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"What are your intentions towards my daughter then? I hope just because you don't think you're going to be holding her hand or anything. Just because her knees are visible does not mean she is the kind of girl to hold the hand of a strange-haired boy on their first date"
— Desmond meeting Fletcher for the first time, Skulduggery Pleasant: Mortal Coil
Desmond Edgley
Character Information
Given Name Desmond Edgley
Species Human
Gender Male
Birth 1973/1974
Age 46/47
Magic Likely none
Location Ireland, Haggard
Relations Melissa Edgley (spouse)
Stephanie Edgley (daughter)
Alison Edgley (daughter)
Fergus Edgley (brother)
Gordon Edgley (brother)
Beryl Edgley (sister-in-law)
Carol Edgley (niece)
Crystal Edgley (niece)

Desmond Edgley is the father of Valkyrie Cain and Alison Edgley, and the husband of Melissa Edgley.

Biography[]

History[]

As children he and his brothers Gordon and Fergus Edgley used to listen to stories that their grandfather told them. Their grandfather believed that they were descended from the Ancients. Their father greatly disapproved of this and told them to not believe a word of it. None of them listened except Fergus, who Desmond remarks in Bedlam had 'always needed our father's approval more than any of us.' Eventually, Fergus convinced Desmond that their grandfather was spilling lies. Gordon remained faithful, and began delving into magic.


When he was a child, Desmond’s grandafther would tell him, Gordon, and Fergus stories about magic and sorcerers, and claimed they were descended from a sorcerer called the Last of the Ancients. Desmond would stop believing in these stories as he grew up, however.

When Gordon eventually met Melissa and introduced her to Desmond, they fell in love. Melissa and he got married and had Stephanie and later Alice. Later, when Stephanie was a baby, he along with Melissa took her to the zoo, where he accidentally dropped her into the penguin enclosure.

Skulduggery Pleasant[]

Desmond appears at the funeral of his older brother Gordon, who left him and his wife his villa in France. Also, when Skulduggery Pleasant arrives at Mr. Fedgewick’s office, Desmond is said to have had an unusual expression. Later on, he told Stephanie about the stories his grandfather told him, and how they were descended from the Ancients. He also tells her not to believe this stuff.

Desmond attends the funeral of his brother Gordon. A few days later, when he, Melissa and Stephanie are summoned to the reading of his will, Desmond delays them by struggling to find his shoes, causing them to arrive at Mr. Fedgewick’s office. In Gordon’s will, Fergus and Beryl receive his car, boat and a brooch. This angers them, especially when Desmond gets Gordon’s villa in France and Stephanie is to inherit Grimwood House and Gordon’s possessions and royalties on her eighteenth birthday.

Two days later Desmond breaks the volume knob on the stereo and loses the remote. This results in the stereo blaring Ride of the Valkyries until Melissa unplugs it. This wakes Stephanie up.

Two days after that, Desmond gets a call from Beryl saying that Stephanie, now having taken the name Valkyrie visited her this morning, She also mentions that she saw her drive off with Skulduggery Pleasant. Desmond forgets to put on underwear before going to work that day, so he goes back home on his lunchbreak to get some.

He sees Valkyrie sitting on the beach in Haggard. Desmond approaches her, and tells her that him and Melissa are worried about her, that she has been acting differently since Gordon died. He says Beryl called and told him that Valkyrie visited to her, and that she had seen her with Skulduggery. He tells her that her great-grandafther used to tell them stories about magic, say that they were descended from a sorcerer called the Last of the Ancients, and that because of those stories Gordon began meeting with people Desmond considered dangerous. Desmond asks her to be careful, and to focus on the real world and not silly fantasies.

Playing with Fire[]

Desmond goes to the Edgley renuion. 

The Faceless Ones[]

He and Melissa have their anniversary and Desmond asks his daughter what to buy her mother. Valkyrie suggests that they could go to Paris, and he agrees.

Right before they want to go to the airport, Desmond 'loses' his passport, but his wife finds them again, before it's too late. Later they come back from France.

Dark Days[]

Desmond and Melissa hear a crash from Valkyrie's room and try to get her to open the door, while she is attacked by Remus Crux. After Valkyrie opens the door he hurries in and examines the room. He promises to fix the broken window.

When Valkyrie returns after meeting Cassandra Pharos, Desmond arrives also home unusually early from work to tell Valkyrie, along with Melissa, that they are going to have a baby. Later he demonstrates a new baby seat for the car to his family.

Mortal Coil[]

He and his wife Melissa meet Fletcher Renn. Desmond says his hair is crazy and is stuck at odd angles like a 'demented porcupine'. Being the protective father that he is he mentions that he can see Valkyrie's knees, which is apparently too much of her legs to see on the first date. Knees should be kept for the eight or ninth date, or the wedding day, as a nice surprise.

When Tanith Low is possessed by a Remnant, she visits Desmond and Melissa, saying she's Valkyrie's teacher. They welcome her and have a conversation.

Death Bringer[]

Along with Valkyrie and Melissa he attends Alice's christening and later throws Ian Moore through a window after he tried robbing his wife.

Kingdom of the Wicked[]

Much to Valkyrie's annoyance Desmond invited a boy who should become her boyfriend after she broke up with Fletcher. When she tells him to send him away, he protests but eventually agrees, saying to them she has diarrhoea. Valkyrie asks her mum to kill Desmond, and she agrees.

Last Stand of Dead Men[]

For Valkyrie's eighteenth birthday, Desmond buys her a new car - the Oompa Loompa.

Later Kenny Dunne approaches the Edgley household and plans to inform Desmond that Valkyrie Cain was supposedly killed in The Battle of Roarhaven.

The Dying of the Light[]

After Stephanie returns home, Desmond is seen watching a movie, late at night, that he doesn't quite understand the plot of. It is revealed later that Kenny didn't tell Desmond about Valkyrie dying, and instead gave him the USB that has the footage of her dying at The Battle of Roarhaven. The USB is eventually accessed by Desmond and Melissa, leading to them realising the existence of magic.

Valkyrie tells Skulduggery to come over, and he slowly explains the existence of magic to Desmond and Melissa. When he reveals his bony hand, they recoil in shock, and Melissa screams.

Alice is stolen by Dai Maybury and brought to Dexter Vex, both of whom have been possessed by Remnants. Valkyrie wants to chase after Dai alone, but Desmond and Melissa refuse to let her, and accompany her. They drive to a Remnant-infested neighborhood where Alice is being held.

Midnight[]

Desmond and Melissa have Skulduggery and Valkyrie over for dinner. During the meal, Desmond asks about magical everyday items, and whether sorcerers have magic toilets, where the pee disappears before it hits a the bowl. Skulduggery says no, which disappoints him.

Personality[]

Desmond is a very overprotective father. He happens to also be a scatterbrain, like when he lost an entire shopping centre, and forgot putting on shoes before going out. He also forgot to wear pants to his second daughter's Christening. Sometimes he also has a very childish sense.

At the same time, he can also be quite charming, as said by his wife. In Bedlam, he jokes to Valkyrie that when you are in love, you are willing to overlook certain flaws of other people, such as cannabalism and being too pretty. He then says that Valkyrie's mother possesses one of those flaws, and he'll leave it to Valkyrie to guess which one.

Trivia[]

  • He's responsible for his daughter's fear of penguins and zoos.

Appearances[]

Skulduggerypleasant(book)
Playingwithfire
Facelessones
Darkdays
MortalCoil
Death Bringer
Kingdom of the Wicked Front Cover
Last Stand of Dead Men Cover
The Dying of the Light Cover
ResurrectionMentioned
Midnight Cover
Bedlamcover
Skul-13-final-cover
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