Book Two

The Order of the Lily

FRENCH CHARACTERS

Arnaud d’Albret	Jean Petite of Calais
Marguerite d’Albret	Veronique Lagrasse
Amanieu d’Albret	Minette Roubaix
Beraud d’Albret	Nicholas Flamel

WELSH CHARACTERS

Llewellyn ap Yny	Griffith ap Ynyr
Gwynedd ap Ynyr	Trefor ap Ynyr

ENGLISH CHARACTERS

Lady Joan Holland	Sir Thomas Holland
Geoffrey Chaucer

Arnaud d'Albret (Ar-no Dalbray) - Older brother to Ghillebert d'Albret

Tall, dark-haired with the ‘Albret’ blue eyes, though one is slightly turned. A self-centred man who has little respect for women in general. He is not afraid to use disciplinary measures on his wife when she thwarts him. His first wife and child are deceased.

Marguerite d'Albret aka Margot (Mar-go Dalbray) - Wife to Arnaud d'Albret

Margot grew up in Narbonne and was living with her father when the Black Prince’s chevauchee attacked her village in 1356. Her father was killed and she was made a ward to Arnaud d’Albret who ‘took a fancy to the girl with the green eyes.’ Eventually he married her but she is unhappy in her situation.

Sir Amanieu d'Albret - Eldest brother to Ghillebert d'Albret

Upon the death of his father, Beraud d’Albret, Amanieu d’Albret inherited the family’s holdings of Vertheuil, Vayres and Puynormand in France and the estate in Chilham. Usually resident at his castle in Vayres, he uses the Chilham estate when en route to London. As the head of the ‘Albret’ clan, he is strong-willed but unlike his younger brother, Arnaud, he is also kind and fair-minded. His second wife, Margaret of Kent, was Joan’s (fair maid of Kent) older sister, and gave Amanieu 5 children before her death.

Beraud d'Albret, the Bishop of Dax and younger brother to Armand d'Albret

Armand’s younger brother who, with the loss of clergy during the plague, made early advancement within the church’s ranks.

John (Sounder) of Calais - aka Jean Petit - Illegitimate son of Edward and Cécile

Jean was dubbed with the name ‘Sounder’ for wailing unceremoniously at his christening. Born out of wedlock, he is the result of Edward's seduction of Cécile but Catherine, Cécile's sister, told the prince that his erstwhile mistress miscarried. He does not know of the boy's existence.

Llewellyn ap Ynyr (Loo-ell-in Ap In-er) - Welsh Horsemaster

Llewellyn is the Welsh horsemaster at the Albret estate in Chilham. He lives in one of the estates workers cottages with his son, Llewellyn and his daughter, Gywnedd. He is a proud and hard worker, loyal to the Albret family.

Griffith ap Ynry - Eldest son to Llewellyn

Griffith is a robust young man with blonde hair, a genetic honouring to his great-grandfather. He is a likable lad, keen, hardworking and excellent in horse management. He gladly accepts the offer to squire for Ghillebert d’Albret.

Gwynedd ap Ynry - Daughter to Llewellyn

Gwynedd is a beautiful, young girl with dark hair and stunning green eyes who practises the art of healing through herbs. The villagers will often see her wandering through the woods, collecting her simples but it is whispered that she uses the art of witchcraft as well. Gywnedd harbours one secret goal - to be the wife of Ghillebert d’Albret.

Trefor ap Ynry - Youngest son of Llewellyn

Trefor is the young freckle-faced son of Llewellyn and also helps in the stables. He is made page to Cécile.

Veronique Lagrasse (Ver-on-eek) - Maid to Marguerite d'Albret

When Margot d’Albret was taken from her home, her maid, Veronique, refused to be parted from her side. She is an excitable girl, steadfastly loyal and an incessant talker! She came from the tiny village of Lagrasse, Languedoc, her father a wine-merchant who had fallen on hard times.

Minette Roubaix (Roo-bay) - Kitchen maid at Chilham

Minette Robaix was the daughter of Chilham’s blacksmith until an unfortunate event saw the smithy attacked and killed by ruffians. Alone in the world, Minette was taken to work in the kitchens at the Chilham estate.

Nicholas Flamel - French Scrivener and Alchemist

Born in France in 1330, Flamel lived well into his eighties but legend has it that he was much much older, having developed a 'potion' that allowed him to prolong life. It is claimed that Flamel purchased a manuscript in Spain that was later identified as a copy of the Book of Abramelin, which when decoded provided the recipe to replicate silver and gold and produce The Philosopher's Stone.

Simon and Flamel share a long friendship, developed when the two met in Spain.

Lady Joan Holland - Fair Maid of Kent - wife of Sir Thomas Holland

The daughter of a traitor (Joan's father, Edmund of Woodstock, was beheaded by Roger Mortimer for his support of Edward II), Joan had a difficult childhood and her formative years were spent under the control of Lady Katherine Salisbury.

Bitter and power hungry, Joan manipulates those around her to better her own position and secure the future she believes she deserves.

Sir Thomas Holland - 1st Earl of Kent

In his early military career, he fought in Flanders in 1340. He was again sent to defend the Gascon frontiers against the French two years later, and again in 1343. In 1346 he attended King Edward III attached to the household of Warwick, at the taking of Caen. He was a principal commander of the vanguard under the Black Prince at the Battle of Crécy and he served again at the seige of Calais in 1346-47. He is the thirteenth knight in the Order of the Garter. As Earl of Kent, he is overlord to the Albret’s Chilham estate.

Geoffrey Chaucer - English Poet

Geoffrey Chaucer, now considered one of greatest poets of his times, was also a philosopher, alchemist, astronomer and maintained an active career as a courier and diplomat for King Edward III. It is believed he often took on missions of a ‘personal and delicate’ nature for the King. In 1360 he was captured by the French and King Edward paid a considerable ransom for his release. The courier delivering the ransom was Ghillebert d’Albret and he and Geoffrey became firm friends.