# Lena — That Affair Next Door character guide

> Lena in That Affair Next Door by Anna Katharine Green.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** little Lena

**First appearance:** 0011-xi-the-order-clerk

## Snapshot

A timid servant girl whose frightened obedience trails Miss Butterworth through the city, her anxious eyes catching every errand and every clue.

## Who they are

Lena is the young maid who accompanies Miss Butterworth on her unorthodox investigations, waiting in doorways and staring through panes with open alarm. Accustomed to obey even when her mistress seems half-mad, she supplies a nervous, human counterweight to the older woman's relentless curiosity. Her presence at the laundry and on the stairs makes her an unwitting witness to the small errands and odd visitors that quietly shape the case.

## Relationships

### [Amelia Butterworth](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/that_affair_next_door_se/characters/amelia_butterworth)

_professional_

Lena is likely a servant or maid in Amelia's household, with Amelia giving her instructions and gathering gossip.

### [Amelia Butterworth](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/that_affair_next_door_se/characters/amelia_butterworth)

_professional_

Lena is likely a servant or maid in Amelia's household, with Amelia giving her instructions and gathering gossip.

## In the story

### [Miss Butterworth’s Theory](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/that_affair_next_door_se/chapters/xx-miss-butterworth-s-theory)

Mentioned as setting out Amelia's tea-table and being discreet.

### [A Shrewd Conjecture](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/that_affair_next_door_se/chapters/xxi-a-shrewd-conjecture)

Delivers the communications and accompanies Amelia on her midnight walk.

### [XXII: A Blank Card](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/that_affair_next_door_se/chapters/xxii-a-blank-card)

Brings the blank card to Amelia and accompanies her to Mrs. Desberger's house, acting as a relative of the missing woman.

### [Found](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/that_affair_next_door_se/chapters/xxvii-found)

Amelia's maid; assists in the search and helps manage Ruth Oliver during the carriage ride.

### [XXVIII: Taken Aback](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/that_affair_next_door_se/chapters/xxviii-taken-aback)

Brings Gryce's letter to Miss Butterworth at breakfast.

### [XXIX: Amelia Becomes Peremptory](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/that_affair_next_door_se/chapters/xxix-amelia-becomes-peremptory)

Referenced by Gryce as having possibly shown the police where to look for the rings.

### [XXXII: Iconoclasm](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/that_affair_next_door_se/chapters/xxxii-iconoclasm)

Mentioned as Amelia's maid, but cleared of involvement in the office incident.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/that_affair_next_door_se/characters/lena
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/that_affair_next_door_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/that_affair_next_door_se/characters