Roberta Meserole

Madam
Roberta Meserole as drawn by Tealin
Name	Lady Roberta Meserole
Race	Human
Age
Occupation
Physical appearance
Residence	The world; once bought and may stil own a house in Easy Street Ankh-Morpork
Death
Parents
Relatives	Nephew: Havelock Vetinari
Children
Marital Status
Appearances
Books	Night Watch.
Cameos	She is mentioned, obliquely, in Guards! Guards!, as Vetinari's only living relative.

Lady Roberta Meserole, also called Madam, appears in the book Night Watch. She is a very mysterious character who prefers to pull strings in the background. Not much is known about her. She claims to be from Genua, and it is uncertain whether she has been married or not. She appears to have a liking for cats.

Lady Roberta is, in fact, the aunt of Havelock Vetinari, and has been indirectly referenced in several other books, though she only makes a direct appearance in Night Watch. She played an important political role in the intrigue to overthrow Lord Winder, with the help of Vetinari, who was a student Assassin in those times.

She has sharp reflexes and the ability to throw a good punch: in Night Watch, she had an encounter with the young Nobby Nobbs, in which Nobby's advanced pickpocketing abilities proved no match for her discovery of his hand in her purse. She then showed great acumen: when Nobby regained consciousness, she realised his unique skills could be of use to her as a gofer, spy, and intelligence-gatherer. A lesser noble could have had all his fingers broken in several places, and him buried indefinitely in the Tanty: Lady Roberta saw a rough-and-ready street asset. Nobby agreed immediately, as she paid well and he had no desire to end up sharing a cell with his father.

She feels comfortable in the high society and likes to flirt with politically important people, in order to achieve her goals. Friends may call her Bobbi. Whether she really considers anybody a close friend is not certain.

Samuel Vimes seems to have earned her respect, and she secretly watches his moves and actions during the Glorious Revolution of Treacle Mine Road. Every year, on the 25th May, the day of that famous event, she sends an egg in honour and remembrance of those who took part and died in the revolution, so it can be presumed that she is still very much alive.

Annotations

• Her character could be based on the character of Mylady de Winter in Dumas' Three Musketeers.
• Roundworld referents might include Lola Montez, who started out as music hall dancer and occasional seamstress, but who manoeuvred her way up the ladder to become Queen of Bavaria; or actress Eva Peron, who famously and tunefully became power behind the throne in Argentina.