Cotillion characters

Also known as Kitty

Appears from the start

The orphaned ward of the wealthy, irascible Matthew Penicuik, raised in isolation at Arnside. Warm-hearted, impulsive, and eager to see London, she has long imagined herself in love with Jack Westruther. When her guardian makes her inheritance depend on marrying one of his great-nephews, she looks for a way to escape his pressure without surrendering her future.

Also known as Freddy

Appears from the start

One of Matthew Penicuik's great-nephews, a well-dressed and good-natured young man more interested in proper clothes and a quiet life than in romance or inheritance. He has no intention of proposing to Kitty, but his loyalty and practical sense make him the relative she trusts with an unconventional plan.

Appears from the start

Matthew's favorite great-nephew, handsome, confident, and accustomed to attracting women. Kitty has idealized him for years and expects him to answer the summons to Arnside, but he refuses to let his uncle dictate whom he should marry.

Appears from the start

Kitty's rich and domineering guardian, confined by gout but determined to control his family through his will. He summons his unmarried great-nephews and announces that Kitty must choose one as a husband if she is to inherit his fortune.

Also known as Dolph

Appears from the start

One of Kitty's eligible cousins, a shy and slow-spoken peer dominated by his formidable mother. He is pushed toward proposing for the Penicuik fortune, although his own wishes lie elsewhere.

Appears from the start

A serious clergyman and another of Matthew's great-nephews. He approaches the proposed marriage as a duty and offers Kitty a respectable but emotionally unappealing future.

First appears in chapter 4

Freddy's socially assured mother, who receives Kitty into her London home after the engagement is announced. Perceptive beneath her polished manners, she gives Kitty access to society while observing the young couple more clearly than they realize.

First appears in chapter 7

A striking young woman from a socially questionable household whom Kitty meets in London. Her beauty attracts dangerous attention, while her quiet manner and limited control over her circumstances awaken Kitty's protective instincts.

First appears in chapter 9

A French émigré of good birth who loves Olivia Broughty but lacks the position and money that would make their marriage straightforward. His earnest attachment becomes one of the romantic problems Kitty and Freddy try to solve.

First appears in chapter 10

An independent-minded young woman loved by Dolphinton. She values his gentleness and understands how thoroughly his mother controls him, but their unequal situations make open courtship difficult.