# Lord Peter Wimsey — Clouds of Witness character guide > Lord Peter Wimsey in Clouds of Witness by Dorothy L. Sayers. **Role:** major **Also known as:** Othello Lord Peter Wimsey, Peter, Stapley, Wimsey, Peter Wimsey, Presently Lord Peter **First appearance:** 0002-clouds-of-witness ## Snapshot Second son of the Duke of Denver, a decorated ex-officer who collects incunabula and solves murders with the same whimsical, relentless appetite. ## Who they are Peter Death Bredon Wimsey has just returned from a Corsican holiday, all scented baths and vendettas, when the call of the blood summons him home to a family catastrophe: his brother stands accused of murdering his sister's fiancé. He is a man of contradictions — flippant, self-deprecating, and genuinely brilliant — whose amateur sleuthing is both a game and a duty. His peculiar position as a peer's brother investigating a peer's crime makes him the only person who can move between Scotland Yard and Bredon Hall. ## Relationships ### [Lady Mary Wimsey](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/clouds_of_witness_se/characters/lady_mary_wimsey) _family_ Siblings with a close, protective bond, with Peter often looking out for Mary during the murder crisis. ### [Bunter](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/clouds_of_witness_se/characters/bunter) _professional_ Master-servant relationship with deep loyalty and mutual respect, Bunter acting as valet and investigative assistant. ### [Mrs. Grimethorpe](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/clouds_of_witness_se/characters/mrs_grimethorpe) _professional_ Interrogator and witness, with Peter investigating her connection to the murder and her troubled marriage. ### [Mr. Goyles](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/clouds_of_witness_se/characters/mr_goyles) _rivalry_ Antagonistic relationship as Goyles is a suspect and socialist agitator, clashing with Peter's aristocratic perspective. ### [Sir Impey Biggs](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/clouds_of_witness_se/characters/sir_impey_biggs) _professional_ Defense attorney and client, with Biggs providing legal counsel for Peter's brother Gerald. ### [Gerald Wimsey](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/clouds_of_witness_se/characters/gerald_wimsey) _family_ Brothers with a strained but ultimately loyal bond, as Peter works to clear Gerald of murder charges. ### [Ellen](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/clouds_of_witness_se/characters/ellen) _professional_ Servant and investigator, with Ellen as a maid providing key testimony to Peter. ### [Captain Denis Cathcart](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/clouds_of_witness_se/characters/captain_denis_cathcart) _social_ Brother-in-law and suspect, with Peter investigating Cathcart's death and his connection to the family. ### [Dowager Duchess of Denver](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/clouds_of_witness_se/characters/dowager_duchess_of_denver) _family_ Mother and son, with a warm, supportive relationship as she aids Peter's investigation. ### [Lady Mary Wimsey](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/clouds_of_witness_se/characters/lady_mary_wimsey) _family_ Siblings with a close, protective bond, with Peter often looking out for Mary during the murder crisis. ### [Gerald Wimsey](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/clouds_of_witness_se/characters/gerald_wimsey) _family_ Brothers with a strained but ultimately loyal bond, as Peter works to clear Gerald of murder charges. ### [Mrs. Grimethorpe](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/clouds_of_witness_se/characters/mrs_grimethorpe) _professional_ Interrogator and witness, with Peter investigating her connection to the murder and her troubled marriage. ## In the story ### [Clouds of Witness](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/clouds_of_witness_se/chapters/clouds-of-witness) The amateur detective who takes on the case to clear his brother's name. ### [Prologue](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/clouds_of_witness_se/chapters/prologue) Introduced via a biographical sketch; second son of the 15th Duke of Denver, educated at Eton and Balliol, served as a Major in the Rifle Brigade, and known for his interests in criminology, book collecting, music, and cricket. ### [I: Of His Malice Aforethought](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/clouds_of_witness_se/chapters/i-of-his-malice-aforethought) Awakens at the Hôtel Meurice in Paris after a holiday in Corsica; learns of his brother's arrest and prepares to return to England. ### [II: The Green-Eyed Cat](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/clouds_of_witness_se/chapters/ii-the-green-eyed-cat) Arrives at Riddlesdale Lodge after the churchgoers depart; discusses the case with Parker and learns from Freddy Arbuthnot about Cathcart's cheerful mood the night before. ### [III: Mudstains and Bloodstains](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/clouds_of_witness_se/chapters/iii-mudstains-and-bloodstains) Leads the search for footprints, finds the diamond cat and a torn Burberry fragment; later briefs Sir Impey Biggs on his findings. ### [IV: —And His Daughter Much-Afraid](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/clouds_of_witness_se/chapters/iv-and-his-daughter-much-afraid) Awake and fretful, he reads Parker's letter, chats with Bunter, investigates a chest, encounters Lady Mary, and later visits Grider's Hole. ### [V: The Rue St. Honoré and the Rue de la Paix](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/clouds_of_witness_se/chapters/v-the-rue-st-honor-and-the-rue-de-la-paix) Corresponds with Parker, sends photographs, reports on a 'damn queer little adventure,' and is working to clear his brother while dealing with Lady Mary's condition. ### [VI: Mary Quite Contrary](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/clouds_of_witness_se/chapters/vi-mary-quite-contrary) Returns to his flat and discusses the case with Parker, analyzing Lady Mary's behavior and receiving a telegram about a traced suspect. ### [The Club and the Bullet](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/clouds_of_witness_se/chapters/vii-the-club-and-the-bullet) Visits Scotland Yard to confer with Sir Andrew Mackenzie, then dines at the Soviet Club with Miss Tarrant. ### [Mr. Parker Takes Notes](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/clouds_of_witness_se/chapters/viii-mr-parker-takes-notes) Reported to have been shot in the shoulder and taken to Charing Cross Hospital. ### [X: Nothing Abides at the Noon](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/clouds_of_witness_se/chapters/x-nothing-abides-at-the-noon) Proposes investigating Grimethorpe at Grider's Hole as a new lead; identifies Goyles as his attacker but declines to press charges; discusses the case strategy with the legal team. ### [XI: Meribah](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/clouds_of_witness_se/chapters/xi-meribah) Visits his brother in prison, argues with him about the alibi, then travels to Stapley to investigate Grimethorpe, adopting a disguise and dealing with uncommunicative locals. ### [XII: The Alibi](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/clouds_of_witness_se/chapters/xii-the-alibi) Confronts Mrs. Grimethorpe about the Duke's alibi and later gets trapped in a bog with Bunter. ### [XIII: Manon](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/clouds_of_witness_se/chapters/xiii-manon) Discovers the significance of the blotting-paper fragment, realizing it contains a French message that points to the true murderer. ### [XIV: The Edge of the Axe Towards Him](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/clouds_of_witness_se/chapters/xiv-the-edge-of-the-axe-towards-him) Returns from Paris with evidence, then hurries to the American Embassy and Buckingham Palace to secure passage to the United States for more evidence, leaving his legal team to prepare defenses. ### [Bar Falling](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/clouds_of_witness_se/chapters/xv-bar-falling) Mentioned as the brother of the accused, flying across the Atlantic with evidence; his cablegram is read in court. ### [XVI: The Second String](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/clouds_of_witness_se/chapters/xvi-the-second-string) Flies across the Atlantic in a storm to find a witness; recalls his interview with Simone Vonderaa and her maid Adèle. ### [XVII: The Eloquent Dead](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/clouds_of_witness_se/chapters/xvii-the-eloquent-dead) Arrives dramatically at the trial as the missing witness, having retrieved Cathcart's letter from Simone Vonderaa in New York, flying back with engine trouble. ### [XVIII: The Speech for the Defense](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/clouds_of_witness_se/chapters/xviii-the-speech-for-the-defense) Mentioned as having removed the blotting-paper from the study, which contained Cathcart's farewell letter. ### [XIX: Who Goes Home?](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/clouds_of_witness_se/chapters/xix-who-goes-home) Celebrates the acquittal, manages the Grimethorpe shooting aftermath, escorts Mrs. Grimethorpe, and ends the night drunk with Parker and Freddy. ### [Endnotes](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/clouds_of_witness_se/chapters/endnotes) His reading of The Times report is referenced as the basis for the corrected version. ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/clouds_of_witness_se/characters/lord_peter_wimsey - Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/clouds_of_witness_se - All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/clouds_of_witness_se/characters