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Emily Inglethorp
Alfred Inglethorp is Emily Inglethorp’s new husband, whom she marries about three months before the primary action of the novel takes place. With a black beard and a distinctive way of dressing, Alfred stands out in the small country town of Styles. More importantly, the other people living at Styles Court are all suspicious of him, finding it unlikely that he—as a younger man—actually loves Emily. John Cavendish tells Hastings that Alfred is clearly “fortune hunting” by marrying Emily—that is, marrying a wealthy older woman and waiting for her to die so he can take her money for himself. Right away, everyone suspects that he’s the murderer, and it’s true that he doesn’t have a very good alibi at the inquest (the initial court hearing). But Poirot senses something strange about his behavior, realizing that Alfred is trying to look guilty. He then pieces together that Alfred wants to be arrested before there’s much evidence against him, knowing the case would be too weak to convict him. Because a person can’t be tried twice for the same crime in England, Alfred—who did, indeed, poison Emily—would ensure his own freedom if he got himself arrested right away on feeble evidence. For this reason, Poirot keeps Inspector Japp from arresting Alfred, thus making time for Poirot to figure out that Alfred and Evelyn Howard worked together to murder Emily. Although Evelyn pretends to hate Alfred, the truth is that they’re in love (even though they’re cousins). Their plan was to poison Emily and then leave the country with her fortune, but Poirot ruins their scheme by discovering what they did.
Alfred Inglethorp Quotes in The Mysterious Affair at Styles
The The Mysterious Affair at Styles quotes below are all either spoken by Alfred Inglethorp or refer to Alfred Inglethorp. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
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Chapter 1: I Go to Styles
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“[…] The fellow must be at least twenty years younger than she is! It’s simply barefaced fortune hunting; but there you are—she is her own mistress, and she’s married him.”
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His watchful and attentive manner never varied. From the very first I took a firm and rooted dislike to him, and I flatter myself that my first judgements are usually fairly shrewd.
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Chapter 13: Poirot Explains
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“Because, mon ami, it is the law of your country that a man once acquitted can never be tried again for the same offence. Aha! But it was clever—his idea! Assuredly, he is a man of method. See here, he knew that in his position he was bound to be suspected, so he conceived the exceedingly clever idea of preparing a lot of manufactured evidence against himself. He wished to be suspected. He wished to be arrested. He would then produce his irreproachable alibi—and, hey presto, he was safe for life!”
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Alfred Inglethorp Quotes in The Mysterious Affair at Styles
The The Mysterious Affair at Styles quotes below are all either spoken by Alfred Inglethorp or refer to Alfred Inglethorp. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Chapter 1: I Go to Styles
Quotes
“[…] The fellow must be at least twenty years younger than she is! It’s simply barefaced fortune hunting; but there you are—she is her own mistress, and she’s married him.”
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
His watchful and attentive manner never varied. From the very first I took a firm and rooted dislike to him, and I flatter myself that my first judgements are usually fairly shrewd.
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Related Themes:
Related Literary Devices:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 13: Poirot Explains
Quotes
“Because, mon ami, it is the law of your country that a man once acquitted can never be tried again for the same offence. Aha! But it was clever—his idea! Assuredly, he is a man of method. See here, he knew that in his position he was bound to be suspected, so he conceived the exceedingly clever idea of preparing a lot of manufactured evidence against himself. He wished to be suspected. He wished to be arrested. He would then produce his irreproachable alibi—and, hey presto, he was safe for life!”
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