# Mr. Desrolles — The Cloven Foot character guide > Mr. Desrolles in The Cloven Foot by M. E. Braddon. **Role:** major **Also known as:** Desrolles, this Desrolles **First appearance:** 0003-iv-la-chicot ## Who they are A brutal Frenchman drinking absinthe through the Paris of the Second Empire, Desrolles lives on a pension whose source he guards as jealously as his own neck. ## Relationships ### [La Chicot](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_cloven_foot_se/characters/la_chicot) _professional_ La Chicot is a servant or employee of Mr. Desrolles, with a relationship defined by duty and occasional intrigue. ### [Laura Malcolm](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_cloven_foot_se/characters/laura_malcolm) _professional_ Laura interacts with Mr. Desrolles as a client or associate, likely in matters of business or estate management. ### [Mrs. Treverton](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_cloven_foot_se/characters/mrs_treverton) _professional_ Mr. Desrolles is a business partner or legal advisor to Mrs. Treverton, involved in her financial schemes. ### [Edward Clare](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_cloven_foot_se/characters/edward_clare) _rivalry_ Edward and Mr. Desrolles are competitors, often at odds over business dealings and personal loyalties. ### [La Chicot](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_cloven_foot_se/characters/la_chicot) _professional_ La Chicot is a servant or employee of Mr. Desrolles, with a relationship defined by duty and occasional intrigue. ### [Laura Malcolm](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_cloven_foot_se/characters/laura_malcolm) _professional_ Laura interacts with Mr. Desrolles as a client or associate, likely in matters of business or estate management. ### [Mrs. Treverton](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_cloven_foot_se/characters/mrs_treverton) _professional_ Mr. Desrolles is a business partner or legal advisor to Mrs. Treverton, involved in her financial schemes. ### [La Chicot](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_cloven_foot_se/characters/la_chicot) _professional_ La Chicot is a servant or employee of Mr. Desrolles, with a relationship defined by duty and occasional intrigue. ### [Edward Clare](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_cloven_foot_se/characters/edward_clare) _rivalry_ Edward and Mr. Desrolles are competitors, often at odds over business dealings and personal loyalties. ### [Edward Clare](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_cloven_foot_se/characters/edward_clare) _rivalry_ Edward and Mr. Desrolles are competitors, often at odds over business dealings and personal loyalties. ### [Mrs. Treverton](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_cloven_foot_se/characters/mrs_treverton) _professional_ Mr. Desrolles is a business partner or legal advisor to Mrs. Treverton, involved in her financial schemes. ### [Laura Malcolm](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_cloven_foot_se/characters/laura_malcolm) _professional_ Laura interacts with Mr. Desrolles as a client or associate, likely in matters of business or estate management. ## In the story ### [La Chicot Has Her Own Way](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_cloven_foot_se/chapters/vi-la-chicot-has-her-own-way) Desrolles agrees to keep an eye on La Chicot while Jack Chicot leaves for a few days. ### [XIV: “You Have but to Say the Word”](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_cloven_foot_se/chapters/xiv-you-have-but-to-say-the-word) Acts as intermediary for Joseph Lemuel, feigns friendship with La Chicot while being paid to plead Lemuel's case. ### [Edward Clare Discovers a Likeness](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_cloven_foot_se/chapters/xv-edward-clare-discovers-a-likeness) Provides Edward with information about Jack Chicot and reacts with surprise upon hearing the name Hazlehurst. ### [XVI: Shall It Be “Yes” or “No”?](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_cloven_foot_se/chapters/xvi-shall-it-be-yes-or-no) Desrolles acts as a confidant, encouraging La Chicot to accept the diamonds and the proposal, highlighting the material benefits and the potential for social elevation. ### [XVII: Murder](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_cloven_foot_se/chapters/xvii-murder) A cool-headed lodger who helps manage the situation, calls for a policeman, and notes Chicot's suspicious disappearance. ### [What the Diamonds Were Worth](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_cloven_foot_se/chapters/xviii-what-the-diamonds-were-worth) A fellow lodger who talks freely to reporters and gives a graphic description of Chicot to the police. ### [XXVI: A Disinterested Parent](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_cloven_foot_se/chapters/xxvi-a-disinterested-parent) Revealed as Stephen Malcolm, Laura's father, he demands a thousand pounds a year and threatens to expose John's past identity. ### [XXVII: Desrolles Is Not Communicative](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_cloven_foot_se/chapters/xxvii-desrolles-is-not-communicative) Desrolles, now flush with money from John Treverton, is confronted by Edward Clare. He denies any link between Treverton and Chicot, but privately schemes about how to profit from the secret. ### [Mr. Leopold Asks Irrelevant Questions](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_cloven_foot_se/chapters/xl-mr-leopold-asks-irrelevant-questions) A tenant in the house at the time of the murder, described as a broken-down gentleman; Treverton is reluctant to discuss him. ### [XLII: The Undertaker's Evidence](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_cloven_foot_se/chapters/xlii-the-undertaker-s-evidence) Revealed as the murderer of La Chicot and accused of falsely claiming to be Laura's father. ### [XLV: The Hunt for Desrolles](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_cloven_foot_se/chapters/xlv-the-hunt-for-desrolles) Desrolles revels in Parisian dissipation, drinking absinthe and gambling, but is alarmed by news of John Treverton's arrest. ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_cloven_foot_se/characters/mr_desrolles - Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_cloven_foot_se - All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_cloven_foot_se/characters