her older brother Joseph, her younger brothers Leo, Andy, and Ned, and her younger sister Nancy.
- Annoying Younger Sibling: Nancy.
- Arranged Marriage: Joseph is going get married to a neighbor girl. It's not implied that they had a deep romantic attachment, but rather they felt like it was time to marry a spouse. Also Tasha's parents are implied to have an arranged marriage, and they suggest that they could introduce Tasha to someone.
- Cheerful Child: Leo.
- Cute Clumsy Girl: Tasha inherited that from her mother.
- Girlish Pigtails: Nancy.
- I Just Want to Be Beautiful: Nancy. She is obsessed with external beauty and rudely comments on anyone who looks plain to her eyes. She also wants to become an actress, or alternatively a typist, but certainly not a maid.
Subash Chandra
An Indian scholar, who acts as interpreter between young William and Hakim. He was featured in the 9th side story.
- All There in the Manual: His name was given in Mori's comments in the end of the manga volume.
Characters from the 11th side story
Alan Burgess
A tenor in Covent Garden Theatre. He plays Count Almaviva in Barber of Seville.
- Author Appeal: When Kaoru Mori created him, she realized that she has a thing for names starting with "A".
- Dogged Nice Guy: Has crush on Louise, who is actually in love with and marrying George.
George
A baritone in Covent Garden Theatre. He play Figaro in Barber of Seville.- Boisterous Bruiser: A large, jolly guy.
- Cool Uncle: When Louise has trouble with finding home to a kitten given to her, George decides to take it and give it to his niece.
Mr. O'Connor
A bass in Covent Garden Theatre. He plays Bartolo in Barber of Seville.- Evil Sounds Deep: He is a bass and acts the villain of the opera. However...
- Mean Character, Nice Actor: His role character is a villain, but actually O'Connor is a very likable guy and admired by Alan.
Unnamed prostitute
A prostitute Alan encounters in a restaurant. Instead of employing her services, he promptly buys her a meal instead.- Platonic Prostitution
- Street Walker: Although she tries to pick Alan up in a bar instead.
Amelia
Louise's maid.- Bully Hunter: Slapped a opera viewer next to her when he rebuked Louise's skills when Louise was singing on the stage first time. That caused quite a havoc, and Amelia hasn't been seeing Louise's performances since then.
- Straight Man: To Louise (and her cat lover antics).
