# Sylvia Scarlett — Sinister Street character guide

> Sylvia Scarlett in Sinister Street by Compton Mackenzie.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** Miss Sylvia Scarlett, Miss Sylvia

**First appearance:** 0047-xiii-plashers-mead

## Snapshot

A spirited, unconventional young woman whose friendship offers Michael a counterpart to the drawing-room world of Cheyne Walk and the confidences he withholds there.

## Who they are

Sylvia moves through Michael's life as a presence he cannot quite fold into the ordinary social round of his mother's house and Stella's engagement talk. Her unconventionality makes her a natural ally for a young man carrying secrets he will not recite on demand. She matters as one of the figures who pulls Michael toward a wider, less respectable experience of the world.

## Relationships

### [Michael Fane](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/sinister_street_se/characters/michael_fane)

_friendship_

Sylvia is a bohemian friend and confidante who shares Michael's artistic and rebellious inclinations, offering camaraderie.

### [Lily Haden](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/sinister_street_se/characters/lily_haden)

_rivalry_

Lily and Sylvia are rivals for Michael's affection, their interactions marked by jealousy and mutual disdain.

### [Michael Fane](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/sinister_street_se/characters/michael_fane)

_friendship_

Sylvia is a bohemian friend and confidante who shares Michael's artistic and rebellious inclinations, offering camaraderie.

### [Michael Fane](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/sinister_street_se/characters/michael_fane)

_friendship_

Sylvia is a bohemian friend and confidante who shares Michael's artistic and rebellious inclinations, offering camaraderie.

### [Lily Haden](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/sinister_street_se/characters/lily_haden)

_rivalry_

Lily and Sylvia are rivals for Michael's affection, their interactions marked by jealousy and mutual disdain.

### [Lily Haden](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/sinister_street_se/characters/lily_haden)

_rivalry_

Lily and Sylvia are rivals for Michael's affection, their interactions marked by jealousy and mutual disdain.

## In the story

### [VI: Tinderbox Lane](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/sinister_street_se/chapters/vi-tinderbox-lane)

Sylvia challenges Michael's influence over Lily and ultimately takes Lily away.

### [IX: The Gate of Horn](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/sinister_street_se/chapters/ix-the-gate-of-horn)

Michael thinks of her after their conversation under the mulberry tree; he considers sending her books.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/sinister_street_se/characters/sylvia_scarlett
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/sinister_street_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/sinister_street_se/characters