Vera Drake

Vera Drake is Una Drake’s twin sister, and her arrival from Australia supplies the decisive explanation for Una’s seemingly impossible alibi wager: Vera can be in Torquay while Una stays in London. Though she appears only through Tuppence Beresford’s account of the solution, Vera’s concealed presence turns an apparent feat of personal mobility into a carefully arranged substitution.

Identity and Introduction

Tuppence identifies Vera as Una’s twin sister after cabling Australia for information. Vera had arrived in England the previous Monday, a detail that makes the wager’s spontaneity intelligible: Una already had a sister nearby who could help produce the illusion that Una had been in two places.

Role in the Alibi

The sisters divide their locations. Vera goes to Torquay, while Una remains in London. Their twin relationship makes that separation usable as an alibi device, allowing Una to make her bet with confidence and leading Tuppence to conclude that twins are the simple solution to the mystery.

Motive and Aftermath

Tuppence explains that Una had intended the wager as a prank on Montgomery Jones. She expects Una not to be terribly despondent at losing, but to credit Montgomery with the kudos; the resolution also means that he can go and collect his girl. Vera’s role is thus essential to the deception, although the account does not establish what she herself thought of the plan or whether she knowingly participated in Una’s intended joke.