# Captain Sefton Culvers — A Bride of a Summer’s Day character guide > Captain Sefton Culvers in A Bride of a Summer’s Day by Catherine Louisa Pirkis. **Role:** major **Also known as:** Sefton, Captain Culvers, Sefton Culvers **First appearance:** 0000-i ## Snapshot A handsome, languid cavalry captain and next heir to the title, Sefton marries Ida for her fortune and reacts to her disappearance with suspicious composure. ## Who they are Sefton enters the story as the charming cousin everyone expected Ida to adore, but his white, crestfallen face after the wedding-day fiasco betrays something other than heartbreak. He agrees too readily to Lord Culvers's scheme of hiding in Paris to keep up appearances, and Juliet watches him with narrowed, disbelieving eyes. His creditors, his interest in the advertisements, and the mysterious ring with the rose device all point to a man whose motives are far darker than his polished manners suggest, making him the novel's most unsettling presence. ## In the story ### [I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_bride_of_a_summer_s_day_se/chapters/i) The groom, described as charming and handsome, but Clive suspects something questionable about his past. ### [II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_bride_of_a_summer_s_day_se/chapters/ii) Waits for Ida at the churchyard, grows impatient, and later arrives at Glynde Lodge. ### [III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_bride_of_a_summer_s_day_se/chapters/iii) Returns alone, tells the story of Ida's disappearance, shows unusual calmness, and decides to do nothing about finding her. ### [IV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_bride_of_a_summer_s_day_se/chapters/iv) Ida's new husband, viewed negatively by Juliet and Clive. ### [V](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_bride_of_a_summer_s_day_se/chapters/v) Writes a letter from Paris questioning the advertisement for Ida's brooch and suggesting Juliet knows more than she reveals. He is in Paris, avoiding society. ### [IX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_bride_of_a_summer_s_day_se/chapters/ix) Rumored to have gone to Paris alone; Juliet jokes he has been sent to prison for marrying Ida. ### [XI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_bride_of_a_summer_s_day_se/chapters/xi) Revealed to be residing at 15, Rue Vervien, and attempting to raise money on Ida's fortune; suspected by Clive of foul play. ### [XII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_bride_of_a_summer_s_day_se/chapters/xii) Mentioned by passersby as being involved in baccarat and brandy, and his lodging is the focus of Clive's surveillance. ### [XIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_bride_of_a_summer_s_day_se/chapters/xiii) Refuses to accompany Lord Culvers to identify the brooch, claims it as his property, and behaves in an excited and possibly intoxicated manner. ### [XIV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_bride_of_a_summer_s_day_se/chapters/xiv) Subject of the Prefect's questioning; his past and present are scrutinized, and his reaction to the advertisement is noted. ### [XVI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_bride_of_a_summer_s_day_se/chapters/xvi) Implicated by Skinner as the one who gave the brooch to Marie Schira, claiming he found it on a carriage floor; his debts and actions threaten the family's honor. ### [XVII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_bride_of_a_summer_s_day_se/chapters/xvii) Arrives in a state of agitation with Ida's letter, reveals the location of Alta Lauria, and hints at hidden reasons for his distress. ### [XVIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_bride_of_a_summer_s_day_se/chapters/xviii) Confesses his past in Calabria, including his engagement to Violante and subsequent flight, and expresses his belief that Ida's disappearance is connected to that episode. ### [XIX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_bride_of_a_summer_s_day_se/chapters/xix) His past actions in Calabria are exposed, revealing his deceitful nature. ### [XX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_bride_of_a_summer_s_day_se/chapters/xx) Ida writes to him to come to Alta Lauria, and Francesca sends the letter sealed with Violante's ring. ### [XXI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_bride_of_a_summer_s_day_se/chapters/xxi) Gloomy and abstracted during the journey, speaking of vendettas and the danger Ida faces, suggesting her letter may have been written under compulsion. ### [XXII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_bride_of_a_summer_s_day_se/chapters/xxii) Shows grief at Violante's death, reflects on his mother, and appears changed from his usual demeanor. ### [XXIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_bride_of_a_summer_s_day_se/chapters/xxiii) Shows fatalistic resolve, disarms Clive, and is killed in the ambush. ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_bride_of_a_summer_s_day_se/characters/sefton_culvers - Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_bride_of_a_summer_s_day_se - All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_bride_of_a_summer_s_day_se/characters