Cubah is perhaps the most impressive of the three characters.

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Of royal descent, yet taken into slavery, she carries the wisdom of traditional Obeah medicine in her head. She's educated, strong and determined: a survivor.

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She somehow negotiates her freedom from Cornwallis and becomes renowned throughout the Caribbean as a healer and "doctress", founding a small hospital in Port Royal.

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Cubah is a complex character. Rumour has it she was the secret inspiration behind many of the slave rebellions, while at the same time she would selflessly care for white and black alike, including the rich and powerful.

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Her friendship with Burns is unexpected. She doesn't just nurse him to health: she restores his humanity too. In turn, he absorbs a new understanding of the society he's lived in; one he's taken advantage of but one which in turn has taken advantage of him.

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The Agapé love between them surprises them both.