Sallow, greasy and somewhat musty, Jean du Biard is hardly what most would consider a catch, even before one had the dubious pleasure of being introduced to him. Thin and wiry with wispy hair, an untidy stubble and old, stained clothes which could do with a regular wash, his sunken eyes seem to be always watching in a manner which can only be described as disconcerting.

The kind of man who makes a virtue out of crudity, Jean's only qualities lie in a rampant acquisitiveness, a canny ability to fly below the radar of anyone in authority, and the lordship of the manor of Biard, which he inherited upon the death of his older brother. Since then, he has dedicated the best of his efforts into squeezing as much revenue from the estate as possible, and search the land for lucrative marriage alliances with which to ensure the future of his particular branch of the family.