Lord Mount-James

Lord Mount-James was the uncle of Godfrey Staunton, and Godfrey's nearest living relative. He was an extremely wealthy and elderly man of about 80, riddled with gout and of a dour and miserly personality. Because of this, his nephew and he were not on very good terms; nevertheless, Godfrey was Lord Mount-James' heir and stood to inherit his significant accumulated wealth.
When Godfrey disappeared, his friend Cyril Overton wired to Lord Mount-James to inform him of the situation. Sherlock Holmes encountered Lord Mount-James during his investigation, when the old man appeared to ascertain whether Holmes was intending to charge him. He assumed Godfrey had run off, and adamantly refused to pay a penny for any of Holmes' services under any circumstances. However, he quickly changed his mind when Holmes suggested that Godfrey might have been kidnapped by robbers looking to steal Lord Mount-James' wealth. He implored Holmes to search as thoroughly as possible, and promised to pay him too. However, he was of little personal help to Holmes, as he was largely uniformed of Godfrey's personal life.
Watson describes Lord Mount-James as an unpleasant and strange old man, jerky, twitchy, and shabbily dressed to the point of absurdity, but possessing a sharp, crackling voice and intense presence that demanded attention.
Category:British characters
Category:Characters: The Return of Sherlock Holmes
Category:Nobility