Helen Stoner

Helen Julia Stoner is a young gentlewoman of modest means living under the roof of her stepfather, Dr. Grimesby Roylott, at Stoke Moran in Surrey. Her life has been marked by tragedy: her twin sister Julia Stoner died under mysterious circumstances years ago, on the eve of her own wedding. Now, as Helen herself approaches marriage, she experiences the same inexplicable terrors that plagued her sister—strange nocturnal sounds, cryptic warnings, and an overwhelming sense of imminent danger. Intelligent and observant, she recognizes the patterns of her sister's fate repeating in her own circumstances and seeks Sherlock Holmes's aid in understanding the sinister forces at work within her own home. Her stepfather's jealous control over his stepdaughters' marriages and his violent nature cast a shadow over her future prospects.