Cat Royal

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Cat Royal (also known as Cat Royal Adventures) is a series of 6 historical fiction adventure books by Julia Golding, a British novelist.^[1]

The main character of the series is an orphan named Catherine "Cat" Royal. The series is set in 18th Century London where Cat lives in the

Themes shown throughout the series include acceptance of different ethnic categories, and expressing the belief that it is not what one likes or social class that matters, but rather, personality. The theme of making one's way through adolescence could also be considered an aspect of the series, as the protagonist struggles to find work, and a home where she can be accepted for who she is and not be pressured into marriage and other issues faced by most young women during the time period in which the books are set.

Characters

Main characters

• Catherine "Cat" Royal: An
  illegitimate child, she was never christened
  ; Cat continues to use the name Sheridan gave her.
• Pedro Amakye (previously Pedro Hawkins): One of Cat's close friends, a former
  San Domingo
  .
• Francis, Earl of Arden, or "Frank": A mischievous friend of Cat's, and the only son and heir of the Duke of Avon, though he is somewhat embarrassed by his upper class origins, leading him to use a nickname. He is described as having curly dark brown hair and blue eyes; he is quite muscular. Frank is considered conventionally attractive, and is very popular with girls - in Cat O' Nine Tails, when Cat and Frank are in attendance at a ball, Cat observes that he is constantly surrounded by girls hoping to dance with him. Due to his better education, compared to that of his friends, Frank has an extensive vocabulary, and often casually uses terms his friends are unfamiliar with. He is a member of The Butcher's Boys, Syd's gang, though this remains a carefully kept secret from his parents. Frank is about sixteen years old at the start of the series; it is implied that he is eighteen in Black Heart of Jamaica, set two years after the first book, when his sister mentions that he has recently come of age. Initially a student at Westminster School in London, he begins attending Trinity College, Cambridge shortly before the events of Cat's Cradle.
• William "Billy" Shepherd: Billy is a recurring
  half-brother
  called Paul, who is nicknamed "Spike".
• Sydney "Syd" Fletcher: Cat's oldest and most loyal friend in
  illiterate
  .
• Lady Elizabeth "Lizzie" Fitzroy (née Avon): The daughter of the Duke of Arden, and Frank's older sister, who considers Cat a dear friend despite their differing social classes. She is described as being very pretty, with chestnut hair and blue eyes. In The Diamond of Drury Lane, it is revealed that she met Johnny at her
  abolitionist
  .
• Lord Jonathan "Johnny" Fitzroy: The son of the Earl of Ranworth, though he rebelled against his family and failed to live up to his father's expectations. Instead, he started drawing satirical
  United States of America in The Diamond of Drury Lane. He fell in love with Lady Elizabeth when they met at her debutante, and they are reunited when they both travel to Paris in Den of Thieves. When they get married and he changes his citizenship, Johnny stops his cartoons to become a proper artist
  , though he temporarily stops his work when his daughter is born in order to dedicate time to her. He is described as a "tall youth" with black hair and dark brown eyes.

• Catherine Elizabeth Fitzroy: Lizzie and Johnny's daughter, who was born in Cat O' Nine Tails, and Cat's
  godchild
  . Lizzie mentions in that, despite her young age, she is already rather boisterous and troublesome, features that reminded her parents of Cat, inspiring them to name their daughter after her.
• Richard Brinsley Sheridan: Cat's patron and owner of the Drury Lane Theatre. In Den of Thieves he reveals he is going to knock down the theatre build a new one, something Cat does not like and makes her angry, and in Cat O' Nine Tails the construction work had already begun. Although he knocked down what Cat knows as home, Mr Sheridan has Cat's best interests at heart, and loves her as a father would love a daughter.
• Robert "Rabbie" Bruce: Cat's younger brother, a Scottish
  half-siblings, having the same mother and different fathers; Rabbie's father forced their mother to give Cat away, refusing to marry her with an illegitimate child in tow. Their mother died from complications in childbirth soon after Rabbie was born. When he first meets Cat, in Cat's Cradle, he is sceptical of her claim that they are related and does not want anything to do with her, though she is persistent. However, he eventually accepts her as his sister and grows to care for her, opting to go to London to live with her. He is taller than Cat despite being younger, has dark brown hair and brown eyes, and is about twelve years old. Rabbie speaks with a strong Scottish accent
  .
• Signor Angelini: Conductor of the theatre orchestra, and very passionate about music, especially his apprentice Pedro.
• Duke of Avon: Frank and Lizzie's father and duke of Avon.
• Duchess of Avon: Wife of the duke, and a retired singer.
• Kingston Hawkins: A cruel slave owner and Pedro's original master. Kingston claims that Pedro still remains his property and almost succeeds in getting him back in Cat Among the Pigeons. In Black Heart of Jamaica, he holds Cat hostage on his tobacco
  plantations
  and treats her like a slave, but then his house sets on fire and Billy rescues her.
• Joseph: Frank's footman and friend to Cat.
• Nick: Syd's right-hand man and assistant leader of the butcher's boys.
• Joe "The Card" Murray: A member of Syd's gang, a street magician and card sharp.
• Meat Pie Matt: Member of Billy's gang.
• Ferret Face: Another member of Billy's gang.
• Charles "Charlie" Hengrave: Frank's friend who helps Cat fool his teachers at Westminster School into thinking that she is a boy - specifically, that she is Charlie's younger brother Tom - when Cat goes into hiding from the Bow Street Runners in Cat Among the Pigeons. He appears again in Cat's Cradle, when he and Frank are attending Trinity College together and Cat visits the campus.
• Lord Fitzroy: Johnny's father, helps Cat out a difficult situation.
• Bridget O'Riley: An Irish girl who befriends Cat. She moves to London with her brothers, who ate working on the construction of the theatre.
• Mary Moir: One of the workers at the mill in
  illegitimate child
  of Mary's younger sister. She tells Cat that she has a half brother called Robert Bruce, who lives with his father's family.
• Katrine, Ian, Dougie and Jeanie Moir: Cat's Scottish cousins. Katrine is a quiet teenager a few years older than Cat who cares dearly for her family and grieves heavily at her mother's death. Ian and Dougie are boys of fifteen and thirteen years old who love adventure and can often get into trouble. Jeannie is a sweet child of about six years of age, she enjoys Cat's company and loves role-play.
• Mrs. Reid: Former head of wardrobe department in theatre, strict but loving motherly figure towards Cat.

Books

• The Diamond of Drury Lane (2006) – The beginning of the series, in which Cat gets caught up in a mystery about an ominous "diamond" hidden within the theatre.
• Cat Among the Pigeons (2006) – Pedro's old master comes to London and claims that Pedro remains his property, and Cat must do all she can to keep Pedro safe.
• Den of Thieves (2007) – Cat is sent undercover to Paris with a ballet troupe to observe the revolution, but ends up involved with a gang of thieves.
• Cat O'Nine Tails (2007) – Cat and her friends are press ganged and taken on an unexpected trip across the Atlantic to the West Indies
  .
• slave revolt
  in Jamaica.
• The Middle Passage (2010) – A short novella set during Cat and Billy's short stay in the Azores, and Cat has to help a new friend recover their stolen telescope.
• Cat's Cradle (2011) – Cat returns to London, only to discover that Mr Sheridan has received a letter from Scotland claiming to be from a long lost relative, and Cat is determined to go to New Lanark to discover the truth.