Character Analysis
Estella
Estella, a.k.a. "the old b****," has the coolest-sounding job that anyone could ask for—Ambassador to Hell. But it's a job with some serious downsides. Estella has to barter with the demon Vasudev for souls, and sometimes that means doing unsavory things like delivering mean curses:
She couldn't say no, as well he knew. She would have nightmares over this curse for the rest of her life, and Vasudev knew that too, and that was his favorite thing about it. After a long, miserable silence, Estella nodded. (2.1.29)
Even so, Estella is trying to do the very best she can for all of the kind souls out there. She wants to save them, and is even afraid to die (though she's ready for it) without anyone to replace her. Someone has to keep that evil demon in check, after all, and Estella's not one to just ditch her responsibility.
It's only when Anamique agrees to be her replacement that Estella selflessly gives up her own life in exchange for all the souls that were killed by the curse she put on Anamique. Estella takes responsibility for the curse and apologizes to Anamique instead of taking the coward's way out and blaming Vasudev (who is probably more to blame in this instance since he basically made her put the curse on Anamique). And then she goes fearlessly into the Fire of Hell without a second thought. What a brave lady.
Vasudev
The demon Vasudev is a wily character. He's always trying to find ways to inflict the most damage on human lives, and his idea for the curse is one he puts a lot of stock in. This is why he gets so upset when Anamique doesn't speak for many years—he's annoyed that his skills at wreaking havoc have been squandered:
When Vasudev spied on her in the garden, he saw a deep sadness in her, a dreamy wistfulness, but he never saw her test the curse, not even on a beetle or an ant. It was inhuman. The girl wasn't normal!
That one unfulfilled curse was the single blemish on Vasudev's joy when he guessed that the old b**** was dying. (2.3.6-7)
Vasudev's understandably thrilled when the curse does end up coming true. Unfortunately for him, though, it turns out that Vasudev is not as smart as he thinks he is. Estella and Anamique end up thwarting him, and in the end he's stuck with Anamique as Ambassador to Hell. Why's that a problem? As it turns out, even a demon can't resist the charms of the voice that he cursed her with. How's that for just desserts?
Anamique
The baby that Estella curses at the beginning of this story grows up to be a beautiful young lady named Anamique. Because of her curse and the fact that she refuses to speak aloud, though, Anamique has a different kind of upbringing than her other siblings. She's more in tune with India—and with herself:
Because of her silence, Anamique had not been sent to school in England like her sisters and all the other British children, but had spent her whole life in India, and most of that with the servants. There was more of India in her than of that far green isle she had rarely seen. (2.5.11)
Anamique still longs to be known and understood by other people despite her silence, however, so when she meets and falls in love with James, she also falls in love with the idea that he's the only person who isn't scared of her. He sees her as a beautiful woman and not just as a cursed little girl. This is why she gets so upset when he shows some fear right before she's about to speak:
She knew why. She looked up at him and spots of color flamed in her cheeks. He was afraid of her. After all of his cajoling and his scoffing at Providence, making her believe she could have a normal life, making her dream and hope, after all that, he was afraid of the curse! (2.9.20)
This sense of betrayal—her belief that James doesn't see her as a person separate from the curse, as she's thought up until now—is what makes her open her mouth and sing. At which point she finds out once and for all that the curse is real. Bummer.
Anamique isn't the kind of girl who gives up easily, though, so she descends into Hell to save her loved ones. She also has a lot of compassion for others—after all, this is the girl who didn't speak for eighteen years because she was afraid of even killing a bug:
When Vasudev spied on her in the garden, he saw a deep sadness in her, a dreamy wistfulness, but he never saw her test the curse, not even on a beetle or an ant. (2.3.5)
And once Anamique knows that the curse is real, she uses her grit and self-discipline to never make a noise again—not even to say, "I love you" to her husband or to cry out during childbirth. Now that's dedication. She also descends into Hell to save all her loved ones, showing that she's a lot tougher than anyone reckoned. Don't judge this girl by her silence.
James Dorsey
James Dorsey is a man in love. And because he's so deeply in love with Anamique, he becomes fearless, which doesn't always lead to the best outcome. For one, he constantly tries to convince Anamique that she should speak despite her fears of the curse:
He urged her to sing for him, to tell him that she loved him. "How can I ever believe it," he asked, his brown eyes pleading, "unless you tell me so yourself?" (2.6.8)
After he dies from the curse, though, (and then comes back to life thanks to Estella's sacrifice) James must admit that he isn't right about everything—and that sometimes it's better to err on the side of caution. Because of that, he totally doesn't mind that Anamique never speaks to him again.