# Lawrence Cavendish — The Mysterious Affair at Styles character guide

> Lawrence Cavendish in The Mysterious Affair at Styles by Agatha Christie.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** Lawrence, Mr. Lawrence, Mr. Lawrence Cavendish, Monsieur Lawrence

**First appearance:** 0002-i-i-go-to-styles

## Snapshot

The younger Cavendish son — a failed doctor turned unpublished poet, drifting through Styles with delicate nerves and a smoldering resentment of his stepmother's purse strings.

## Who they are

Lawrence Cavendish gave up medicine for verse and lives at Styles on his stepmother's charity, overshadowed by his more robust brother John. He is sensitive, moody, and visibly strained by the household's new arrangements, especially the arrival of Alfred Inglethorp. His medical training and his nervous temperament both make him an obvious early suspect, and his fumbling, evasive manner under questioning keeps the reader guessing about what he is hiding.

## Relationships

### [Hercule Poirot](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_mysterious_affair_at_styles_se/characters/hercule_poirot)

_professional_

Lawrence is a quiet suspect and John's brother, providing Poirot with alibis and scientific insights.

### [Hercule Poirot](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_mysterious_affair_at_styles_se/characters/hercule_poirot)

_professional_

Lawrence is a quiet suspect and John's brother, providing Poirot with alibis and scientific insights.

### [Hercule Poirot](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_mysterious_affair_at_styles_se/characters/hercule_poirot)

_professional_

Lawrence is a quiet suspect and John's brother, providing Poirot with alibis and scientific insights.

## In the story

### [III: The Night of the Tragedy](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_mysterious_affair_at_styles_se/chapters/iii-the-night-of-the-tragedy)

Awakens Hastings; shows extreme agitation and a ghastly look upon entering the room.

### [It Isn't Strychnine, Is It?](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_mysterious_affair_at_styles_se/chapters/v-it-isn-t-strychnine-is-it)

Believes the death was due to heart failure; his coffee cup was half drunk on the mantelpiece.

### [VI: The Inquest](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_mysterious_affair_at_styles_se/chapters/vi-the-inquest)

Suggests the tonic may have caused death, but his idea is dismissed by doctors.

### [VII: Poirot Pays His Debts](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_mysterious_affair_at_styles_se/chapters/vii-poirot-pays-his-debts)

Mentioned for his suspicious behavior at the inquest, particularly his suggestion of accidental poisoning despite his medical background.

### [IX: Dr. Bauerstein](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_mysterious_affair_at_styles_se/chapters/ix-dr-bauerstein)

Receives Poirot's message about the extra coffee-cup and confirms he noticed the door from Cynthia's room was bolted.

### [The Last Link](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_mysterious_affair_at_styles_se/chapters/xii-the-last-link)

Reacts to the revelations, understanding the drugged cocoa and the delay in strychnine symptoms.

### [XIII: Poirot Explains](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_mysterious_affair_at_styles_se/chapters/xiii-poirot-explains)

Passes by the library, blushing awkwardly as Poirot congratulates him on his relationship with Cynthia.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_mysterious_affair_at_styles_se/characters/lawrence_cavendish
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_mysterious_affair_at_styles_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_mysterious_affair_at_styles_se/characters