Village Directory
The Bells of The Bell Inn
Jane Fairmont Bell: 29, widow. Was married to John Bell, innkeeper (deceased).
Thora Stonehouse Bell: 51, Jane’s mother-in-law, also a widow. Was married to Frank Bell (deceased).
Patrick Bell: 28, Thora’s younger son
Diana Stonehouse: Thora’s sister, lives in Bath. Marries Captain Williams before novel’s start.
Staff of The Bell Inn
Bertha Rooke: cook-housekeeper
Dotty: kitchen maid
Cadi and Alwena: chambermaids
Colin McFarland: 24-25, porter/booking clerk
Liam and Eileen McFarland, his parents. Sisters: Susie 16, 13, 10, and 3.
Gabriel Locke: farrier, a specialist in equine care—part blacksmith, part veterinarian
Bobbin: barman
Ned Winkle: potboy—collects and washes glasses
Tuffy and Tall Ted: ostlers or horsemen
Joe: postboy/postillion
Walter Talbot: former manager/head porter
Nan Talbot: Walter’s sister-in-law, widow. Was married to Walter’s brother, Bill (deceased).
Cabot “Cabbage”: former farrier
Hetty Piper: former maid
Regulars of The Bell Inn
Jack Gander: Royal Mail guard
Charlie Frazer: Royal Mail coachman
Jeb Moore: Royal Mail coachman
James Drake: newcomer
Mr. Sanders and Mr. Peterson: regular guests
The Ashfords of Thornvale
Rachel Ashford: 27, impoverished gentlewoman
Sir William Ashford: Rachel’s father, knighted. Was married to Lavinia Woodgate (deceased).
Ellen Ashford Hawley: Rachel’s older sister
Robert Hawley, her husband. Sons, William and Walter
Nicholas Ashford: Sir William’s heir and Rachel’s second cousin
Mrs. Fife: housekeeper
Casper: butler (retired)
Jemima: lady’s maid
The Miss Groves of Ivy Cottage (Residence and Girls’ School)
Mercy Grove: 29-30, schoolmistress
Matilda Grove (Aunt Matty): Mercy’s aunt
Zelda Timmons: cook-housekeeper
Mr. Basu: useful man/manservant
Mr. and Mrs. Grove: Mercy’s parents
George Grove: Mercy’s brother
Alice Smith: young orphaned student
Anna Kingsley: eldest student
Fanny Scales, Mabel, Phoebe and Sukey: other pupils
Agnes Woodbead: housemaid
The Brockwells of Brockwell Court
Sir Timothy Brockwell: 30, baronet
Justina Brockwell: 18, Sir Timothy’s much younger sister
Richard Brockwell: Sir Timothy’s younger brother, resides in London
Lady Brockwell: Sir Timothy’s mother, widow. Was married to Sir Justin (deceased).
Carville: butler
Other villagers/businesses
Bea Snyder: laundress
Louise Shabner: dressmaker “mantua-maker and milliner”
Arthur Blomfield: banker with Blomfield, Waters, and Welch
Todd: Arthur’s clerk
Mr. Gordon: house agent
Mr. Ainsworth: sexton/gravedigger
Mr. Bingley and Lord Cedric Winspear: magistrates or justices of the peace (JPs)
Harlan Godfrey: publican
Mr. Broadbent: plumber
Mr. Cottle: butcher
Mr. Holtman: greengrocer
Mr. Fothergill: apothecary
Doctor Burton: physician
Mrs. Henning: midwife
Mr. (Peter) Paley: vicar of St. Anne’s
Camilla Paley, his wife. Have three sons.
Mr. Beachum: parish clerk
Mr. and Mrs. Craddock: bakery owners. Have one teenaged son.
Mr. Prater: shopkeeper and postmaster
Mrs. Hilda Prater, his wife. Lydia Prater Arnold, his married daughter.
Martha Bushby: gardener and greenhouse proprietor
Bridget Barton: dairywoman and cheesemaker
Kristine Klein: piano tuner
Becky Morris: sign painter
Teresa O’Brien: candle maker/tallow chandler
Phyllis Burlingame: carter/goods carrier
Judith and Charlotte Cook: lace makers
Julia Featherstone: poulterer
Kelly Featherstone, her father
Jake Fuller: blacksmith
Mr. Thomas: glazier
Sadie Jones: Nan Talbot’s maid of all work
Sharon Mennell: almshouse matron
Joseph and Neil Kingsley (Kingsley brothers): builders, carpenters, masons
Hugh Hightower: deputy postmaster from Andover
Eudora Foster Hightower, his wife
Mr. Coine: solicitor from Wishford
Mr. Matthews: banker from Wishford
George Phillips: owner of the Crown in Wishford