The Rival Pact Characters

Florence is a Historic England surveyor assigned to approve and oversee restoration work at Sterling Hall. She is professional, determined, and conscious of class differences, and she shares a hostile school and Oxford history with James. Privately curious about power dynamics, she enters a negotiated arrangement with James while trying to prove her competence and earn a promotion.

Arc: She moves from resenting and distrusting James to believing his denial about her journal, exploring submission with him, and eventually ending their no-emotions arrangement for a real relationship. After earning promotion to the ancients department, she confesses her love, negotiates a future with James, and anticipates moving into Sterling Hall.

• James Sterling — former schoolmate and Oxford classmate, adversarial client, then lover and real partner
• Philippa 'Pippa' — James's daughter, initially suspicious of Florence, later fond of her and eager for her to stay
• Tiffany — her sister, whom she calls for advice and wedding support
• Jasleen — her boss at Historic England, who assigns Sterling Hall and later promotes her
• Owen — her ex-boyfriend of almost a decade
• Alex MacKenzie — James's friend, who flirts with her and fences with her
• Terrance — Sterling Hall house manager who assists her during her stay
• Chester — former prep-school acquaintance who admits to the journal incident

James is the Duke of Ashford, owner of Sterling Hall, and a single father to Philippa. He is private, controlling, protective of his estate and daughter, and determined to restore Sterling Hall without government interference. He also practices negotiated power exchange and wants to change the succession law so Philippa can inherit.

Arc: He begins as Florence's adversarial host and old rival, then becomes her Dom and sexual partner under a no-emotions pact. After nearly losing her, he confesses his love, pursues a real relationship, and works to change the inheritance law for Pippa; a year later he prepares to move Florence into Sterling Hall and discusses marriage and children.

• Florence Hayes — former schoolmate and Oxford classmate, adversarial surveyor, then submissive/lover and real partner
• Philippa 'Pippa' — his daughter, whom he protects and wants to secure an inheritance for
• Terrance — longtime trusted house manager
• Alex MacKenzie — old boarding-school friend
• Wilhelmina — his ex-wife and Philippa's mother
• Owen — Florence's ex, whom he dislikes and confronts at the wedding
• Chester — former schoolmate who admitted to the journal incident and let James take the blame
• Jocasta — prospective jet buyer and client
• Clive — prospective jet buyer and client

Owen is Florence's ex-boyfriend of almost a decade, who cheated on her and later is best man at Tiffany's wedding. He is dismissive of Florence's sexual needs, treats her orgasm as ego validation, and is seeing Jenna from work. He confronts James on the balcony and warns him to stay away from Florence.

Arc: He remains a source of past hurt and awkwardness for Florence, then is exposed at the wedding for seeing Jenna. He leaves after Florence defends James and reveals Owen's behavior.

• Florence Hayes — her ex-boyfriend
• James Sterling — hostile toward him; confronts him at the wedding
• Ramit — his best friend
• Jenna — a woman from work he has been seeing
• Tiffany — invited to her wedding

Chester is a former prep-school acquaintance of James and Florence, now teaching at their old school. Florence says he was always jealous of James and craved his approval. He admits to the journal incident and lets James take the blame.

Arc: He appears briefly outside the inn, admits his role in the journal betrayal, and is sent away by James after the confrontation.

• James Sterling — former schoolmate and lackey who craved his approval
• Florence Hayes — former prep-school acquaintance who wronged her through her journal

Philippa, called Pippa, is James's young daughter and lives at Sterling Hall. She is initially frosty toward Florence, wants a sibling, and worries about disappointing her father or showing sadness. She grows fond of Florence and later hopes James and Florence will become a couple.

Arc: She moves from treating Florence as an intruder to playing with her, confiding in her after failing a French test, and wanting her to stay. By the epilogue she is eager for Florence and James to be together and spends Christmas between her mother and Sterling Hall.

• James Sterling — her father
• Wilhelmina — her mother, often absent from key events
• Florence Hayes — the historian staying at Sterling Hall, later a trusted adult she likes
• Alex MacKenzie — calls him Uncle Alex and enjoys his visits
• Terrance — household staff who helps care for her

Terrance is Sterling Hall's house manager and has worked there for thirty-eight years. He is discreet, professional, bakes bread, and is trusted by James with household and personal matters. He also encourages James to pursue Florence and reveals he has recently reached out to someone from his past.

Arc: He remains a steady, loyal presence at Sterling Hall, helps Florence settle in, and ultimately pushes James to avoid a lifetime of regret. In the epilogue he spends Christmas with his sister's family and his new partner.

• James Sterling — longtime trusted house manager and mentor figure
• Florence Hayes — household guest whose injury he treats and whom he supports
• Philippa 'Pippa' — child in the Sterling household he helps care for

Alex is James's old boarding-school friend, a charming visitor who calls Florence 'Flo' and teases James. He has a Scottish title, says he will not have children, and is part of the Lost Weekend group. He is playful and provocative, but also confronts James about letting Florence go.

Arc: He arrives as a flirtatious houseguest, becomes a friend to Florence, and later urges James to take a risk and tell Florence the truth. In the final group chat he does not respond to his friends' messages.

• James Sterling — old boarding-school friend who teases and confronts him
• Florence Hayes — friendly acquaintance who fences with him and whom he nicknames Flo
• Philippa 'Pippa' — calls him Uncle Alex and enjoys his visits
• Rafe — friend in the group chat
• West — friend in the group chat

Tiffany is Florence's younger sister, a bride-to-be planning her wedding to Ramit. She teases Florence about James, encourages her to be a little wild, and supports her through the end of the arrangement. She is loyal and wants Florence to be comfortable at the wedding.

Arc: She marries Ramit, helps Florence avoid Owen at the wedding, and later tells Florence she is proud of her for trying. She remains a supportive sister as Florence chooses a real relationship with James.

• Florence Hayes — her sister
• Ramit — her husband
• Owen — invited to her wedding and seated away from Florence
• James Sterling — Florence's date at her wedding

Jasleen is Florence's boss at Historic England. She assigns Florence to the Sterling Hall restoration and hints that a promotion to the ancients department depends on handling it well. She has clashed with James over the phone and believes a face he recognizes might help.

Arc: She remains Florence's professional superior and later promotes her to the ancients department, assigning her to a Roman villa at Beardsley.

• Florence Hayes — her employee, whom she assigns and later promotes
• James Sterling — has clashed with him over the phone

Wilhelmina is James's ex-wife and Philippa's mother. She initiated the divorce, wanted different things from James, and does not attend Pippa's art show because something came up. She remains a source of tension in James's co-parenting and past.

Arc: She does not change much on-page; she remains Pippa's mother and James's ex-wife, with James arguing with her about the art show.

• James Sterling — his ex-wife
• Philippa 'Pippa' — her daughter

Harvey is Florence and Tiffany's father. He is welcoming to James at dinner, praises his daughters, and says Florence is a good judge of character. James invites him to visit the estate.

Arc: He remains a warm, trusting father who welcomes James into the family home and accepts his invitation to Sterling Hall.

• Florence Hayes — his daughter
• Tiffany — his daughter
• James Sterling — his daughter's date, whom he welcomes

Ramit is Tiffany's husband and Owen's best friend. He marries Tiffany at the chapel and tells Florence that Owen has been seeing Jenna from work.

Arc: He moves from fiancé to husband during the wedding and remains connected to Owen as best friend.

• Tiffany — his wife
• Owen — his best friend
• Florence Hayes — his wife's sister

Jocasta is a potential buyer of James's jet and hosts a dinner with Clive in Amalfi. She warns Florence that James's priorities will always be his estate and daughter, and she later agrees to buy the plane. She presents herself as looking out for Florence while also being interested in James and the business deal.

Arc: She moves from warning Florence about James to finalizing the plane purchase with Clive and thanking Florence and James for the evening.

• Clive — her husband
• James Sterling — potential seller and client
• Florence Hayes — host and client who warns her about James

Clive is Jocasta's husband and co-host of the Amalfi dinner. He jokes with James and Florence and pulls James aside to discuss the business deal. He is part of the couple buying James's plane.

Arc: He remains a business client and co-host, finalizing the plane purchase with Jocasta.

• Jocasta — his wife
• James Sterling — potential buyer and business contact
• Florence Hayes — meets her at dinner

Rafe is one of James's longtime friends in the Lost Weekend group and Paige's husband. He teases James about Florence, hosts and sets up poker, and owns the store where James buys Florence's red dress. He is also active in the group chat.

Arc: He remains a teasing, loyal friend who joins the group's attempts to reach Alex at the end.

• James Sterling — longtime friend
• Paige — his wife
• West — friend in the group chat
• Alex MacKenzie — friend in the group chat

West is one of James's longtime friends in the Lost Weekend group, Amber's brother, and Nora's partner. He questions James about Florence, teases him, and joins the group chat banter. He is part of the group that brings Lost Weekend to Sterling Hall.

Arc: He remains a close friend who teases James about Florence and later jokes about Alex's absence in the final group chat.

• James Sterling — longtime friend
• Amber — his sister
• Nora — his romantic partner
• Rafe — friend in the group chat
• Alex MacKenzie — friend in the group chat

Paige is Rafe's wife and part of the Lost Weekend group at Sterling Hall. She is bubbly, asks direct questions about James's past and whether he wants to marry again, and calls Rafe's bluff during poker. She warmly questions Florence about James and dating.

Arc: She remains a friendly, direct presence in the group and supports Florence's poker win.

• Rafe — her husband
• James Sterling — friend
• Florence Hayes — questions her about James and dating

Nora is West's romantic partner and part of the Lost Weekend group. She is kind, joins the fireside conversation about dating, and tells Florence that James has a lot to offer. She advises Florence to take time for herself.

Arc: She remains a supportive, friendly companion in the group and sits in West's lap during poker.

• West — her romantic partner
• Florence Hayes — friendly companion in the fireside conversation
• James Sterling — friend

Amber is West's sister and part of the Lost Weekend group. She talks with Florence about being single, her bad dating choices, and her attraction to bad boys. She jokes that she and Florence are the single women against the married ones.

Arc: She remains a friendly, playful presence who bonds with Florence over dating and being single.

• West — her brother
• Florence Hayes — friendly companion who discusses being single and bad dating choices
• James Sterling — treats her as a little sister

Lucia is part of a Spanish billionaire couple considering a jet purchase from James. She attends the dinner at Sterling Hall with Paula and assumes Florence and James are a couple. She questions Florence about the house and her relationship with James.

Arc: She remains a prospective buyer and dinner guest, with no major change on-page.

• Paula — her wife
• James Sterling — prospective buyer and guest
• Florence Hayes — guest she questions about the house and James

Paula is part of a Spanish billionaire couple considering a jet purchase from James. She attends the dinner at Sterling Hall with Lucia and asks Florence about the house's history and whether she and James are a couple.

Arc: She remains a prospective buyer and dinner guest, with no major change on-page.

• Lucia — her wife
• James Sterling — prospective buyer and guest
• Florence Hayes — guest she questions

Otto is one of James's dogs. He accompanies James, sniffs Florence's hand, lies beside James while they talk, and sprawls in front of the unlit fireplace in the library. He wants to be where James is.

Arc: He remains James's companion throughout and does not change.

• James Sterling — his dog
• Florence Hayes — sniffs her hand and accepts her presence
• Muffin — another dog in James's household

Muffin is one of James's dogs, named by his daughter. He greets James when he returns home, sniffs Florence's hand in the library, and sits for her petting. He is part of the Sterling Hall household.

Arc: He remains a household pet and companion, with no change across the story.

• James Sterling — his dog
• Philippa 'Pippa' — named him
• Florence Hayes — sniffs her hand and accepts her petting
• Otto — another dog in James's household

Jenna is a woman from work whom Owen has been seeing. Her existence is revealed at Tiffany's wedding and helps expose Owen's behavior to Florence. She does not appear directly in the notes.

Arc: She remains off-page; the revelation of Owen seeing her contributes to his departure after the wedding confrontation.

• Owen — a woman from work he has been seeing