# Madame de Montevesso — Suspense character guide

> Madame de Montevesso in Suspense by Joseph Conrad.

**Role:** major

**Also known as:** Montevesso, Madame

**First appearance:** 0001-suspense

## Snapshot

Radiant, watchful, and married to a man she calls inevitable, the Countess de Montevesso remembers Cosmo's family far better than he remembers her.

## Who they are

Once a shy refugee girl sheltered in the Latham household, Adèle d'Armand has become a woman whose glow Cosmo finds almost unbearable to look at. She speaks of her girlhood blushes with mockery and bitterness, and of her husband with a resignation that sounds like fate. Her candor about her past and her strange claim on Cosmo's memory make her the emotional center of his stay in Genoa—and the reason he cannot simply leave.

## Relationships

### [Cosmo Latham](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/suspense_se/characters/cosmo_latham)

_romantic_

A passionate and intense affair, marked by secrecy and mutual obsession, with Cosmo drawn to her allure and danger.

### [The Doctor](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/suspense_se/characters/the_doctor)

_psychological_

The Doctor holds a dark influence over Madame, using her secrets and vulnerabilities to control her actions.

### [Cosmo Latham](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/suspense_se/characters/cosmo_latham)

_romantic_

A passionate and intense affair, marked by secrecy and mutual obsession, with Cosmo drawn to her allure and danger.

### [Cosmo Latham](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/suspense_se/characters/cosmo_latham)

_romantic_

A passionate and intense affair, marked by secrecy and mutual obsession, with Cosmo drawn to her allure and danger.

### [The Doctor](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/suspense_se/characters/the_doctor)

_psychological_

The Doctor holds a dark influence over Madame, using her secrets and vulnerabilities to control her actions.

### [The Doctor](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/suspense_se/characters/the_doctor)

_psychological_

The Doctor holds a dark influence over Madame, using her secrets and vulnerabilities to control her actions.

## In the story

### [II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/suspense_se/chapters/part-ii-ii)

Receives Cosmo, discusses Napoleon's presence in everyone's thoughts, and invites him to return in the evening to meet her father.

### [III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/suspense_se/chapters/part-ii-iii)

Mentioned as having received Cosmo in the morning and as the Marquis's daughter, who retains memories of her early life.

### [VI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/suspense_se/chapters/part-ii-vi)

Reveals her past life during the Empire, her unhappy marriage, and her feelings of isolation and disillusionment. She recounts her single conversation with Napoleon and expresses her weariness with the world.

### [VII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/suspense_se/chapters/part-ii-vii)

Referred to by Clelia as the 'yellow-haired witch' and the Count's wife, whom she despises.

### [II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/suspense_se/chapters/part-iii-ii)

Her image dominates Cosmo's thoughts, evoking a sense of prophetic recognition and awe.

### [III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/suspense_se/chapters/part-iii-iii)

Receives Doctor Martel, is surprised to hear of his acquaintance with Cosmo, and becomes deeply distressed upon learning of Cosmo's disappearance.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/suspense_se/characters/madame_de_montevesso
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/suspense_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/suspense_se/characters