Mr. Wilberforce is a solicitor who lives in the village of Ellesmere, not far from Helwater.
Personal History[]
Mr. Wilberforce is a solicitor for the Dunsany family. He is known to be married, though his wife does not seem to live in the area.
Lord John Series[]
The Scottish Prisoner[]
Despite being already married, Wilberforce develops an interest in the young Lady Isobel Dunsany. The two meet in secret during Isobel's visits to town.
Lord and Lady Dunsany do not approve of the match or of Wilberforce. Lord Dunsany demotes Mr. Wilberforce to only handling the family's property matters. He does not trust Mr. Wilberforce to handle his will, given his obvious interest in Isobel, one of the will's primary beneficiaries. Mr. Wilberforce also has a reputation in town for living well beyond his means and spending too much time with single female clients.
Despite Isobel's parents' opinions, Mr. Wilberforce accompanies the family on a picnic on the estate. Despite his efforts to impress them, the elder Dunsanys barely acknowledge him. He also attempts to ingratiate himself with William, but behaves with thinly disguised fury when William bites him.
Months later and in the face of the elder Dunsanys' continued rejection, Mr. Wilberforce decides to elope with Isobel. Isobel's maid, Betty Mitchell, refuses to let Isobel go driving with Mr. Wilberforce alone, but Mr. Wilberforce pushes her into a ditch at the edge of the estate and speeds off with Isobel.
Jamie Fraser catches up with the couple halfway to Gretna Green and pulls Wilberforce off of a now-frightened Isobel. Jamie punches Wilberforce in the face and leaves with Isobel.
Personality[]
He appears to be primarily interested in Isobel's money, and is willing to be cruel or deceitful to achieve his ends.