Nell
Nell is the main protagonist and first person narrator of the story. She is the youngest of two daughters of an impoverished aristocrat. The young girl is naive and has not grown up with a mother figure to help her transition into womanhood. As she is in age to be married, her family hopes she will wed a suitably wealthy man. She sees herself as unattractive, and has difficulty navigating high society unlike her older sister Dolly. Nell eventually meets and falls for a handsome soldier, which is the engine of the main conflict.
Dolly
Dolly is the eldest LeStrange sister. She is diametrically opposed to Nell in both appearance and personality. At the beginning of the novel, it is revealed that her fiance passed away shortly before their wedding. Dolly is described as the ideal woman. She is fair and slender as that was the epitome of beauty, and she is graceful in her navigation of high society. However, for all her elegance, Dolly is quite void of empathy. She is cold and calculating in her pursuits. She has very little patience for her less graceful younger sibling, and does not hesitate to sabotage her relationship with Dick.
Dick
Dick is Nell’s love interest. He is a soldier who she meets at a party, and they become instantly infatuated with one another. Nell sees him as a fairytale prince, and rarely describes him as a man of any other distinctive qualities. She is attracted to the fact that he is a soldier, and often compares his presences to historical warriors.
Sir Hugh
Sir Hugh is the wealthy suitor interested in Nell. Both Dolly and her father support the match, but Nell sees him as old and dreadfully dull. Nell resists the advances of the average Sir Hugh due to her being blinded with passion for the young soldier. They eventually do marry after Dolly succeeds at keeping Dick away from young Nell. However, even after settling into her married life, Nell still pines for Dick, despite her commitment to Sir Hugh.
