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 13, Gabrielle, demoiselle d'honneurnote .
Gabrielle de Mormand
A bright, fiery spirit with a rough facade
- Big Brother Worship: She loves Gilles like her other half.
- Been There, Shaped History: After the humiliations of the royal wedding, she is the one who convinces Marie-Louise not to return to her father and to instead stay in Spain with her husband.
- Cannot Spit It Out: She can very well let her anger be known, but struggles to let feelings like love or sadness breech through.
- Early-Bird Cameo: She has a quick appearance in Book 1 on the day she arrives in Saint-Cyr with Rose-Blanche.
- Diplomatic Cover Spy: She is sent to befriend the young queen of Spain in order to keep an eye on her, as Madame de Maintenon and Madame des Ursins repeatedly remind her; but she hates it as her friendship for Marie-Louise is genuine. She finds nothing to report in the letters the queen asks her to help write anyway.
- Eloquent in My Native Tongue: She only speaks Occitan when she arrives in Saint-Cyr in Book 1, and learns French over the years, then Spanish as she joins the queen of Spain’s household.
- Green-Eyed Monster: Her disapproval of Victoire’s friendship with Marie-Adélaïde is revealed to be rooted in envy that her friend was favored so heavily by the princess.
- Lady-In-Waiting: To the queen of Spain.
- Mama's Baby, Papa's Maybe: Her mother was heavily courted by a gentleman around the time Gabrielle was conceived, so her father and the entire town believe that this man is her true genitor.
- Politically Incorrect Hero: She takes a dislike to the dwarfs of the Spanish court, connecting the rudeness of their status of Court Jester to their physical condition. It is politically incorrect even for the time period, as the Spanish Grandees were very attached to them.
- Pint-Sized Powerhouse: She is among the boldest and sharpest-tongued Doves, even in childhood.
- "Well Done, Daughter!" Gal: She knows deep down that her father dislikes her for reasons beyond her control, but she can’t help but seek his approval and affection.
Gilles de Mormand
Gabrielle's elder brother, a loyal young man eager for adventure
- Big Brother Mentor: He taught Gabrielle some French and how to ride a horse in their childhood; he dotes on her every day of her life.
- Big Eater: He takes a liking to a well-furnished table at the École des Pages and later shows a taste for sauce dishes and baked goods.
- Chubby Chaser: The only two things we know about his bride Giulietta are that she is very wealthy and very curvy, which his fellow pages envy him for.
- Deuteragonist: He has point of view chapters of his own and the second act of the book pretty much belongs to him.
- Professional Butt-Kisser: He is not above this to secure a good position in service to a prince of the Blood; he initially gets close to the Duke of Anjou by flattering his favorite horse. That said, his respect for his prince is genuine.
- Peer Pressure Makes You Evil: At the École, the first-years are essentially the slaves and whipping boys of the third-years, and cruel and humiliating hazings are performed on the newbies. He is outraged by this system when he arrives, but by the time he reaches his third year, he’s happily bullying the little ones along with the others.
- Put on a Bus: He disappears from the last third of the book as he follows Philippe V to war in Naples, where he falls in love and decides to remain.
- Shipper on Deck: He immediately catches that Gabrielle and Diogo fancy each other and serves as their translator and chaperon.
- What If?: He develops a crush on Victoire while they both serve the royal family in Versailles, but has to follow the new king of Spain to Madrid before he can confess his feelings. He considers staying behind or asking her to come with him, but knows that neither of them will accept that.
Madame de Mormand
Gilles and Gabrielle's mother.
- Awful Wedded Life: Her husband is neglectful and violent, due to his belief that she cheated on him and his general character, often leaving her in tears.
- Cunning Linguist: She and her husband speak in French when they don’t want their children to understand them.
- Defiled Forever: In the eyes of her husband and the town of Pézenas, for the alleged affair that might have conceived Gabrielle.
- Doting Parent: She dotes on both of her children, especially her little doll Gabrielle, and is willing to make sacrifices to guarantee their future, such as selling her jewels to pay for Gilles’s uniform or parting with her young daughter.
- Historical Character's Fictional Relative: She is the Princess des Ursins’s cousin and Childhood Friend.
- Last-Name Basis: Her first name is not revealed.
Monsieur de Mormand
Gilles and Gabrielle's father.
- Affair? Blame the Bastard: He neglects and rejects Gabrielle because he believes her to be the product of his wife’s affair. He still keeps the two of them around because he needs a wife to hold his rank properly.
- Cunning Linguist: He and his wife speak in French when they don’t want their children to understand what they’re saying.
- Doting Parent: Not… quite. He is not exactly a fountain of love, not even to his trueborn son Gilles, though he shows him some level of approbation. As both Gilles and Gabrielle find out, he is far more pleasant when away from the Gossipy Hens of his Small Town, Big Hell, even to Gabrielle, who he actually gets to know on their way to Saint-Cyr and whom he quickly grows proud to show off and eager to please. Similarly, when she is sick, Gabrielle thinks she notices him at her bedside and even kissing her brow. Part of him wants to love her, but the weight of honor and pride prevent him from doing it anywhere near home or unless she’s thought to be dying.
- Gold Digger: He considers that the most important criterion to pick a wife is her dowry.
- Heel Realization: He eventually comes to understand that he was led astray by Gossipy Hens and apologizes to Gabrielle for being so cold during her childhood.
- Last-Name Basis: His first name is not revealed.
- When You Coming Home, Dad?: He often leaves home for days to attend to his affairs, and even when he is around, is a rather old and unpleasant presence.
Marie-Anne de la Trémoille, princess des Ursins
A friend of Madame de Maintenon named camarera mayor of the new queen of Spain.
- Childhood Friend: To her cousin, Madame de Mormand.
- Diplomatic Cover Spy: A close friend of King Louis and Madame de Maintenon, she is sent to the court of Madrid as camarera mayor in order to be this, as well as…
- Dragon-in-Chief: Considering the youth and inexperience of the king and queen she serves, she is the one who makes most of the decisions from the shadows to preserve French interests in Spain, with King Louis’ support.
- Historical Domain Character
- Lady-In-Waiting: As camarera mayor, she is at the head of the queen of Spain’s household.
- Parental Substitute: Quickly takes up this position for young Queen Marie-Louise, though she thinks of politics first.
- This Is My Name on Foreign: Des Ursins is a gallicization of her Italian husband’s name, Orsini.
- Uncle Pennybags: She secures places in the École des Pages and the Royal House for both Gilles and Gabrielle.
Philippe V
Marie-Louise of Savoy
Maria Luisa Gabriella of Savoy, queen of Spain. Marie-Adélaïde's younger sister.
- Blue Blood: Her father is Duke of Savoy and she is the great-granddaughter of Louis XIII through her mother. She eventually becomes Queen of Spain.
- Culture Clash: She struggles to adapt to Spanish fashion, food and etiquette, and the ladies of the court of Madrid are ruthless about it.
- Doomed by Canon: Maria Luisa Gabriela de Saboya died in 1714, barely ten years after the end of the book.
- Don't Call Me "Sir": Even more so than Philippe, due to her youth and character, she asks Gabrielle to only call her by her name, at least in private.
- Famous Ancestor: Part of her popularity in Spain is due to the memory of her aunt, also called Marie-Louise, the beloved first wife of Carlos II.
- The High Queen: For one so young (see Young and in Charge below), she quickly wins the hearts of her court and her people, navigates government issues with skill and regal authority, and through her courage and sense of duty mobilizes every heart in Spain.
- Kissing Cousins: She and her husband are second cousins.
- Make-Out Kids: Downplayed, but Gabrielle is a little uncomfortable to see that she and Philippe are always touching each other in some way.
- Perfectly Arranged Marriage: She and Philippe fall in love before they even meet.
- Universally Beloved Leader: Despite the initial coldness of the Spanish ladies, she quickly becomes very popular with the nobles and common people alike for her nobility, her wisdom, her selflessness and her piety.
- Young and in Charge: She becomes queen of Spain at 13, and her husband names her regent while he is away at war when she is only 14.
Diogo Cazado
A valet of the king of Spain.
- Best Friends-in-Law: With Gilles when he marries Gabrielle.
- Funetik Aksent: Speaks like this after Gilles teaches him French. Gabrielle finds his accent charming.
- Love Letter Lunacy: He writes Gabrielle over twenty letters during the 10-month Italian campaign, but does not send any of them as he is afraid she will find it improper.
- Meaningful Name: If you doubted that he and Gabrielle were endgame, his family name is just one letter away from casado, which is Spanish for "married".
