At the Villa Rose · Character

Harry Wethermill

A young Englishman who loved Celia Harland across the baccarat tables of Aix, now the anxious friend whose composure hides more than grief.

major

Also known as Wethermill, M. Wethermill, Mr. Wethermill

First appearance: I: Summer Lightning

As a major figure in At the Villa Rose, Harry Wethermill is not background color—the story leans on what they do once the chapter opens.

A young Englishman of scientific genius and fortune, seen holding the bank at baccarat.

In the storyI: Summer LightningOpen this moment free

See Harry Wethermill in I: Summer Lightning Book page

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Wethermill moves through the Villa des Fleurs with easy chatter and a lover's tenderness for Celia, yet his calm the night before the murder unsettles Ricardo. He presses Hanaud with the urgency of a man defending someone he cares for, but his early departure from the hotel leaves a window of time he cannot fully account for. His devotion to Celia and his ambiguous movements make him both the story's most sympathetic advocate and its most troubling question.

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The fuller portrait of Harry Wethermill sits in Reading Lens — open the free preview to keep reading with notes on the page.

See Harry Wethermill in I: Summer Lightning

Character Web

11 connections

A slice of how Harry Wethermill sits in the book — open the reader for the full interactive map.

Relationship types

Psychological
Social
Other

Character groups

Close associates and local officials
Séance circle and suspects
Protagonist

+6 more in the full Character Web

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Narrative arc

Story tension across the book — this chapter sits in Exposition.

Setup
Escalation
Breaking point
Aftermath
Closing

This is the story's dramatic climax because it marks the psychological peak of Harry Wethermill's duplicity: h…

Full beat labels and climax notes unlock in the reader.

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Relationships

Hélène Vauquier
psychological · negative
Harry is romantically entangled with Hélène, who manipulates his affections to aid her… How this plays out →
Mr. Ricardo
social · positive
Celia Harland
romantic · negative
Mme. Dauvray
social · negative
Hélène Vauquier
psychological · negative
Harry is romantically entangled with Hélène, who manipulates his affections to aid her… How this plays out →
Mr. Ricardo
social · positive
Celia Harland
romantic · negative
Hélène Vauquier
psychological · negative
Harry is romantically entangled with Hélène, who manipulates his affections to aid her… How this plays out →
Celia Harland
romantic · negative
Mme. Dauvray
social · negative
Mr. Ricardo
social · positive
Mme. Dauvray
social · negative

Hélène Vauquier
Harry is romantically entangled with Hélène, who manipulates his affections to aid her criminal schemes.
Mr. Ricardo
Harry and Ricardo are acquaintances in Aix, with Ricardo initially viewing Harry as a respectable young man.
Celia Harland
Celia is infatuated with Harry, but he only uses her affection to further his and Hélène's plot.
Mme. Dauvray
Harry is a casual acquaintance of Mme. Dauvray, visiting her villa socially while secretly planning her murder.
Hélène Vauquier
Harry is romantically entangled with Hélène, who manipulates his affections to aid her criminal schemes.
Mr. Ricardo
Harry and Ricardo are acquaintances in Aix, with Ricardo initially viewing Harry as a respectable young man.
Celia Harland
Celia is infatuated with Harry, but he only uses her affection to further his and Hélène's plot.
Hélène Vauquier
Harry is romantically entangled with Hélène, who manipulates his affections to aid her criminal schemes.
Celia Harland
Celia is infatuated with Harry, but he only uses her affection to further his and Hélène's plot.
Mme. Dauvray
Harry is a casual acquaintance of Mme. Dauvray, visiting her villa socially while secretly planning her murder.
Mr. Ricardo
Harry and Ricardo are acquaintances in Aix, with Ricardo initially viewing Harry as a respectable young man.
Mme. Dauvray
Harry is a casual acquaintance of Mme. Dauvray, visiting her villa socially while secretly planning her murder.

Relationship notes

How these ties play out is in the reading companion — open the free preview.

See Harry Wethermill in I: Summer Lightning

In the story

Harry Wethermill appears across 18 companion beats. Open any chapter in the free preview to see the notes beside the text.

I: Summer Lightning
A young Englishman of scientific genius and fortune, seen holding the bank at baccarat. He refuses to play against Celia's stake and later speaks with her, arranging to meet 'the night after.'
II: A Cry for Help
Desperately seeks Ricardo's help to engage Hanaud, believing Celia is innocent despite the newspaper's accusations.
III: Perrichet's Story
Present during Perrichet's narration and accompanies the group to the villa.
IV: At the Villa
Present at the villa, questioned about Celia Harland's height; maintains faith in her innocence despite mounting evidence.
V: In the Salon
Stands sullenly by as Celia's room is searched, identifies the eardrop case, and hesitates to give an opinion on the handwriting.
VI: Hélène Vauquier’s Evidence
Listens silently to the testimony, showing visible distress when the theory of Célie's lover being the murderer is proposed.
VII: A Startling Discovery
Anxiously presses for action against Hélène Vauquier; later shows despair and shares a cryptic moment of fear with Hanaud.
The Captain of the Ship
Expresses anguish and impatience, insists Celia was to marry him, and urges active searching rather than theorizing.
IX: Mme. Dauvray's Motorcar
Distraught and suffering; agrees to rest at Hanaud's suggestion.
X: News from Geneva
Seen smoking a cigar, looking as if he hasn't slept; Hanaud decides not to raise his hopes prematurely.
XIV: Mr. Ricardo Is Bewildered
Becomes the prime suspect in Ricardo's mind; Hanaud's earlier actions are reinterpreted as deliberate efforts to isolate him.
XV: Celia's Story
Revealed to be in desperate financial straits despite appearing wealthy. He conspires with Hélène Vauquier, showing interest in Mme. Dauvray's jewels.
XVI: The First Move
Spends the evening with Celia, carefully watching Adèle's approach to Mme. Dauvray, and later reconciles with Celia after a quarrel.
XVII: The Afternoon of Tuesday
Referenced in Celia's thoughts as the one from whom she must herself reveal her past.
The Séance
Enters silently through the glass doors; revealed as an associate of the conspirators.
XIX: Hélène Explains
The murderer, who strangles Mme. Dauvray during the séance and later becomes hysterical when the safe is found empty.
XX: The Geneva Road
Drives the motorcar, assists in transferring Celia to the landau, and is implicated in the kidnapping.
XXI: Hanaud Explains
Revealed as the mastermind; his financial troubles and audacity are discussed.

Chapter companion notes

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See Harry Wethermill in I: Summer Lightning