Odette Turnbull

Reclusive. Haggard of feature and waspish. Once an infamous actress, known for hair raising antics, both on and off the stage, Odette was a renowned belle of the artistic elite in her twenties. Having cultivated a long and risky career, often flaunting convention, Odette finally reached the apex of her artistic flight when she joined forces with the theatre manager Olivier De Cowgill who was putting together a performance of 'The Lovers of Lady Archmole'. Everything ended for Odette when her horse took fright of a fanfare and bolted for the orchestra pit. Several players were crushed to death, and Odette lost her leg. De Cowgill was furious. Holding Odette responsible he stole Odette’s amputed leg and absconded. He was later rumoured to have opened a theatre in Serrenisma. Odette recovered despite her horrific wound and later married Olivier De Cowgill’s financial backer, Bertram Turnbull.

A decade later and Odette, her gay abandon burned into bitterness, now hides from the public gaze. On the rare occasion she ventures forth, she is frequently greeted by a crowd of street urchins who urge her to ‘shake a leg’.