# James Conyers — Aurora Floyd character guide > James Conyers in Aurora Floyd by M. E. Braddon. **Role:** major **Also known as:** Conyers, Mr. Conyers, Mr. James Conyers, Jim Conyers **First appearance:** 0015-xvi-mr-james-conyers ## Snapshot A handsome, unscrupulous horse-trainer whose shadowy connection to Aurora's missing year makes him the most dangerous man in Yorkshire. ## Who they are Conyers arrives trailing the smell of the stable and the racetrack, a man whose good looks and easy insolence make him useful to gentlemen and fatal to their secrets. He knows something about Aurora Floyd's vanished year, and he knows how to make that knowledge pay — in money, in position, in access to Mellish Park. He is the buried mine beneath the marriage plot: every kindness John Mellish extends, every confidence Aurora keeps, is measured against what Conyers can demand. ## Relationships ### [Aurora Floyd](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/aurora_floyd_se/characters/aurora_floyd) _romantic_ Aurora was secretly married to James Conyers, a groom, in a disastrous youthful marriage that she later regrets. ### [Stephen Hargraves](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/aurora_floyd_se/characters/stephen_hargraves) _rivalry_ James Conyers and Stephen Hargraves are antagonists who compete and conspire against each other over Aurora's secrets. ### [Aurora Floyd](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/aurora_floyd_se/characters/aurora_floyd) _romantic_ Aurora was secretly married to James Conyers, a groom, in a disastrous youthful marriage that she later regrets. ### [Aurora Floyd](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/aurora_floyd_se/characters/aurora_floyd) _romantic_ Aurora was secretly married to James Conyers, a groom, in a disastrous youthful marriage that she later regrets. ### [Stephen Hargraves](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/aurora_floyd_se/characters/stephen_hargraves) _rivalry_ James Conyers and Stephen Hargraves are antagonists who compete and conspire against each other over Aurora's secrets. ### [Stephen Hargraves](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/aurora_floyd_se/characters/stephen_hargraves) _rivalry_ James Conyers and Stephen Hargraves are antagonists who compete and conspire against each other over Aurora's secrets. ## In the story ### [Mr. James Conyers](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/aurora_floyd_se/chapters/xvi-mr-james-conyers) The new trainer, formerly a groom at Felden Woods; his arrival triggers Aurora's crisis and John's torment. ### [The Trainer's Messenger](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/aurora_floyd_se/chapters/xvii-the-trainer-s-messenger) The trainer makes himself at home at Mellish Park, using his charm to manipulate others. He sends a secret letter to Aurora via Stephen Hargraves. ### [Out in the Rain](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/aurora_floyd_se/chapters/xviii-out-in-the-rain) Smokes his pipe at the lodge while meeting Aurora. ### [He Only Said, I Am A-Weary.](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/aurora_floyd_se/chapters/xxi-he-only-said-i-am-a-weary) Lolls idly at the north lodge, drinking brandy-and-water and smoking all day; grows restless and peevish, treating Steeve with contempt; returns drunk after midnight. ### [Still Constant](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/aurora_floyd_se/chapters/xxii-still-constant) Ill in bed at the north lodge, but rises to discuss stable business with John Mellish; receives a letter from Aurora. ### [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) Implied to be the lame man arguing with Aurora in the woods, as Prodder notes his 'game leg' and the secretive nature of the meeting. ### [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) The trainer who has been killed; his death is the central event of the chapter. ### [At the Golden Lion](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/aurora_floyd_se/chapters/xxvi-at-the-golden-lion) The deceased; his corpse is described as beautiful in death, with a marble face. John looks upon him and feels pity. ### [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) Deceased; his concealed marriage certificate is discovered and becomes the central piece of evidence. ### [XXVIII: Aurora’s Flight](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/aurora_floyd_se/chapters/xxviii-aurora-s-flight) Mentioned as the murdered man whose marriage certificate to Aurora has been discovered, sewn into his waistcoat. ### [John Mellish Finds His Home Desolate](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/aurora_floyd_se/chapters/xxix-john-mellish-finds-his-home-desolate) Mentioned as the villain who married Aurora when she was a schoolgirl; now dead. ### [Captain Prodder Goes Back to Doncaster](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/aurora_floyd_se/chapters/xxxiii-captain-prodder-goes-back-to-doncaster) The murdered man; discussed by Harrison and the landlord. Harrison recounts a woman who despised Conyers, and Hargraves possesses a note from Aurora to Conyers. ### [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) The murdered trainer; his body still lies in the north lodge awaiting burial; the discovery of the pistol is linked to his death. ### [Reunion](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/aurora_floyd_se/chapters/xxxvi-reunion) Referenced as the murdered man; Aurora describes his insolence and their final meeting. ### [Off the Scent](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/aurora_floyd_se/chapters/xxxviii-off-the-scent) The murdered trainer; his bloodstained shooting-coat is found among Hargraves' possessions. ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/aurora_floyd_se/characters/james_conyers - Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/aurora_floyd_se - All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/aurora_floyd_se/characters