# Amy Belden — The Leavenworth Case character guide

> Amy Belden in The Leavenworth Case by Anna Katharine Green.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** Hamlet, Belden, Mrs. Amy Belden, Mrs. Belden, Amy

**First appearance:** 0002-ii-the-coroner-s-inquest

## Snapshot

The Belden housekeeper whose cottage walls have absorbed more of the Leavenworth family's buried history than any drawing-room confidante ever will.

## Who they are

Amy Belden keeps the kind of quiet household where a stranger's knock is weighed before the door is opened, and where old loyalties outlast old scandals. Her knowledge of the family reaches back through years of service and silence, making her both a refuge and a risk for anyone tracing the Leavenworths' hidden connections. When investigators begin pulling at threads the family would rather leave knotted, Mrs. Belden's guarded memory becomes a room they must enter, whether she opens the door or not.

## Relationships

### [Mary Leavenworth](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_leavenworth_case_se/characters/mary_leavenworth)

_social_

Amy Belden is a local acquaintance of Mary Leavenworth, sharing gossip and social interactions within the community.

### [Mary Leavenworth](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_leavenworth_case_se/characters/mary_leavenworth)

_social_

Amy Belden is a local acquaintance of Mary Leavenworth, sharing gossip and social interactions within the community.

### [Mary Leavenworth](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_leavenworth_case_se/characters/mary_leavenworth)

_social_

Amy Belden is a local acquaintance of Mary Leavenworth, sharing gossip and social interactions within the community.

## In the story

### [XXVII: Amy Belden](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_leavenworth_case_se/chapters/xxvii-amy-belden)

A widow living in R⸺; she is observed hiding letters at the post-office and shows hesitation about taking the narrator as a lodger, suggesting she may be concealing something.

### [A Weird Experience](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_leavenworth_case_se/chapters/xxviii-a-weird-experience)

Hosts the narrator, seeks legal advice about papers she holds in trust, and later appears on the road looking back as the narrator returns.

### [The Missing Witness](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_leavenworth_case_se/chapters/xxix-the-missing-witness)

Lured away from the house by a false report of a neighbor's fit, allowing the narrator to search for Hannah.

### [XXX: Burned Paper](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_leavenworth_case_se/chapters/xxx-burned-paper)

Mentioned as the landlady who may have given Hannah the dose; her letters and actions are under scrutiny.

### [XXXI: Q](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_leavenworth_case_se/chapters/xxxi-q)

Confesses to hiding Hannah for Mary Leavenworth, expresses ignorance of Hannah's knowledge, and is shocked by Hannah's death.

### [Mrs. Belden’s Narrative](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_leavenworth_case_se/chapters/xxxii-mrs-belden-s-narrative)

The narrator of this chapter; a lonely widow who becomes infatuated with Mary and reluctantly aids the secret marriage plan.

### [Unexpected Testimony](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_leavenworth_case_se/chapters/xxxiii-unexpected-testimony)

Provides testimony about Hannah's arrival and her suspicions of Henry Clavering.

### [Mr. Gryce Resumes Control](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_leavenworth_case_se/chapters/xxxiv-mr-gryce-resumes-control)

Questioned by Mr. Gryce about Hannah's arrival, the letter she gave Hannah, and the circumstances of Hannah's death.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_leavenworth_case_se/characters/amy_belden
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_leavenworth_case_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_leavenworth_case_se/characters