Duke Dane Courtenay, The Duke of Lincoln, is known for his stoic, pragmatic, and calculating demeanor. He has been unwed for five years, since the death of his late wife Felberta. His own father Eardwulf was a cruel, lecherous, and deeply petty man, whose bad investments and frequent bloody feuds made the Courtenay family a laughingstock, but The Duke has successfully rebuilt his family's status almost single handedly. This ruthlessness, combined with his shrewd, efficient, cunning, incredibly intelligent nature, caused King Edward V to appoint him as Sheriff of Lincolnshire, though Dane later resigned. Dane was one of the best-suited Sheriffs in recent history, to his credit.