The soul of an explorer in the body of a debutante. Deenie is the kind of person who prefers the company of animals to people, the fresh air of the countryside to the stink of the city, and fierce independence to the confines of marriage. Though she was sent to London with the purpose of having her cousin help find her a husband, she has no intention of completing that mission.
Inquisitive, creative and a dreamer at heart, Birdie Aldrich is part of the ambitious group of Buccaneers intent on finding rich, successful marriages. However, with her head in the clouds, there is very little that Birdie longs for than a moment of adventure and self-exploration. With a camera in hand and the wealth of her cousins’ to her benefit, Birdie longs to explore London and make the most of her time before she is commanded back to her father’s side in Rhode Island, where she is sure to be married off to the highest bidder. Still, she has time, right!?
Daughter of Peter Astor, Lee’s first cousin – Grand lover of animals and nature, who never feels entirely at home in the city or in the confines of a corset. An amazing horsewoman. Only 20, she has nevertheless made an attempt to prepare her parents for the likelihood of her spinsterhood; the thought marriage seems terrible.
Daughter of Carolina Ward, Lee’s older sister – Lydia’s younger sister and secretly her Uncle Lee’s favorite of his sibling’s children. Sweet, intuitive, and more bookish than she lets on, Edie is forever struggling in her older sister’s shadow. Her most fervent interest is social work, particularly civil rights, although her parents limit her activity.
Daughter of Carolina Ward, Lee’s older sister – A renowned beauty who would rather have fun than be tethered to a husband and family. She has lost count of how many proposals she has turned down. The natural ringleader of her fellow familial debutantes, full of American confidence and sass that hides insecurities about her future.
Unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: The first son of the first son of America’s most notable man of wealth, Lee managed to become well-rounded as well as financially successful. He’s also now in his 40s and firmly understands he is gay. He never wanted or meant to marry, but the edict has come down from his father at long last: The family name must be protected, and no Astor son ought to be a bachelor into their 40s. At his mother’s suggestion, Lee has ventured across the Atlantic to the more practical waters of Jolly Old England, in the hopes of finding a woman who will accept him as he is, in exchange for providing her freedom and the bounty of his personal wealth.
Having come to the UK with a traveling Wild West show that has now since abandoned him in London, Cassius Boone (known as Cash to anyone he cares about) has turned over a new leaf. Having spent years neglecting himself and wallowing in the trauma of fighting in the Civil War, Indian Wars, and losing his wife and son, he has finally begun to piece himself back together. Now a horse trainer and breeder for the Duke of Somerset, it’s just a question of if this newest rebirth will stick, or he’ll find himself wallowing in his regrets and sorrows once again.
