At the Villa Rose · Character

Mme. Dauvray

A wealthy, childlike widow whose careless kindness plucked a starving dancer from Montmartre and whose séances drew a murderer to the Villa Rose.

supporting

Also known as Dauvray, Madame Dauvray, Camille Dauvray

First appearance: II: A Cry for Help

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

The older woman accompanying Celia; she is described as 'raddled' and brisk.

In the storyI: Summer LightningOpen this moment free

See Mme. Dauvray in I: Summer Lightning Book page

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Mme. Dauvray was a woman of common tastes and open purse, always being deceived and never learning prudence, who brought Celia Harland home from the Abbaye Restaurant and dressed her in silks within a week. She doted on spiritualist séances and on the girl who displaced her loyal maid, blind to the resentments gathering around her. Her murder is the crime that sets every other character in motion, and her credulity is the soil in which the plot was planted.

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

See Mme. Dauvray in II: A Cry for Help

Character Web

14 connections

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

Relationship types

Professional
Friendship
Other

Character groups

Séance circle and suspects
Protagonist

+9 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
professional · negative
Hélène serves as Mme. How this plays out →
Celia Harland
friendship · positive
Adèle Rossignol
professional · negative
Harry Wethermill
social · negative
Hélène Vauquier
professional · negative
Hélène serves as Mme. How this plays out →
Celia Harland
friendship · positive
Hélène Vauquier
professional · negative
Hélène serves as Mme. How this plays out →
Celia Harland
friendship · positive
Adèle Rossignol
professional · negative
Harry Wethermill
social · negative
Adèle Rossignol
professional · negative
Harry Wethermill
social · negative

Hélène Vauquier
Hélène serves as Mme. Dauvray's maid, but secretly plots to rob and murder her employer.
Celia Harland
Celia acts as a devoted companion and medium to the wealthy Mme. Dauvray, who trusts her completely.
Adèle Rossignol
Adèle briefly works as a maid for Mme. Dauvray, using the position to gather information for the robbery.
Harry Wethermill
Harry is a casual acquaintance of Mme. Dauvray, visiting her villa socially while secretly planning her murder.
Hélène Vauquier
Hélène serves as Mme. Dauvray's maid, but secretly plots to rob and murder her employer.
Celia Harland
Celia acts as a devoted companion and medium to the wealthy Mme. Dauvray, who trusts her completely.
Hélène Vauquier
Hélène serves as Mme. Dauvray's maid, but secretly plots to rob and murder her employer.
Celia Harland
Celia acts as a devoted companion and medium to the wealthy Mme. Dauvray, who trusts her completely.
Adèle Rossignol
Adèle briefly works as a maid for Mme. Dauvray, using the position to gather information for the robbery.
Harry Wethermill
Harry is a casual acquaintance of Mme. Dauvray, visiting her villa socially while secretly planning her murder.
Adèle Rossignol
Adèle briefly works as a maid for Mme. Dauvray, using the position to gather information for the robbery.
Harry Wethermill
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 Mme. Dauvray in II: A Cry for Help

In the story

Mme. Dauvray appears across 10 companion beats. Open any chapter in the free preview to see the notes beside the text.

I: Summer Lightning
The older woman accompanying Celia; she is described as 'raddled' and brisk. She speaks for Celia about their plans for the next evening.
II: A Cry for Help
The victim, a wealthy widow known for her jewels and superstition, found strangled in her salon.
III: Perrichet's Story
Found dead in the salon, strangled with a cord, her face swollen and black.
VI: Hélène Vauquier’s Evidence
Portrayed as a superstitious woman obsessed with contacting Mme. de Montespan, easily deceived by Célie's schemes.
VII: A Startling Discovery
Her body is viewed in her ransacked bedroom; her hidden jewels are discovered beneath the floor.
XV: Celia's Story
Wealthy and superstitious, deeply affected by the séances. Her fortune in jewels is a target for Hélène and Wethermill.
XVI: The First Move
Excitedly arranges a séance with Adèle Rossignol to prove Celia's powers, revealing her deep infatuation with spiritualism.
XVII: The Afternoon of Tuesday
Anxious and irritable, she insists on the séance and agrees to Adèle's tests, hoping to convert the skeptic.
The Séance
Present at the séance, between Adèle and Hélène, unaware of the danger.
XIX: Hélène Explains
The victim, murdered during the fake séance; her body is stripped of jewelry.

Chapter companion notes

Spoil-light check-ins for Mme. Dauvray unlock in the free preview.

See Mme. Dauvray in II: A Cry for Help

See Mme. Dauvray in I: Summer Lightning