The Characters in The Bride from Dairapaska
Debbie Miller: She did the best she could under the circumstances.
Ghita Acconcio: The oldest daughter. Loved despite her unfortunate gender.
Aldo Acconcio: Not the husband Debbie would have chosen, had she been given a choice.
Carina Acconcio: The middle daughter. It was even more unfortunate that she was a girl.
Mrs. Acconcio: She was not the mother-in-law Debbie would have ever chosen.
Mr. Acconcio: he didn’t rule his own roost.
An unnamed baby: a girl, and so of no value to anyone.
Spotty: Brave, loyal, good, and true. He was smarter than he looked.
The old daimyo of Dairapaska: He didn’t believe in asking sheep what they wanted.
The old daimyo of Shelleen: He was of the firm opinion that serfs didn’t have any more rights than sheep.
The new daimyo of Shelleen: The new boss. He had reasons he did not disclose for why he sent peasants out to almost certain death.
The daimyo’s overseer: He did the best he could with a difficult job, although the peasants did not agree.
The village headman: He had a thankless and impossible job.
A woman on the road: She didn’t take her own good advice.
The way-station attendant: He helped more than he knew.
Yannick: A Hand of Kenyatta and a man with a troublesome past.
Harley: a boy with a future.
Tyr: another boy with a future.
Two wolf-dogs: four times Spotty’s size and they made sure he knew it.
Otis: another Hand of Kenyatta and someone who knows Yannick’s past very, very well.
Gray Gal: a very patient mare saddled with an unhappy rider.
Chika: she knew a witchy woman when she saw one.
Kerill: a boy with a troublesome past and hopes of a better future.
Niall: another boy with an unhappy past but a better future ahead.
Leon: he hoped his children would listen to him and sometimes, they did.
Remus Kenyatta: He came to understand why the new daimyo of Shelleen did what he did and he admitted he would have done the same.
Moswen: a wise woman, she collected names for future people and remembered those who had passed on.
Anchali: Moswen’s grandfather, currently residing in an oak tree.
Alison: she believed in facing facts, no matter how unpleasant they were.
Barb: a gossip who wanted things to be the way she thought they should be.
Preston Kenyatta: Remus’ second and someone Debbie got to know rather better than she would have liked.
Avalon Kenyatta: a lady of the Four Hundred, yet she nursed her baby like any peasant woman.
Hiroshi Kenyatta: he was the first to realize why the new daimyo of Shelleen did what he did.
Azi: another boy with a future.
The Post-Mistress of Kenyatta: she knew what was the right thing to do.
The Post-Master of Dairapaska: he ignored his sworn duty.
The Post-Master of Shelleen: he did what was easy and not what was right.
Debbie’s mother: she missed her daughter more than words would ever say.
Alice: the luckiest of the 24 Brides from Dairapaska.
Lupita: She won and she lost in the bride trade.
Pia: one of the 24 Brides from Shelleen.
Blanca: another of the 24 Brides from Shelleen.
Fulvia: she couldn’t accept was done to her family so she took out her anger on people who didn’t deserve it.
Lysander: Yannick’s brother who wonders a great deal about Debbie.
Erissa: Lysander’s wife, who goes to the trouble to find out who that stranger is.
Mandy: Otis’ wife, who also goes to the trouble to find out who that stranger is.
Maureen: Someone who Yannick knows very, very well. She burns everyone she touches.
Andrew: a bodyguard from Purnell. His opinion of Maureen never wavers.
Dave: a bodyguard from Purnell. His opinion of Maureen matches Andrew’s.
Sal: she wanted to get paid and hard coin was better than barter any day, even if it did mean putting up with someone she despised.
Maureen’s most recent lover: entitled, wealthy, and vindictive.
Their newborn son: unwanted by Maureen and unknown to his abusive father and she needed to keep it that way.
The new daimyo of Dairapaska: he had to clean up what his predecessor did without losing face.
Howard Shelleen: he selfishly made things far worse for the peasants than they needed to be.
The Kennel-Master of Kenyatta: he didn’t get the results he planned on.