Lou is a dashing disaster in a crumpled suit, a former darling of high society now reduced to a life of hustling in the East End, where his gambling debts have turned him into a reluctant gigolo. With his pockets as empty as his father’s patience, he’s learned to navigate the streets with a mix of charm and unbound recklessness, all while dreaming of the olden days when he could afford more than just a cup of tea. Convinced that somewhere between the hustling and the shady cobblestones lies a chance for redemption—or at least a free drink. After all, if life gives you lemons, why not write a sonnet about them?
Emmaline Creary
Emmaline is a shy, soft spoken young woman, currently making a living as best she can by selling flowers. When the sales aren’t enough to keep her from starving, she goes mudlarking, selling the odds and ends she scavenges from the Thames. If that isn’t enough, she will steal, but she tries not to. Timid around most, she seldom initiates contact outside of work. Once her trust is earned, however, she proves herself a loyal, if odd, companion. She is also prone to flights of fancy, and it isn’t surprising to come upon her lost in some daydream.
Estelle King
Estelle has her brothers completely wrapped around her little finger, delighting in the chaos they create, especially when it comes to her impulsive twin, Lucien. With a confident flair and a clever wit, she navigates her world with the ease of being the one and only to have been spoiled by their father, basking in the knowledge that she can do no wrong in his eyes. This adoration has only fueled her ambitions, as she sets her sights on a grand career in the arts—be it singing, dancing, or playing music. After all, with a name that means “Star,” it’s only fitting that she shines brightly in whatever endeavor she chooses.
An extrovert at heart, Estelle possesses a playful deviousness that adds a touch of mischief to her charm, making her the life of any gathering. Her brother Darius, in particular, finds himself at most ease around her out of his siblings, and the two share a bond that is both teasing and supportive. Estelle has been raised by governesses her whole life, but that’s never stopped her from asking and learning about the woman her mother had been, and perhaps that’s what sparked her passion from an early age.
Sebastián King
Sebastián, affectionately known as Bash to his friends and family, embodies the essence of a young gentleman. An artist at heart, he always carries a notebook and pen tucked beneath his coat, ready for whenever the muse may strike. His kindness is both his greatest virtue and his most significant flaw; it often veers into naiveté. With an upbeat attitude, Bash eagerly pursues new experiences and adventures, though his enthusiasm sometimes leads him to stumble over the very steps he overlooked along the way.
Despite being the youngest of four, he wasn’t given as much pampering as one would expect. Instead, his childhood was spent shuffling from one governess to another, along with his older twins, Lucien and Estelle. From a young age, Bash had carried guilt for a crime he didn’t commit: his mother’s death. And through the years, that nagging feeling only festered against his father’s stoicism, and his eldest brother’s, Darius, apparent avoidance. But all this is about to change with the passing of his father and his brother’s arrival home to claim the title of a baron.
Elliot Ellis
This invisible, youngest son to a family blessed with wealth but cursed to live under an abusive patriarch. Elliot is an intelligent, stubborn, soft-hearted and romantic man who is trying to recalibrate to a life without his father. Sometimes lost in overly optimistic daydreams of the future, he has his head in the clouds in hopes of one day making his family proud.
Alexander Flemming
Alex is a detective in the Criminal Investigations Division of the Scotland Yard. He’s a hard working individual, whose work-life balance revolves almost entirely around his career. Which allows him to live a relatively comfortable middle-class life.
Darius King
Darius stands as a prominent figure in his prestigious family, with a sharp mind, forthright attitude, a shifty mood and a loaded gun, he is not a man to be trifled with. Having served a significant amount of his life in the military to attain his title as a captain, he has some conflicted feelings regarding being the newly appointed title as Baron after his father’s passing. And now that he is back in London for what seems like a good while, he is handling the emotional turmoil with the grace of an elephant- simply one misstep away from imploding.
Darcy Devlin
Belfast-born unofficial trade unionist, agitator and reluctant exile in London town. Protestant turncoat *slash* communist. Most likely to be found half-licked and showing the tin whistle player how it is really done down the local ale house. Or giving real fire-and-brimstone style speeches in the board houses, trying his hand at insurrection once more.
Caleb Vaughan
Antoinette Vigneau
After escaping trafficking, Antoinette Vigneau finds herself in a difficult situation: she is penniless in a strange land, where she has no friends, no connection and no where to go. Going back home would not be an option anyway, for er family won’t accept her anyway. She doesn’t want to go back to the brothel, for that life was never for her, and the madam takes a huge amount of her earnings anyway. All she can do, is try to survive in the East End, where she is hiding in overcrowded rooms, in the hopes that the thugs that are looking for her will not find her and lead her back to her latest prison. Entirely destitute, Antoinette has but one resource at her disposal: her determination not only to survive, but to thrive.