Evelyn Howard Character Analysis

A straightforward, blunt woman who likes to speak her mind, Evelyn Howard is Emily Inglethorp’s closest friend. She lives at Styles Court and helps out around the house, essentially becoming a member of the family. Despite how close she is with Emily, though, it’s clear that their relational dynamic is uneven, as Emily clearly holds most of the power in their friendship. When Emily marries Alfred Inglethorp (who claims to be Evelyn’s distant cousin), Evelyn makes it clear that she doesn’t approve. Two days before Emily’s death by poisoning, Evelyn tells her friend how she feels about her new husband, insisting that Alfred only married her for her fortune and alleging that he’s having an affair with their neighbor, Mrs. Raikes. The two friends have such a terrible fight that Evelyn leaves that very evening. In the days after Emily’s poisoning, Evelyn returns to Styles and immediately makes it known that she believes Alfred is to blame. She makes this allegation whenever she has the chance, wanting to ensure that Hercule Poirot pursues Alfred and gets him arrested. However, Poirot later finds a letter from Alfred to Evelyn that changes the way he understands their relationship. They don’t hate each other, he realizes—they’re secret lovers. The letter reveals that they worked together to poison Emily and planned to escape the country with her fortune after framing John Cavendish for the murder. And if it weren’t for Poirot, this might have actually happened. As it stands, though, Poirot reveals what they’ve done, and they’re both arrested.