# Aurora Floyd — Aurora Floyd character guide > Aurora Floyd in Aurora Floyd by M. E. Braddon. **Role:** major **Also known as:** Aurora, Miss Floyd, Miss Aurora Floyd, Aurora Mellish, Mrs. John Mellish **First appearance:** 0000-i-how-a-rich-banker-married-an-actress ## Snapshot A dark-eyed, reckless banker's heiress whose beauty and fifty thousand pounds cannot quiet the whispers about the year she vanished from a Paris school. ## Who they are Aurora Floyd returns to Felden Woods glittering and ungovernable, riding harder and speaking plainer than the county expects of a rich man's daughter. She loves her father fiercely and her own will more, and when Talbot Bulstrode demands the truth about her past, she refuses to buy his ring with a confession. That silence is the hinge on which the whole book turns: every suitor, every servant, and every secret in Yorkshire will be measured against what she will not say. ## Relationships ### [Talbot Bulstrode](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/aurora_floyd_se/characters/talbot_bulstrode) _romantic_ Aurora and Talbot share a passionate but tumultuous romantic relationship, marked by intense attraction and conflict. ### [Lucy Floyd](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/aurora_floyd_se/characters/lucy_floyd) _family_ Aurora and Lucy are cousins, with Lucy often serving as a confidante and moral support for Aurora. ### [Stephen Hargraves](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/aurora_floyd_se/characters/stephen_hargraves) _psychological_ Stephen Hargraves is a manipulative figure from Aurora's past who holds a secret that threatens her reputation. ### [Archibald Floyd](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/aurora_floyd_se/characters/archibald_floyd) _family_ Archibald is Aurora's loving and protective father, deeply devoted to her well-being. ### [James Conyers](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/aurora_floyd_se/characters/james_conyers) _romantic_ Aurora was secretly married to James Conyers, a groom, in a disastrous youthful marriage that she later regrets. ### [Samuel Prodder](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/aurora_floyd_se/characters/samuel_prodder) _friendship_ Samuel Prodder is a loyal friend and former servant of Aurora, who helps protect her from threats. ### [John Mellish](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/aurora_floyd_se/characters/john_mellish) _romantic_ John Mellish is Aurora's second husband, a kind and devoted man who loves her despite her troubled history. ### [Joseph Grimstone](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/aurora_floyd_se/characters/joseph_grimstone) _professional_ Joseph Grimstone is a detective who investigates crimes connected to Aurora's past, often interacting with her as a suspect or witness. ### [John Pastern](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/aurora_floyd_se/characters/john_pastern) _social_ John Pastern is a minor acquaintance of Aurora, appearing in social contexts within the story. ### [Talbot Bulstrode](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/aurora_floyd_se/characters/talbot_bulstrode) _romantic_ Aurora and Talbot share a passionate but tumultuous romantic relationship, marked by intense attraction and conflict. ### [Talbot Bulstrode](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/aurora_floyd_se/characters/talbot_bulstrode) _romantic_ Aurora and Talbot share a passionate but tumultuous romantic relationship, marked by intense attraction and conflict. ### [Lucy Floyd](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/aurora_floyd_se/characters/lucy_floyd) _family_ Aurora and Lucy are cousins, with Lucy often serving as a confidante and moral support for Aurora. ## In the story ### [Aurora](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/aurora_floyd_se/chapters/ii-aurora) Introduced as a baby and described growing into a beautiful, impetuous, and 'fast' young woman; her love of horses and independence causes conflict with her father. ### [III: What Became of the Diamond Bracelet](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/aurora_floyd_se/chapters/iii-what-became-of-the-diamond-bracelet) The heiress, now nineteen, appears changed after her year in Paris—listless and nervous—but recovers her spirits by September. At her birthday ball, she wears a crown of scarlet berries and a diamond bracelet, and shocks Talbot Bulstrode by asking about the St. Leger winner. ### [After the Ball](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/aurora_floyd_se/chapters/iv-after-the-ball) Walks in the gardens with her father and Mr. Maldon; her beauty and manner captivate Talbot; she shows a watchful, anxious affection toward her father. ### [John Mellish](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/aurora_floyd_se/chapters/v-john-mellish) Aurora reluctantly accepts Mrs. Powell as her governess and companion, expressing her discontent to Lucy. She meets Talbot Bulstrode in Brighton and later encounters John Mellish. ### [Rejected and Accepted](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/aurora_floyd_se/chapters/vi-rejected-and-accepted) Rejects both Talbot Bulstrode and John Mellish's proposals. ### [Aurora's Strange Pensioner](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/aurora_floyd_se/chapters/vii-aurora-s-strange-pensioner) Shows defiant beauty and independence; secretly pays off Matthew Harrison to protect her father from scandal. ### [Poor John Mellish Comes Back Again](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/aurora_floyd_se/chapters/viii-poor-john-mellish-comes-back-again) Engaged to Talbot Bulstrode, she tries to comfort John Mellish but is embarrassed by his presence. She drives Talbot to Beckenham church and walks with him afterward. ### [How Talbot Bulstrode Spent His Christmas](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/aurora_floyd_se/chapters/ix-how-talbot-bulstrode-spent-his-christmas) Refuses to reveal the secret of her missing year, leading to the end of her engagement to Talbot. ### [Fighting the Battle](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/aurora_floyd_se/chapters/x-fighting-the-battle) Silently battles her grief over Talbot, refusing to speak of him, and suffers sleepless nights as she convalesces from her illness. ### [At the Château d’Arques](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/aurora_floyd_se/chapters/xi-at-the-ch-teau-d-arques) Reflects on her past love for Talbot Bulstrode and her grief; accepts John Mellish's devotion with a promise to try to love him. ### [XII: Steeve Hargraves, the “Softy”](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/aurora_floyd_se/chapters/xii-steeve-hargraves-the-softy) Now Mrs. Mellish, she is at peace after the storms of her past, but remains unaware of the deep hatred Mrs. Powell and Steeve Hargraves harbor against her. ### [The Spring Meeting](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/aurora_floyd_se/chapters/xiii-the-spring-meeting) Now the happy wife of John Mellish, she is deeply in love with her husband and absorbed in the racing world, particularly the bay filly named after her. ### [Love Took Up the Glass of Time, and Turned It in His Glowing Hands](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/aurora_floyd_se/chapters/xiv-love-took-up-the-glass-of-time-and-turned-it-in-his-glowing-hands) Now Mrs. Mellish, happy and loved by all; plots to marry Talbot to Lucy. ### [Mr. Pastern's Letter](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/aurora_floyd_se/chapters/xv-mr-pastern-s-letter) Now Mrs. Mellish, she is happy and generous, visiting the poor and enjoying her life, but is shattered upon hearing the name James Conyers. ### [Mr. James Conyers](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/aurora_floyd_se/chapters/xvi-mr-james-conyers) Suffers a severe hysterical attack upon hearing Conyers' name; remains secretive and insists the trainer come to Mellish Park. ### [The Trainer's Messenger](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/aurora_floyd_se/chapters/xvii-the-trainer-s-messenger) Returns to Mellish Park with John, appearing pale and careworn but maintaining her composure. She shows no fear when passing Conyers. ### [Out in the Rain](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/aurora_floyd_se/chapters/xviii-out-in-the-rain) Tests John's loyalty, then secretly visits James Conyers at the lodge. ### [Money Matters](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/aurora_floyd_se/chapters/xix-money-matters) Visits her father to request money for a secret purpose; displays defiance and deep emotional turmoil. ### [Captain Prodder](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/aurora_floyd_se/chapters/xx-captain-prodder) Mentioned as the niece Captain Prodder seeks; she has recently married John Mellish and left Felden Woods. ### [He Only Said, I Am A-Weary.](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/aurora_floyd_se/chapters/xxi-he-only-said-i-am-a-weary) Returns to Mellish Park with John in the carriage after a short visit to London; Steeve suspects she went to fetch money. ### [Still Constant](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/aurora_floyd_se/chapters/xxii-still-constant) Writes a letter to James Conyers, delivered by Stephen Hargraves; later found by Mrs. Powell in the gun-room, claiming she is looking for John. ### [On the Threshold of Darker Miseries](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/aurora_floyd_se/chapters/xxiii-on-the-threshold-of-darker-miseries) Awakens from a heavy sleep, promises to send Conyers away, and later dresses elaborately for dinner. After dinner, she secretly leaves the drawing room and walks toward the wood. ### [Captain Prodder Carries Bad News to His Niece's House](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/aurora_floyd_se/chapters/xxiv-captain-prodder-carries-bad-news-to-his-niece-s-house) Not directly seen in the chapter, but is the subject of Prodder's visit; she is overheard quarrelling with a lame man in the woods after dark, and her absence from the house worries John. ### [The Deed That Had Been Done in the Wood](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/aurora_floyd_se/chapters/xxv-the-deed-that-had-been-done-in-the-wood) Returns from the wood with a flushed, defiant demeanor; learns of the shooting and insists she will testify if called. ### [At the Golden Lion](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/aurora_floyd_se/chapters/xxvi-at-the-golden-lion) Lies in a dull stupor on her sofa, unable to lift her head, visited by John who promises to take her to the south of France. ### [XXVII: “My Wife! My Wife! What Wife? I Have No Wife.”](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/aurora_floyd_se/chapters/xxvii-my-wife-my-wife-what-wife-i-have-no-wife) Named in the marriage certificate as having married James Conyers in 1856, before her marriage to John. ### [XXVIII: Aurora’s Flight](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/aurora_floyd_se/chapters/xxviii-aurora-s-flight) Sits alone in John's room, tormented by anxiety and guilt; writes a farewell letter and flees after learning the marriage certificate has been discovered. ### [John Mellish Finds His Home Desolate](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/aurora_floyd_se/chapters/xxix-john-mellish-finds-his-home-desolate) Absent from home; John searches for her after the inquest. ### [An Unexpected Visitor](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/aurora_floyd_se/chapters/xxx-an-unexpected-visitor) Flees Mellish Park in despair, tormented by the thought of John's pain, and travels alone to London to seek Talbot's counsel. ### [Talbot Bulstrode's Advice](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/aurora_floyd_se/chapters/xxxi-talbot-bulstrode-s-advice) Rises early, tormented by guilt and uncertainty, she submits to Talbot's judgment about her future with John. ### [On the Watch](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/aurora_floyd_se/chapters/xxxii-on-the-watch) Confesses to her father about her earlier deception and the murder of James Conyers; sleeps exhausted while John watches over her. ### [Captain Prodder Goes Back to Doncaster](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/aurora_floyd_se/chapters/xxxiii-captain-prodder-goes-back-to-doncaster) Referenced indirectly through Prodder's memories and Harrison's description of a woman with flashing black eyes who hated Conyers, mirroring Aurora's own passionate fury. ### [XXXIV: The Discovery of the Weapon with Which James Conyers Had Been Slain](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/aurora_floyd_se/chapters/xxxiv-the-discovery-of-the-weapon-with-which-james-conyers-had-been-slain) Returns to Mellish Park feeling oppressed by the memory of the murder; fears her secret will be revealed; breaks down in hysterical sobs. ### [Under a Cloud](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/aurora_floyd_se/chapters/xxxv-under-a-cloud) Appears pale and changed, with dark circles under her eyes; her manner is constrained and she claims a headache. ### [Reunion](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/aurora_floyd_se/chapters/xxxvi-reunion) Overjoyed by John's renewed affection, then shocked to learn she is suspected of murder; reveals she gave Conyers £2,000 in notes. ### [Talbot Bulstrode Makes Atonement for the Past](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/aurora_floyd_se/chapters/xxxix-talbot-bulstrode-makes-atonement-for-the-past) Sits with Lucy and her father in the morning-room, trying to appear calm while waiting anxiously for the murderer to be found. ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/aurora_floyd_se/characters/aurora_floyd - Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/aurora_floyd_se - All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/aurora_floyd_se/characters