Members of the Court | Saint-Cyr staff | Louise and her entourage | Charlotte and her entourage | Hortense and her entourage | Isabeau and her entourage | Éléonore and her entourage | Henriette and her entourage | Gertrude and her entourage | Olympe and her entourage | Adélaïde and her entourage | Jeanne and her entourage | Victoire and her entourage | Gabrielle and her entourage | Diane and her entourage
The characters who appear in Book 3, Charlotte la Rebellenote , and 14, Retrouvailles à Versailles note .
Charlotte de Lestrange
A spirited girl looking to live freely and reunite with her family, whom she was abducted from.
- Big Sister Instinct: Her first reflex towards the Siamese child slaves who sail back to France with her; she teaches them to read and write during the journey.
- Dark and Troubled Past: Converted at gun point and forcibly betrothed at age 12 before being locked up in an institution for the foreseeable future.
- The Determinator: She'll allow nothing to stand between her and her objectives, especially her religious freedom.
- Doomed by Canon: She joins La Résistance to fight for her religious freedom in Book 14. Louis XIV smashed these rebellions in blood.
- Everything's Sparkly with Jewelry: She loves jewels and fine clothes. The most impressive piece she wears is the necklace gifted to her by the king of Siam.
- The Gadfly: She likes to be provocative and can't hold her tongue even when she should.
- Hypocrite: She hates the severity and plain clothing of the Catholic bigots, but does have to admit that her Protestant mother would not be too happy to see her dressed and bejewelled like a Christmas tree either.
- Light Feminine Dark Feminine: The Dark Feminine to Hortense, Isabeau and Louise's Light Feminine.
- Little Miss Badass: At age 11, she nearly bites off the hand of a soldier who would have taken advantage of her.
- Loving a Shadow: She met her cousin François a few times when she was 11, and fell in love with his courage and determination. She has not seen him since. When they do meet again, she finds out that she severely idealized him, and that both of them have changed too much to be compatible.
- Meaningful Name : Charlotte means "strong woman". Lestrange means "the odd one" or "the stranger".
- Politically Incorrect Hero: Insofar as she is a Sheltered Aristocrat who has never known any culture but her own. She does, however, think that Christian missions are nonsensical, and that she would not like to be visited by Siamese people commanding her to convert to Buddhism.
- The Resistance: Joins the Protestant guerilla in Book 14.
- Reports of My Death Were Greatly Exaggerated: She embarks on a journey to Siam without planning for it or telling anyone that she was going. When she returns to France, over a year later, most of her entourage has assumed that she was dead.
- Sweet Polly Oliver: She dresses as a man and goes by "Charles" to get on the ship to Siam. Her ruse does not hold for long, though.
- Unwitting Instigator of Doom: Her escape is one of the events that push Madame de Maintenon to turn up the religious severity of Saint-Cyr.
François de Marquet
Charlotte's kinsman, whom she has been in love with when she was a little girl.
- Broken Pedestal: By book 14, his years in prison have made him a much more pragmatic man, when Charlotte had fallen in love with him for his Honor Before Reason ways.
- Honor Before Reason: Determined to keep his religion in spite of the violences against the Protestants.
- Screw the Rules, I'm Doing What's Right!: Claims that he doesn't care to break the law to marry Charlotte if she stays Protestant.
Monsieur de Lestrange
Héloïse, Simon and Charlotte's father.
- Last-Name Basis: His given name is not revealed.
- My God, What Have I Done?: By book 4, he has fallen into a deep depression noticing that converting to protect his family legacy only lead to his youngest daughter being locked up in Saint-Cyr, his wife and eldest daughter being lost without news in another country, and his lands having fallen in disarray. The only good thing his conversion got him was a good position for Simon, which he abandoned when he eloped with Hortense.
- Papa Wolf: The only thing that makes him abandon his religion is when his children's futures and very lives are at stake.
- Sliding Scale of Idealism Versus Cynicism: He initially believes that the mistreatments against the Protestants are not worth giving up his faith or his home over, but as the system progressively stacks everything up against them, he starts worrying about the future of his children. Eventually, after their house is sacked by Catholic dragoons, he chooses to let go of his religion to save his family.
- Soap Opera Disease: As a result of his My God, What Have I Done?-induced depression.
- When You Coming Home, Dad?: Charlotte thinks that she's never exchanged more than three consecutive words with him.
Madame de Lestrange
Héloïse, Simon and Charlotte's mother.
- Dark and Troubled Past: After her family's conversion at gunpoint, she fled to Switzerland with her daughter where they were betrayed and abandonned by all of her contacts and forced to live in misery and illness with no news of the rest of her family.
- Last-Name Basis: Her given name is not revealed.
- Mama Bear: Does her damndest to protect her children however she can, to the point of leaving her country.
- The Fundamentalist: Deeply involved in her Huguenot Protestant faith. She respects the precepts of her religion, notably humility, and refuses to sign away her beliefs, prefering to flee France instead.
- Soap Opera Disease: Caught it in Switzerland; it is cured mostly with warm bread and renewed hope of seeing her family again.
Héloïse de Lestrange-Dunoyer
The eldest of the Lestrange children.
- Cynicism Catalyst: The troubles of her life in Zurich and the extreme severity of Calvinist Protestantism have disillusioned her and she wants nothing but to go home to France.
- Dark and Troubled Past: After her family's conversion at gunpoint, she fled to Switzerland with her mother where they were betrayed and abandonned by all of her contacts and forced to live in misery and illness with no news of the rest of her family.
- Foreshadowing: It's mentionned early in Book 3 that women who refuse to convert are sent to populate the colonies. It's exactly where Gertrude meets her in Book 8, although she left France by choice.
- Ill Girl: Her fragile health and constant need for care is the reason Charlotte was sent to Saint-Cyr in her place.
- Likes Older Men: Falls in love near at first sight with Eugène, who is roughly twenty years older than her.
- Marry for Love: She is very attracted to Eugène, and the fact that marrying him would get her home is only a bonus.
- Nobility Marries Money: A girl of impoverished French nobility, she marries a wealthy Swiss notary.
- Prone to Tears: She is very sensitive and often cries. Not that she doesn't have cause.
- Took a Level in Badass: She is very frail and Prone to Tears in Charlotte's memories in Book 3, but through her trials in Book 4, she decides to tackle on the New World in Book 8.
Simon de Lestrange
Charlotte's brother. He falls madly in love with Hortense when he sees her on stage in Esther.
- Aloof Big Brother: How Charlotte sees him. They were rather close when she was a child, however.
- Despair Event Horizon: Experiences it in prison. When he learns that no one but Blue Blood might release him, he tells Hortense to leave their love behind and resume her path to Taking the Veil. She refuses, of course.
- Heroic Sacrifice: Gives himself away to the police as he and Hortense attempt to cross into Savoy to give her a chance to get away. He is shot in the leg and arrested.
- The Dutiful Son: Converted to let his father keep his lands, he is devoted to his parents and both of his own sisters describe him as "boring". Love makes him more reckless, however.
- Ladykiller in Love: According to Marguerite, he is quite popular with the girls at court, and she implies that he's not exactly rejecting them. However, he falls head over heels for Hortense when he first sees her and starts ignoring all the other women.
- My God, What Have I Done?: His elopement with Hortense was entirely spontaneous, and it takes him a while and a few stern explanations to realize how terrible an idea it was.
- Star-Crossed Lovers: With Catholic Saint-Cyr student Hortense.
- Tall, Dark, and Handsome: Hortense describes him as both tall and handsome, and he presumably looks like Charlotte, who is black of hair and eyes.
- Unable to Support a Wife: Used word for word by Charlotte. While he is enjoying a respectable position at court, it is not one that pays very well, and as a Protestant convert, most of his inheritance has been seized or destroyed. Lucky for him, Hortense, who grew up in poverty, does not mind a humble lifestyle.
Irénée de Marquet
François's sister.
- The Ghost: Only appears in vague mentions.
- Shipper on Deck: Most likely: all of the letters François and Charlotte exchange go through her.
Charles de Bourdelle, marquis of Réaumont
A family friend of the Lestranges, betrothed to Charlotte.
- And Now You Must Marry Me: He is determined to marry Charlotte, who is not in a position to refuse him due to her status as a woman, Protestant, and outlaw (since she ran away from Saint-Cyr).
- Dirty Old Man: He is of an age with Charlotte's father, and determined to marry her when she's not quite yet twelve.
- I Have You Now, My Pretty: Now that Charlotte is out of Saint-Cyr, he is determined to abduct and marry her by force as soon as no one is looking - and almost manages.
- With Friends Like These...: He is a close friend of the Lestranges, but takes full advantage of their downfall. As he is the lieutenant of Vivarais, it's even probable that he was the one who sent the dragoons to raid their home, persuading them to convert.
Marguerite de Caylus
Nicolas Costou
A sculptor who asks Charlotte to seat for him.
- Historical Domain Character
- Nephewism: Raised and trained by his uncle, sculptor Antoine Coysevox.
Claude de Forbin
A well-travelled knight who takes an interest in Charlotte.
- Gentleman Adventurer: A member of the French nobility and a trader in every part of the world.
- Historical Domain Character
- Politically Incorrect Hero: Downplayed, but his many travels have not really given him much respect for the locals of the countries he visits on their customs.
Ewen
A young sailor on the Oiseau.
- Big Brother Instinct: Immediately takes "Charles" under his wing and teaches him the ropes. When he figures out the truth, he tells Charlotte that the life of a ship's boy will be too hard on her, and tries to figure out ways to protect her from the mistreatments of the other sailors, and later of the Siamese.
- Call to Agriculture: He is saving his wages to settle in Brittany and work the earth someday.
- Earn Your Happy Ending: At the end of their journey, Charlotte gifts him the gem-encrusted chut thai she received from King Narai, telling him to sell the stones to buy the piece of land he wants.
- Nice Guy: A sweet, honest, respectful, insightful guy.
Sir Alexandre de Chaumont
The French ambassador in Siam
- Distracted by the Luxury: Charlotte and Forbin believe that he is this, which is why the French affairs in Siam are moving so slowly; Chaumont himself would consider himself prudent and patient.
- Distracted by the Sexy: Has something that looks like this reaction when he first sees Charlotte dressed like a Siamese lady.
- Historical Domain Character
Abbot de Choisy
Abbot François-Timoléon de Choisy, sent on a mission to Siam in hopes to convert the king.
- The Fundamentalist: All of his lines are about religion, charity, and converting people to Christianity.
- Historical Domain Character
- Naïve Newcomer: Is convinced that he can convert King Narai to Christianity, despite him supposedly being, to quote Forbin, "a polygamist whose favorite pasttime is to sew shut the mouths of those who speak without his leave".
King Narai
Somdet Phra Narai, also known as Ramathibodi III, king of Siam
- Did You Think I Can't Feel?: When he invites Charlotte to share a meal with him, the entire French delegation freaks out and believes that he means to sequestrate her. Charlotte walks in convinced that she is going to be forced into becoming his umpteenth concubine... Turns out that he just wanted to have a nice chat with a charming young woman. He even gives her a fortune in jewels before letting her go tell everyone of the king of Siam's generosity.
- Foreign Culture Fetish: Played With. While he is quite the francophile and speaks very good French, he is definitely not planning to convert to Christianity and mostly working to set the French against the Dutch and the British, who also had views on his kingdom.
- Historical Domain Character
- The Magnificent: Called "Somdet Phra Narai" on page, His Majesty Narai the Great.
- Warrior Poet: Known to be militarily inclined, at one point he recites poems of his own for Charlotte, who finds them beautiful.
Perrote Corentin
Charlotte's neighbor on the trip from Brest to Paris
- Motor Mouth: Chatters the entire way from Brest to Paris.
- My Secret Pregnancy: She is leaving her village to hide the shame of her out-of-wedlock pregnancy, having been seduced and sent away by her employer's son.
