An elderly spinster, Miss Avery lives next to Howards End and was an old friend of Ruth Wilcox. Like Ruth, she has a mystical, all-knowing air about her that is connected to Howards End. She is slightly nuttier than Ruth, and she frequently goes over to Howards End when the house is empty. When Margaret Schlegel, the new Mrs. Wilcox, temporarily stores her furniture in the empty house, Miss Avery unpacks it all. She believes that Margaret is Ruth’s heir in spirit rather than Ruth’s daughter, Evie, who offended her by returning the valuable necklace Miss Avery gave her for her wedding.