The House by the River · Character

Emily Gaunt

A young woman whose death near Barnes leaves a muddy sack, a baffled inquest, and a family of sly, grasping relatives demanding compensation.

supporting

Also known as Emily, Gaunt

First appearance: III

As a supporting figure in The House by the River, Emily Gaunt is not background color—the story leans on what they do once the chapter opens.

The housemaid, fresh from her bath, encounters Stephen and is killed during a struggle.

In the storyIIOpen this moment free

Emily's disappearance and the discovery of her body set the local faction against John Egerton and bring her avaricious kin to his door, where they assume his guilt and press for money to heal their wounded affections and accounts. Her fate haunts the early chapters as an unresolved scandal everyone in The Chase has an opinion about. She is the absence around which the novel's suspicions quietly gather.

See Emily Gaunt in II Book page

Free preview opens at this moment — character cards, Character Web, and themes sit beside the text as you read.

Character Web

13 connections

A slice of how Emily Gaunt sits in the book — open the reader for the full interactive map.

Relationship types

Psychological
Rivalry
Social
Other

Character groups

Byrne Household Staff
Community and Family Collectives
Protagonist

+8 more in the full Character Web

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Narrative arc

Story tension across the book — this chapter sits in Exposition.

Setup
Breaking point
Aftermath
Closing

This is the story's dramatic climax because it marks the emotional and psychological peak where John Egerton,…

Full beat labels and climax notes unlock in the reader.

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Relationships

Stephen Byrne
psychological · negative
Emily is a manipulative and obsessive figure who exerts a sinister psychological hold… How this plays out →
John Egerton
psychological · negative
Margery Byrne
rivalry · negative
Mrs. Bantam
social · negative
Stephen Byrne
psychological · negative
Emily is a manipulative and obsessive figure who exerts a sinister psychological hold… How this plays out →
Stephen Byrne
psychological · negative
Emily is a manipulative and obsessive figure who exerts a sinister psychological hold… How this plays out →
Margery Byrne
rivalry · negative
John Egerton
psychological · negative
Mrs. Bantam
social · negative
John Egerton
psychological · negative

Stephen Byrne
Emily is a manipulative and obsessive figure who exerts a sinister psychological hold over Stephen, exploiting his guilt and weakness.
John Egerton
Emily and John share a dark, manipulative alliance, each using the other to achieve their own ends against Stephen.
Margery Byrne
Emily and Margery are rivals for Stephen's attention and loyalty, with Emily actively undermining Margery's position.
Mrs. Bantam
Emily and Mrs. Bantam have a tense, wary acquaintance, as Mrs. Bantam distrusts Emily's influence over Stephen.
Stephen Byrne
Emily is a manipulative and obsessive figure who exerts a sinister psychological hold over Stephen, exploiting his guilt and weakness.
Stephen Byrne
Emily is a manipulative and obsessive figure who exerts a sinister psychological hold over Stephen, exploiting his guilt and weakness.
Margery Byrne
Emily and Margery are rivals for Stephen's attention and loyalty, with Emily actively undermining Margery's position.
John Egerton
Emily and John share a dark, manipulative alliance, each using the other to achieve their own ends against Stephen.
Mrs. Bantam
Emily and Mrs. Bantam have a tense, wary acquaintance, as Mrs. Bantam distrusts Emily's influence over Stephen.
John Egerton
Emily and John share a dark, manipulative alliance, each using the other to achieve their own ends against Stephen.

Relationship notes

How these ties play out is in the reading companion — open the free preview.

See Emily Gaunt in III

In the story

Emily Gaunt appears across 11 companion beats. Open any chapter in the free preview to see the notes beside the text.

II
The housemaid, fresh from her bath, encounters Stephen and is killed during a struggle.
III
Lying dead on the hall floor, half-naked and strangled, her body being stuffed into a sack by Stephen.
IV
Mentioned as the victim; Stephen blames her for his troubles and shows no pity.
V
Dead; her memory haunts John, and Stephen has spread rumors that she was a 'hussy' to explain her disappearance.
Chapter VI
Emily's body is the object of the search, drifting down the river in a sack. She is referred to indirectly throughout the chapter.
VII
Her body is drifting in the river; her discovery is implied by the police returning the sack.
Chapter IX
Her body continues to drift in the river, a source of past terror for Stephen; her death is the central secret Stephen is hiding.
Chapter X
Her family pressures John for money, assuming he caused her death.
XIV
Referenced in the poem as the slain maiden and in the newspaper article as the murder victim.
Chapter XV
Emily's murder is the central secret; her body's disposal and discovery are contrasted with the idyllic scene in Stephen's poem.
XVI
The victim of Stephen's confessed murder; her name appears in the confession he writes and then burns.

Chapter companion notes

Spoil-light check-ins for Emily Gaunt unlock in the free preview.

See Emily Gaunt in III

See Emily Gaunt in II