Rosie Baker

15

Rosie is a baker both by name and by trade. Her striking good looks, her stout, chubby figure, warm smile and charming personality make her the object of many a man’s affections. She is truly a talented baker who sells her wares for reasonable prices, but men come to her shop just for a chance to talk to her. With that in mind, perhaps she can be forgiven for being a bit vain and rather coquettish in her interactions. She enjoys the attention she gets from men, but is still waiting for a man she deems worthy to be her husband. With her popularity and success in her work, she’s determined not to settle. She’s conscious of the fact, however, that most men would be shocked by her secret: she’s a part of Revenant Cor’s gang of highwaywomen. She’s known on the highways as “Jollux Jill.”

Bess McKennitt

11

Sweet and warm-hearted Elisabeth “Bess” McKennit runs the Loch-and-Key Inn. Her father, Byron, is alcoholic and her mother, Lyra has poor business sense. This leaves Bess doing most of the work of running the inn alone. She is engaged to a wealthy businessman named Jules Cavendish. Bess is one of the few people who knows that Walter is secretly a highwayman, part of a gang who robs other thieves to redistribute their ill-gotten gains among the needy. Walter loves Bess for her competency and courage. Indeed, Bess needs to be courageous as Jules’ enemies would threaten her to find out information about her fiancé.

Philippa Jasti

9

Philippa Jasti is the wife of the local village minister, Reverend Aadish Jasti. Only her loving, supportive husband knows her secret: she’s a member of Revenant Cor’s gang of highwaywomen who steal from those with ill-gotten wealth and distribute their bounty among the poor and needy. At age 60, she’s the oldest of the gang and is a sort of mother-figure to the other highwaywomen. Philippa and Aadish have three children and 5 grandchildren, all of whom would probably be horrified if they knew what Philippa did in secret. Known on the highways as “Philip Cut-Purse,” the local church would indeed he shocked to learn where Philippa’s tithe comes from!

The Highwaywoman

10

Lady Cordelia Hastings (née Ferris) was left an orphan at the age of 2 and brought to live at an abbey’s orphanage, her parents having been killed in a robbery gone wrong. The orphanage had a wealthy benefactor, Lord Raphael Hastings, who met Cordelia when she’d become a young woman and took a liking to her spirited nature. They were happily married for a short time before Lord Hastings sadly died of a heart condition. In his will, he left her everything. Heartbroken, she decided to return to the abbey, but on the road she was waylaid by highwaymen. After successfully defending herself, Lady Cordelia Hastings decided to dedicate her life to protecting others. Disguising herself, Cordelia came to be known on the highways as “Revenant Cor” seeking out criminals to steal their ill-gotten gains and distribute their wealth among the needy.

Beatrice Ashby

4

Beatrice Ashby is an orphan left in the charge of her traditional aristocratic uncle, Lord Rutherford, who discourages her from “unladylike pursuits” such as higher education. Beatrice has a very sweet and gentle disposition and enjoys traditional crafts such as needlework, but has a hidden spirited side which longs for adventure. When Lord Rutherford is unaware, Grace sneaks out dressed in men’s clothes to roam the forests with Revenant Cor’s gang of vigilante highwaywomen who target those with ill-gotten wealth to distribute among the needy. Because of her pretty face and dimpled smile, she’s known on the highways as “Angel Eyes.”