The Burning Secret characters

Also known as The Baron

Appears from the start

A fashionable Austrian aristocrat who arrives at a mountain hotel looking for diversion. Finding the adult guests difficult to approach directly, he notices an elegant woman travelling with her young son and decides that winning the child's confidence will bring him into her company.

Appears from the start

A lonely twelve-year-old recovering from illness at the hotel with his mother. Eager to be treated as more than a child, he is overwhelmed when the worldly Baron seeks him out and offers the friendship and attention he has been craving.

Also known as Edgar's mother

Appears from the start

A married Viennese woman staying at the resort while her son regains his strength. She is pleased by the Baron's attention and initially welcomes the ease with which his companionship draws Edgar out of his isolation.

Also known as Edgar's grandmother

First appears in chapter 13

Edgar's maternal grandmother, whose home offers him a familiar refuge when fear and shame drive him away from the hotel.

Also known as Edgar's father

First appears in chapter 15

Mrs. Blumenthal's husband and Edgar's father, summoned after the holiday collapses into confusion. His arrival raises the possibility that Edgar will expose what happened between his mother and the Baron.