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Hero: Gabriel Francisco Xavier Montez, usually called Xavier or just Montez, though Kate often calls him by ‘girly’ nicknames like Gabby or Franny, occasionally Monty – age 29
-Job: A Major for the Yankee army, he is a lawyer who investigates criminal cases that involve soldiers. He is currently stationed in Natchez, Mississippi.
-Appearance: About 6’0”. Mexican and French heritage. Black hair and dark brown eyes, deeply tanned skin. Lean and well toned build. Very dapper.
-Intellect: Highly intelligent, educated in Boston. Very perceptive of people, and great with words.
-Family: Mexican Nobility, Father of Mexican descent, married a French Noblewoman. Youngest son of the family of 4 older siblings, with a brother as his father’s heir, and 3 sisters, all are married and still living in Texas.
-History: The family was settled in what would later become Texas, and his father was influential in the government of the Republic of Texas, even fighting in the Mexican American War. Xavier was born in 1837. As the youngest son, he was sent to receive his education so that he might have a career, and went to receive his law education at Harvard in Boston in 1855. Later, he moved to California and opened a law practice, which is where he met Alexander. (More later) He joined the Union Army with the first Draft in 1861. Although most of his fellow Texans joined the Southern army, Xavier was not in agreement with their cause. He found himself stationed in Natchez, Mississippi at the end of the war, and was then a Major. His present job is as investigator.
-Aspirations: Although he is close to his family, as youngest son, he does not feel obligated to return home to Texas to settle. He and Alexander have agreed to become business partners, and when they are released from service in the Army, plan to settle in the expanding Midwest. Xavier is getting tired of being a lawyer because of all the disappointments with failures in the system, so he would like to start a quiet homestead somewhere like what his father has in Texas.
-Attitude: Because his family has ties with nobility and are very wealthy, Xavier is very proper, with a mind very attuned to his ‘duty’. He has a strong sense of justice, which is why he chose to become a lawyer, and did not sympathize with the Southern cause in the Civil War. He seeks to always do what is right. He is also under pressure from his family to find a ‘proper’ bride, so he is often seen at parties, though he has not found anyone that piques his interest.
-Perceptions: He is a young debutante’s dream… but he is very reserved. He is seen as the dark and mysterious type, and he and Alexander are the targets of many husband hunters.
-Hobbies: Xavier has been known to play a hand of cards or two in gentlemanly circles, as well as your typical upper class pursuits. However, Xavier really just prefers the peace of the outdoors with horses and such.
-Goals: Along with Alexander, upon leaving the Army, Xavier has plans to settle in the Midwest and start a cattle ranch. He would like to find a willing bride of the right quality, but also the right strength to endure the hardships he knows are there.
Hero: Alexander Phillipe Durandt, called Alex or Durandt, Kate calls him ‘Lexi’ – age 29
-Job: Alex is also a Major in the Union Army, serving as a Doctor. He is currently stationed in Natchez, Mississippi.
-Appearance: Very tall, about 6’4”. Sandy blonde hair and blue-gray eyes. Very broad and muscular, but with a surprisingly sensitive touch for his size, from being a doctor. Also very dapper.
-Intellect: Extremely intelligent and well read. Keeps on top of latest medical inventions and treatments.
-Family: French father and English mother. Father deceased, mother living in San Francisco, California.
-History: Born in England in 1837 on the same day as Queen Victoria’s coronation. Moved to America with the start of the gold rush in California that began in 1848. His father claimed rights to a gold mine in the mountains near Sacramento, but was murdered in 1850 in an attempt to gain control of his mine, which was quickly becoming very profitable. Alex’s mother assumed control of the mine and its operation, fighting off would-be suitors and trespassers and becoming VERY rich in the process. Alex is very proud of his mother in this regard. The mine ceased production in 1855, having played out its vein, and Alex was sent to England to train as a doctor at his mother’s insistence, seeing the need for competent doctors in the quickly growing state. She retired to San Francisco, and leads a very social life as one of the richest women around. She has no interest in remarrying, and Alexander will inherit the bulk of her money, the rest going to charity, which she has invested. Alex moved back to California after school to practice, and met Xavier there. He also joined the Union Army with the first Draft in 1861. He served in many field hospitals throughout the war, and is currently in Natchez, Mississippi.
-Aspirations: It was no great trial to Alex to become a doctor, his inclinations are to help people less fortunate than he is, and he finds comfort in his job. He has seen much death and pain in the war, but is not completely disillusioned yet. He is partners with Xavier to start a cattle ranch in the Midwest, where the plan is for Xavier to control the handling of the ranch, and for Alex to be the ‘face-man’, handling deals with buyers and suppliers.
-Attitude: Perhaps because of his education in England, Alex is very proper like Xavier, but because of his early life in the gold fields of California, he is no stranger to the working man’s life. He can still remember living in a cabin and working from sunup to sundown with his mother. He admires his father for risking everything and giving up his life to protect what was his, and hopes he can make his mother proud. He plays the society game because his mother wishes him to do so, but also like Xavier, he would rather just be outdoors. He can spot a gold-digger from a mile away, and gets close to few people.
-Perceptions: Alex has a British accent, inherited from his mother and his time in England, and women find him OH so charming. He has a quick wit and sense of humor, and is often cracking witty jokes. (All too often, they are over everyone’s head.) He is the target of husband hunters not just because of this, but also because it is well known that he is extremely rich.
-Hobbies: Having spent so much time amongst rough-neck gold miners in his youth, Alex has a healthy appreciation for the rougher aspects of fun, though he reserves his company for officers rather than the lower ranking soldiers. He would still rather just be outdoors.
-Goals: Alex wants to prove he can be successful on his own, rather than living off his inheritance. So his plan to start a ranch with Xavier is his opportunity to do that. He would also love to find a suitable wife, but figures it’s going to take some time before he can find one that’s interested in more than just his money and good looks.
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
Character Development - Anne and Kate Part 1
Character Development – Anne and Kate Lawrence
Because I have two heroines and two heroes, this will be posted in two parts.
Heroine: Anne – Suzanne Lawrence, Sioux Anne – age 19
-Job: Wannabe debutante – Anne’s father is a merchant in Natchez, Mississippi, post-Civil War. She sometimes helps her father out since her brother has not returned from the war yet. She does her best to try and win over the local Southern “ladies” who have cut out her family because her father opted to sell to the Yankee army when Natchez was invaded.
-Appearance: About 5’0”. Blonde hair, blue eyes. Very soft-spoken and proper. Slight frame, but still curvaceous. Often deemed bird-like.
-Intellect: Anne is well-educated; despite the war, her father was able to keep her in books, and she helped in his store as well, so she’s good with numbers. She also is in charge of managing the household, so she is extremely intelligent and competent.
-Family: Fraternal twin, Kate. Father, Charles Lawrence, brother Theodore (Teddy). Mother died due to illness near start of war. (4 years ago)
-History: When the Civil War broke, Anne and her sister were only 13 years old. Their brother Teddy left to fight for the South, even though they did not believe in slavery, they still believed the South’s rights. When illness broke out in Natchez early in the war, their mother died, and their father was devastated. By the time the city was invaded and held by Yankee soldiers, the family was no longer in support of the war, and Charles opted to do the inevitable and turned to supply the Yankee army in order to keep his daughters safe. Contact with Teddy at that point was impossible, and he could not come home. Now that the war is over, they expect Teddy to arrive at any moment. They had heard through Yankee officers that he had been held in a prison, and with the war over, the prison had released everyone, though they must come home on foot.
-Attitude: Anne is sweet and seemingly pliable. She seeks to please everyone around her, yet has a backbone of steel for dealing with unpleasant things, so it is difficult to shake her composure. She wants to be liked, and would like nothing more than to be accepted by society. She dreams of meeting a handsome man to sweep her off her feet, get married and have children. She is the consummate home-maker.
-Perceptions: Everyone who meets Anne loves her for her sweetness. Because her father unfortunately turned ‘traitor’, the rest of Natchez ‘society’ acts like they shun her, though secretly they wish nothing more but to welcome her back whole-heartedly. Unfortunately, she also has the complication of her sister, Kate… More on that later! On the other hand, because she is such a beauty and with such sweet charm, she is a top candidate for suitors, so she is never invited to big parties, just tea with the ladies.
-Aspirations: Anne dreams of marriage and children, running her own household and becoming a society lady. Beyond that, she is content so long as she can care for those around her.
-Hobbies: Reading, Music, and all things domestic. She also plays card games with her sister Kate to keep her amused, so she knows a lot about gambling.
-Goals: To meet a man and fall in love, get married and have babies. She also hopes that her sister Kate will calm down and do the same, though she does sometimes envy her free-spiritedness.
Heroine: Kate – Katherine Lawrence, Kiowa Kate – age 19
-Job: Scallywag and Tomboy– Kate is the black sheep of the family. Her father is indulgent, and in the absence of her brother, it was Kate to whom he taught the rudiments of riding, shooting, gambling, and the rest of what were considered “manly” pursuits. His philosophy is that Kate will some day grow out of it, he trusts in her judgment and ability to take care of herself. Indeed, she can fight with the best of them, and any man stupid enough to tangle with her quickly regrets it. She likes to wear breeches, and is often filthy because of hard riding in rough terrain. She gambles quite a bit, and has done her part to relieve many Yankee soldiers of their ‘hard-earned’ money, so she has helped to support the family, and has quite a stash of her own.
-Appearance: About 5’8”. Red-haired and green-eyed. Slender and athletic build, but curved in all the right places. She raises quite a few brows, towering over not a few men, and scandalizing everyone with her tendency to wear men’s clothes and show off her curves. She enjoys fights with men who try to take drunken liberties.
-Intellect: Kate is extremely perceptive, but not interested in book smarts. She has been educated like her sister, but has turned her brain towards figuring out things like counting cards and figuring out if people are bluffing. She covers this quick intellect with outrageous actions like challenging people to fights, drinking people into oblivion, and having shooting contests. People don’t even realize Kate is taking advantage of them, writing her off as a half-wit woman.
-Family: same as Anne
-History: same as Anne
-Aspirations: Kate has absolutely no clue what to do with her life. She enjoys gambling, drinking, fighting, riding, etc. but has no real ambition in life so far. She has saved a lot of money, and thinks maybe one day she might start her own bar… or something. She finds men attractive, but has yet to find one she can’t outwit, so they aren’t particularly challenging or interesting, so she has no real interest in marriage. She enjoys upsetting the status quo (obviously), and laughs when the society ladies talk about her. She realizes this hurts her sister Anne and immediately feels sorry, but Anne is such a sweet and forgiving soul, she quickly forgets.
-Attitudes: Devil may care, Kate does what she wants and truly doesn’t care what other people think. She is deliberately antagonistic, and fiercely defensive of her family. Any perceived insult could set her off. She enjoys gambling because of the challenge in outwitting an opponent.
-Perceptions: Although she is very beautiful, Kate is considered rude and scandalous. ‘Society’ decries her behavior, and the local population of Yankee soldiers has often underestimated her. She has never actually broken the law, but certainly tries her best to incite and infuriate people.
-Hobbies: Drinking, gambling, riding, fighting, shooting, pissing people off.
-Goals: Rather aimless at the moment. Steadily increasing her income, but not sure exactly what to do with it.
Because I have two heroines and two heroes, this will be posted in two parts.
Heroine: Anne – Suzanne Lawrence, Sioux Anne – age 19
-Job: Wannabe debutante – Anne’s father is a merchant in Natchez, Mississippi, post-Civil War. She sometimes helps her father out since her brother has not returned from the war yet. She does her best to try and win over the local Southern “ladies” who have cut out her family because her father opted to sell to the Yankee army when Natchez was invaded.
-Appearance: About 5’0”. Blonde hair, blue eyes. Very soft-spoken and proper. Slight frame, but still curvaceous. Often deemed bird-like.
-Intellect: Anne is well-educated; despite the war, her father was able to keep her in books, and she helped in his store as well, so she’s good with numbers. She also is in charge of managing the household, so she is extremely intelligent and competent.
-Family: Fraternal twin, Kate. Father, Charles Lawrence, brother Theodore (Teddy). Mother died due to illness near start of war. (4 years ago)
-History: When the Civil War broke, Anne and her sister were only 13 years old. Their brother Teddy left to fight for the South, even though they did not believe in slavery, they still believed the South’s rights. When illness broke out in Natchez early in the war, their mother died, and their father was devastated. By the time the city was invaded and held by Yankee soldiers, the family was no longer in support of the war, and Charles opted to do the inevitable and turned to supply the Yankee army in order to keep his daughters safe. Contact with Teddy at that point was impossible, and he could not come home. Now that the war is over, they expect Teddy to arrive at any moment. They had heard through Yankee officers that he had been held in a prison, and with the war over, the prison had released everyone, though they must come home on foot.
-Attitude: Anne is sweet and seemingly pliable. She seeks to please everyone around her, yet has a backbone of steel for dealing with unpleasant things, so it is difficult to shake her composure. She wants to be liked, and would like nothing more than to be accepted by society. She dreams of meeting a handsome man to sweep her off her feet, get married and have children. She is the consummate home-maker.
-Perceptions: Everyone who meets Anne loves her for her sweetness. Because her father unfortunately turned ‘traitor’, the rest of Natchez ‘society’ acts like they shun her, though secretly they wish nothing more but to welcome her back whole-heartedly. Unfortunately, she also has the complication of her sister, Kate… More on that later! On the other hand, because she is such a beauty and with such sweet charm, she is a top candidate for suitors, so she is never invited to big parties, just tea with the ladies.
-Aspirations: Anne dreams of marriage and children, running her own household and becoming a society lady. Beyond that, she is content so long as she can care for those around her.
-Hobbies: Reading, Music, and all things domestic. She also plays card games with her sister Kate to keep her amused, so she knows a lot about gambling.
-Goals: To meet a man and fall in love, get married and have babies. She also hopes that her sister Kate will calm down and do the same, though she does sometimes envy her free-spiritedness.
Heroine: Kate – Katherine Lawrence, Kiowa Kate – age 19
-Job: Scallywag and Tomboy– Kate is the black sheep of the family. Her father is indulgent, and in the absence of her brother, it was Kate to whom he taught the rudiments of riding, shooting, gambling, and the rest of what were considered “manly” pursuits. His philosophy is that Kate will some day grow out of it, he trusts in her judgment and ability to take care of herself. Indeed, she can fight with the best of them, and any man stupid enough to tangle with her quickly regrets it. She likes to wear breeches, and is often filthy because of hard riding in rough terrain. She gambles quite a bit, and has done her part to relieve many Yankee soldiers of their ‘hard-earned’ money, so she has helped to support the family, and has quite a stash of her own.
-Appearance: About 5’8”. Red-haired and green-eyed. Slender and athletic build, but curved in all the right places. She raises quite a few brows, towering over not a few men, and scandalizing everyone with her tendency to wear men’s clothes and show off her curves. She enjoys fights with men who try to take drunken liberties.
-Intellect: Kate is extremely perceptive, but not interested in book smarts. She has been educated like her sister, but has turned her brain towards figuring out things like counting cards and figuring out if people are bluffing. She covers this quick intellect with outrageous actions like challenging people to fights, drinking people into oblivion, and having shooting contests. People don’t even realize Kate is taking advantage of them, writing her off as a half-wit woman.
-Family: same as Anne
-History: same as Anne
-Aspirations: Kate has absolutely no clue what to do with her life. She enjoys gambling, drinking, fighting, riding, etc. but has no real ambition in life so far. She has saved a lot of money, and thinks maybe one day she might start her own bar… or something. She finds men attractive, but has yet to find one she can’t outwit, so they aren’t particularly challenging or interesting, so she has no real interest in marriage. She enjoys upsetting the status quo (obviously), and laughs when the society ladies talk about her. She realizes this hurts her sister Anne and immediately feels sorry, but Anne is such a sweet and forgiving soul, she quickly forgets.
-Attitudes: Devil may care, Kate does what she wants and truly doesn’t care what other people think. She is deliberately antagonistic, and fiercely defensive of her family. Any perceived insult could set her off. She enjoys gambling because of the challenge in outwitting an opponent.
-Perceptions: Although she is very beautiful, Kate is considered rude and scandalous. ‘Society’ decries her behavior, and the local population of Yankee soldiers has often underestimated her. She has never actually broken the law, but certainly tries her best to incite and infuriate people.
-Hobbies: Drinking, gambling, riding, fighting, shooting, pissing people off.
-Goals: Rather aimless at the moment. Steadily increasing her income, but not sure exactly what to do with it.
Monday, August 4, 2008
Character Development - Salome
Heroine: Salome Mercer/Kestrel Sinclair – age 20
-Job: Plantation owner, growing tobacco and hemp near Charlottesville VA, currently left in charge to an overseer. Shipping Magnate, as alter-ego Kestrel Sinclair. Kestrel was created to buy out Salome’s brother’s shipping business when he mysteriously went missing two years ago. The law forbade Salome, as a woman, from purchasing the business herself, so ‘Kestrel Sinclair’ came into being, as a mysterious rich man, interested in expanding the company. As Kestrel, Salome has become very successful.
-Appearance: About 5’6”, Black hair and very light, almost clear green eyes. Fair skin, but prone to tan to a golden color. Very fit, though shapely figure, from years of riding on the plantation and captaining her ship.
-Intellect: Salome has a good head for numbers, and is exceedingly logical. She has read widely, but finds no great joy in it, preferring the outdoors.
-Family: Parents deceased (Names?). Mother died when Salome was 10 years old, her Father when she was 16. Brother (Anthony [Tony]) Missing for two years.
-History: When her mother died, her father educated Salome and her brother, in anticipation of them taking over the plantation one day. Her father is dedicated to operating the plantation without the use of slave labor, unheard of for the time. Instead, he purchases slaves with the intent to free them and offer them a position as shareholder in the plantation. Salome is the more interested in the plantation of the two, and when their father dies, Salome buys out her brother in order for him to invest in a shipping business. With modest success, he disappeared on a routine trip to the Caribbean two years later, when Salome was 18. Declared dead, his business was put up for auction, and Salome purchased it as Kestrel Sinclair. She has run the business since, with constant expansion, while she continued to search for her brother, and leaving the plantation in the hands of her overseer. Now 20, a new stipulation in her father’s will has come to light. If her brother is deceased and she is unmarried when she reaches the age of 21, the plantation is to be sold to give her a large dowry and money to live on in a townhome in London. With her brother still missing, the only way to protect her property is to marry before her birthday. She heads for London, to see her father’s sister, whom she has never met, and to plead for a Season with her aunt as her sponsor.
-Aspirations: Salome wants to live her life with no one to tell her what to do. She cold-heartedly takes emotion out of her search for a suitable husband, looking for one she can tolerate and that won’t likely stand in her way. She also wants to find her brother, convinced he is still alive after all this time.
-Attitude: Salome is very logical and precise in her actions. She has a team of private investigators on call to research potential clients for her business, and even for a husband. She also runs a fleet of ships through the shipping company whose primary purpose is to gather information about her brother. She does not care a thing for what is ‘fashionable’, or what is ‘proper’. She has a deep caring and concern for those in her care, whether they be the shareholders on her plantation, or the crews of her ships. In turn, her employees are completely dedicated to her as well.
-Perceptions: Salome is an enigma to everyone she meets. She hides her emotions and thoughts so well, it is hard to get the upper hand when dealing with her. She is uninterested in social activities, and until now has rejected any men who have been interested in her. As Kestrel Sinclair, Salome has gained a reputation for being exceedingly shrewd, and has contacts around the world. It is rumored that Kestrel has even garnered the protection of pirates to keep ‘his’ shipping lanes safe. Kestrel has never lost a shipment, even if delayed by weather. There is a tight veil of secrecy regarding his person, as no one has ever seen or spoken with him, except through his agent. Even his crew cannot be penetrated by spies.
-Hobbies: Horses – When her brother is found safe, and she is free to lead her life as she would once again, Salome dreams of breeding horses on her plantation.
-Goals: To obtain a suitable husband that she can live with and will let her manage her business without interference. She wants to go home desperately and can’t stand the city. She also wants to find her brother, as well as who conspired to take him in the first place so she can extract revenge.
Hero: Donovan Tremaine, Earl Verney – age 25
-Job: Playboy – or so it seems. Since assuming his inheritance, to all appearances he is living the life, buying horses, gambling, escorting beautiful women to parties (though he never throws them himself). Secretly, he runs an inflammatory news press that decries the practice of slavery in the States, as well as the practice of indentured servitude out of Britain. His paper also fans the political flames leading to the war of 1812.
-Appearance: About 6’1”. Half-Indian through his mother. Wears his hair long in the Indian fashion, yet has piercing blue eyes from his father’s side. Reddish toned skin like an Indian as well. Lean and muscular physique.
-Intellect: Widely read and knowledgeable about all things political. Not much of a head for business, never having had much money until now. He leaves it in the hands of capable friends who invest for him.
-Family: Last living son of his line, inheriting title from skinflint great-uncle. His father had moved to the States (Boston), and ended up marrying a local Indian. Both were ostracized, so although sensitive to the Indian cause, he has no particular ties there. His father ran a small local newspaper, which is how he learned the business. His father was never officially disinherited, so upon his uncle’s death, he gained a title and a huge deal of wealth. No living relatives.
-History: After claiming his inheritance, he seized the opportunity to continue his underground paper free of suspicion by living in the public eye as a devil may care playboy. He is under pressure from his lawyers and friends to quickly marry and produce an heir, but he really longs for the kind of loving marriage his parents had.
-Attitude: He has an innate sense for people, which aids him in moving through high society, as well as in his underground activities. He feels a strong sense of right and wrong, and seeks to eliminate injustice. He is very good at disguising his true feelings.
-Perceptions: He is written off as a frivolous man, and those in society only refrain from calling him a ‘dirty half-breed’ because of his wealth and position.
-Aspirations: Very noble-minded, he wants to help bring an end to slavery and oppression, but he also realizes that his position as a ‘half-breed’ hinders him, which is why he must work secretly.
-Hobbies: Horses – the only thing he really likes to spend money on. He is building a breeding stock of racehorses.Goals: To continue his newspaper and build a respectable public image (when he finds the right woman), so he can overcome the stigma of ‘half-breed’.
-Job: Plantation owner, growing tobacco and hemp near Charlottesville VA, currently left in charge to an overseer. Shipping Magnate, as alter-ego Kestrel Sinclair. Kestrel was created to buy out Salome’s brother’s shipping business when he mysteriously went missing two years ago. The law forbade Salome, as a woman, from purchasing the business herself, so ‘Kestrel Sinclair’ came into being, as a mysterious rich man, interested in expanding the company. As Kestrel, Salome has become very successful.
-Appearance: About 5’6”, Black hair and very light, almost clear green eyes. Fair skin, but prone to tan to a golden color. Very fit, though shapely figure, from years of riding on the plantation and captaining her ship.
-Intellect: Salome has a good head for numbers, and is exceedingly logical. She has read widely, but finds no great joy in it, preferring the outdoors.
-Family: Parents deceased (Names?). Mother died when Salome was 10 years old, her Father when she was 16. Brother (Anthony [Tony]) Missing for two years.
-History: When her mother died, her father educated Salome and her brother, in anticipation of them taking over the plantation one day. Her father is dedicated to operating the plantation without the use of slave labor, unheard of for the time. Instead, he purchases slaves with the intent to free them and offer them a position as shareholder in the plantation. Salome is the more interested in the plantation of the two, and when their father dies, Salome buys out her brother in order for him to invest in a shipping business. With modest success, he disappeared on a routine trip to the Caribbean two years later, when Salome was 18. Declared dead, his business was put up for auction, and Salome purchased it as Kestrel Sinclair. She has run the business since, with constant expansion, while she continued to search for her brother, and leaving the plantation in the hands of her overseer. Now 20, a new stipulation in her father’s will has come to light. If her brother is deceased and she is unmarried when she reaches the age of 21, the plantation is to be sold to give her a large dowry and money to live on in a townhome in London. With her brother still missing, the only way to protect her property is to marry before her birthday. She heads for London, to see her father’s sister, whom she has never met, and to plead for a Season with her aunt as her sponsor.
-Aspirations: Salome wants to live her life with no one to tell her what to do. She cold-heartedly takes emotion out of her search for a suitable husband, looking for one she can tolerate and that won’t likely stand in her way. She also wants to find her brother, convinced he is still alive after all this time.
-Attitude: Salome is very logical and precise in her actions. She has a team of private investigators on call to research potential clients for her business, and even for a husband. She also runs a fleet of ships through the shipping company whose primary purpose is to gather information about her brother. She does not care a thing for what is ‘fashionable’, or what is ‘proper’. She has a deep caring and concern for those in her care, whether they be the shareholders on her plantation, or the crews of her ships. In turn, her employees are completely dedicated to her as well.
-Perceptions: Salome is an enigma to everyone she meets. She hides her emotions and thoughts so well, it is hard to get the upper hand when dealing with her. She is uninterested in social activities, and until now has rejected any men who have been interested in her. As Kestrel Sinclair, Salome has gained a reputation for being exceedingly shrewd, and has contacts around the world. It is rumored that Kestrel has even garnered the protection of pirates to keep ‘his’ shipping lanes safe. Kestrel has never lost a shipment, even if delayed by weather. There is a tight veil of secrecy regarding his person, as no one has ever seen or spoken with him, except through his agent. Even his crew cannot be penetrated by spies.
-Hobbies: Horses – When her brother is found safe, and she is free to lead her life as she would once again, Salome dreams of breeding horses on her plantation.
-Goals: To obtain a suitable husband that she can live with and will let her manage her business without interference. She wants to go home desperately and can’t stand the city. She also wants to find her brother, as well as who conspired to take him in the first place so she can extract revenge.
Hero: Donovan Tremaine, Earl Verney – age 25
-Job: Playboy – or so it seems. Since assuming his inheritance, to all appearances he is living the life, buying horses, gambling, escorting beautiful women to parties (though he never throws them himself). Secretly, he runs an inflammatory news press that decries the practice of slavery in the States, as well as the practice of indentured servitude out of Britain. His paper also fans the political flames leading to the war of 1812.
-Appearance: About 6’1”. Half-Indian through his mother. Wears his hair long in the Indian fashion, yet has piercing blue eyes from his father’s side. Reddish toned skin like an Indian as well. Lean and muscular physique.
-Intellect: Widely read and knowledgeable about all things political. Not much of a head for business, never having had much money until now. He leaves it in the hands of capable friends who invest for him.
-Family: Last living son of his line, inheriting title from skinflint great-uncle. His father had moved to the States (Boston), and ended up marrying a local Indian. Both were ostracized, so although sensitive to the Indian cause, he has no particular ties there. His father ran a small local newspaper, which is how he learned the business. His father was never officially disinherited, so upon his uncle’s death, he gained a title and a huge deal of wealth. No living relatives.
-History: After claiming his inheritance, he seized the opportunity to continue his underground paper free of suspicion by living in the public eye as a devil may care playboy. He is under pressure from his lawyers and friends to quickly marry and produce an heir, but he really longs for the kind of loving marriage his parents had.
-Attitude: He has an innate sense for people, which aids him in moving through high society, as well as in his underground activities. He feels a strong sense of right and wrong, and seeks to eliminate injustice. He is very good at disguising his true feelings.
-Perceptions: He is written off as a frivolous man, and those in society only refrain from calling him a ‘dirty half-breed’ because of his wealth and position.
-Aspirations: Very noble-minded, he wants to help bring an end to slavery and oppression, but he also realizes that his position as a ‘half-breed’ hinders him, which is why he must work secretly.
-Hobbies: Horses – the only thing he really likes to spend money on. He is building a breeding stock of racehorses.Goals: To continue his newspaper and build a respectable public image (when he finds the right woman), so he can overcome the stigma of ‘half-breed’.
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