Madame de la Rougierre

Maud Ruthyn

Madame de la Rougierre is Maud's sinister governess who manipulates and terrorizes her, creating a deeply oppressive and fearful dynamic.

Mary Quince

Madame de la Rougierre treats Mary Quince, Maud's maid, with condescension and uses her as a tool for surveillance and manipulation.

Dudley Ruthyn

Dudley Ruthyn, Uncle Silas's son, collaborates with Madame de la Rougierre in a sinister plot against Maud, sharing a manipulative and predatory alliance.

Lady Knollys

Lady Knollys immediately recognizes Madame de la Rougierre as a dangerous and deceitful woman, openly opposing her influence over Maud.

Uncle Silas

Madame de la Rougierre and Uncle Silas are co-conspirators in a plot to defraud and possibly murder Maud, bound by mutual greed and manipulation.

Mrs. Rusk

Madame de la Rougierre interacts with Mrs. Rusk, the housekeeper, as a fellow servant but uses her position to exert control and gather information.

Milly Ruthyn

Madame de la Rougierre manipulates and frightens the simple-minded Milly, using her as a pawn in her schemes against Maud.

Maud Ruthyn

Madame de la Rougierre is Maud's sinister governess who manipulates and terrorizes her, creating a deeply oppressive and fearful dynamic.

Milly Ruthyn

Madame de la Rougierre manipulates and frightens the simple-minded Milly, using her as a pawn in her schemes against Maud.

Lady Knollys

Lady Knollys immediately recognizes Madame de la Rougierre as a dangerous and deceitful woman, openly opposing her influence over Maud.

Maud Ruthyn

Madame de la Rougierre is Maud's sinister governess who manipulates and terrorizes her, creating a deeply oppressive and fearful dynamic.

Mrs. Rusk

Madame de la Rougierre interacts with Mrs. Rusk, the housekeeper, as a fellow servant but uses her position to exert control and gather information.

Uncle Silas

A French governess hired by Austin Ruthyn, who brings an unsettling presence to Knowl.

IV: Madame de la Rougierre

Madame de la Rougierre arrives as Maud's governess, described as tall, masculine, and ghastly, with a cunning smile and unsettling mannerisms.

Sights and Noises

Displays hypocritical piety, manipulative behavior, and a dangerous temper; she feigns affection when observed by Maud's father and uses religious exercises to control Maud.

A Walk in the Wood

Madame manipulates Maud, tortures her for information about the will, and is caught eavesdropping; she also wins a dispute with Mrs. Rusk over brandy.

Church Scarsdale

Suspected of thieving and conspiring with the pedlar; behaves erratically at Church Scarsdale, singing a morbid ballad and pretending to be a corpse.

VIII: The Smoker

Arranges a secret meeting with Dud in the churchyard to discuss Maud; feigns illness to avoid Lady Knollys and questions Maud about her.

IX: Monica Knollys

Mentioned as the French governess who will accompany Maud to London.

X: Lady Knollys Removes a Coverlet

Pretends to be ill to avoid meeting Lady Knollys, but is eventually confronted.

XI: Lady Knollys Sees the Features

Caught feigning illness; defensive and evasive when confronted by Lady Knollys.

Angry Words

Manipulative and defensive; feigns illness and weeps to gain sympathy from Maud's father.

XV: A Warning

Attempts to deceive Maud into walking to Church Scarsdale, lies to the housekeeper, and physically tries to force Maud over a stile.

XVI: Doctor Bryerly Looks In

Attempts to force Maud to walk to Church Scarsdale; reacts with anger and later feigned cheerfulness when refused.

XVII: An Adventure

Maud's governess, whose strange behavior and contradictory account of the incident raise suspicion.

A Midnight Visitor

The governess caught using a false key to open Austin Ruthyn's desk; she is dismissed after surrendering the key.

XIX: Au Revoir

Madame departs from Knowl but intercepts Maud in the woods, delivering a sinister farewell and threatening to remember and watch Maud from afar.

In Search of Mr. Charke's Skeleton

Madame mocks and threatens Maud, calling her a 'calomniatrice' and vowing to humble her. She denies all accusations with feigned tears and convinces Uncle Silas of Maud's delusion.

XX: The Foot of Hercules

Returns as Maud's governess, acting genially but still feared by Maud.

I Conspire

Maud's companion and spy, who accompanies her to Feltram and is suspected of colluding with Dudley.

The Letter

Attends to Maud after her fainting fit and later visits her for tea, behaving boisterously and hinting at her influence over Uncle Silas.

XXIII: Lady Knollys' Carriage

Locks Maud in her room, deceives Lady Knollys, and later hints to Maud about leaving for France due to bad news from London.

XXIV: A Sudden Departure

Madame is dressed for the journey and given authority over Maud's travel arrangements, though she remains evasive about her earlier conversation.

The Journey

Escorting Maud; behaves cryptically and menacingly, hinting at a hidden agenda and testing Maud's loyalty.

XXVI: Our Bedchamber

Madame orchestrates the deception, locking the door, hiding the key, and laughing at Maud's distress. She displays her vanity and sinister amusement.

XXVII: A Well-Known Face Looks In

Locks Maud in, dismisses her fears, and lies about the iron bars.

Spiced Claret

Drinks heavily, becomes furious and volatile, forgets to lock Maud's door, and eventually falls asleep after consuming spiced claret.

XXIX: The Hour of Death

The victim; murdered in her bed by Dudley.