# Harry Wethermill — At the Villa Rose character guide > Harry Wethermill in At the Villa Rose by A. E. W. Mason. **Role:** major **Also known as:** Wethermill, M. Wethermill, Mr. Wethermill **First appearance:** 0000-i-summer-lightning ## Snapshot A young Englishman who loved Celia Harland across the baccarat tables of Aix, now the anxious friend whose composure hides more than grief. ## Who they are 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. ## Relationships ### [Hélène Vauquier](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/at_the_villa_rose_se/characters/helene_vauquier) _psychological_ Harry is romantically entangled with Hélène, who manipulates his affections to aid her criminal schemes. ### [Mr. Ricardo](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/at_the_villa_rose_se/characters/mr_ricardo) _social_ Harry and Ricardo are acquaintances in Aix, with Ricardo initially viewing Harry as a respectable young man. ### [Celia Harland](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/at_the_villa_rose_se/characters/celia_harland) _romantic_ Celia is infatuated with Harry, but he only uses her affection to further his and Hélène's plot. ### [Mme. Dauvray](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/at_the_villa_rose_se/characters/mme_dauvray) _social_ Harry is a casual acquaintance of Mme. Dauvray, visiting her villa socially while secretly planning her murder. ### [Hélène Vauquier](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/at_the_villa_rose_se/characters/helene_vauquier) _psychological_ Harry is romantically entangled with Hélène, who manipulates his affections to aid her criminal schemes. ### [Mr. Ricardo](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/at_the_villa_rose_se/characters/mr_ricardo) _social_ Harry and Ricardo are acquaintances in Aix, with Ricardo initially viewing Harry as a respectable young man. ### [Celia Harland](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/at_the_villa_rose_se/characters/celia_harland) _romantic_ Celia is infatuated with Harry, but he only uses her affection to further his and Hélène's plot. ### [Hélène Vauquier](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/at_the_villa_rose_se/characters/helene_vauquier) _psychological_ Harry is romantically entangled with Hélène, who manipulates his affections to aid her criminal schemes. ### [Celia Harland](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/at_the_villa_rose_se/characters/celia_harland) _romantic_ Celia is infatuated with Harry, but he only uses her affection to further his and Hélène's plot. ### [Mme. Dauvray](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/at_the_villa_rose_se/characters/mme_dauvray) _social_ Harry is a casual acquaintance of Mme. Dauvray, visiting her villa socially while secretly planning her murder. ### [Mr. Ricardo](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/at_the_villa_rose_se/characters/mr_ricardo) _social_ Harry and Ricardo are acquaintances in Aix, with Ricardo initially viewing Harry as a respectable young man. ### [Mme. Dauvray](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/at_the_villa_rose_se/characters/mme_dauvray) _social_ Harry is a casual acquaintance of Mme. Dauvray, visiting her villa socially while secretly planning her murder. ## In the story ### [I: Summer Lightning](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/at_the_villa_rose_se/chapters/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](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/at_the_villa_rose_se/chapters/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](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/at_the_villa_rose_se/chapters/iii-perrichet-s-story) Present during Perrichet's narration and accompanies the group to the villa. ### [IV: At the Villa](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/at_the_villa_rose_se/chapters/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](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/at_the_villa_rose_se/chapters/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](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/at_the_villa_rose_se/chapters/vi-h-l-ne-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](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/at_the_villa_rose_se/chapters/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](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/at_the_villa_rose_se/chapters/viii-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](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/at_the_villa_rose_se/chapters/ix-mme-dauvray-s-motorcar) Distraught and suffering; agrees to rest at Hanaud's suggestion. ### [X: News from Geneva](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/at_the_villa_rose_se/chapters/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](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/at_the_villa_rose_se/chapters/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](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/at_the_villa_rose_se/chapters/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](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/at_the_villa_rose_se/chapters/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](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/at_the_villa_rose_se/chapters/xvii-the-afternoon-of-tuesday) Referenced in Celia's thoughts as the one from whom she must herself reveal her past. ### [The Séance](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/at_the_villa_rose_se/chapters/xviii-the-s-ance) Enters silently through the glass doors; revealed as an associate of the conspirators. ### [XIX: Hélène Explains](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/at_the_villa_rose_se/chapters/xix-h-l-ne-explains) The murderer, who strangles Mme. Dauvray during the séance and later becomes hysterical when the safe is found empty. ### [XX: The Geneva Road](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/at_the_villa_rose_se/chapters/xx-the-geneva-road) Drives the motorcar, assists in transferring Celia to the landau, and is implicated in the kidnapping. ### [XXI: Hanaud Explains](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/at_the_villa_rose_se/chapters/xxi-hanaud-explains) Revealed as the mastermind; his financial troubles and audacity are discussed. ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/at_the_villa_rose_se/characters/harry_wethermill - Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/at_the_villa_rose_se - All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/at_the_villa_rose_se/characters