Ursula May

Ursula May is the sister of Tansy Bestigui and the wife of Cyprian May. Although she appears only through other characters’ accounts, those accounts connect her pursuit of wealth and social position to a concealed relationship with Tony Landry—and reveal how that affair intersects with her sister’s conduct and the Mays’ impending divorce.

Identity and Background

Bryony Radford, who had been hired to work at parties for Ursula, describes her as spoiled and financially dissatisfied. In Bryony’s view, Ursula and Tansy had both sought wealthy older husbands; Ursula had expected greater riches from marrying Cyprian May than he could provide. Bryony also suggests that Ursula’s prospects for marrying into greater wealth had narrowed as she approached forty. These are Bryony’s judgments, not an independent account of Ursula’s intentions or circumstances.

The Voicemail and Tony Landry

Bryony’s resentment toward Ursula stems partly from an accusation involving a mobile phone. Ursula had handed it to Bryony and asked her to call a cab. Bryony, who says she is dyslexic, pressed the wrong button and heard a voicemail message; Ursula then accused her of listening deliberately. Bryony says the message was from a man Ursula was not married to, speaking about being in a hotel room and expressing sexual desire. She does not identify the man in this account, but Freddie Bestigui later identifies Tony Landry as Ursula’s affair partner.

Tansy’s Alibis and the Divorce

Freddie says he hired an investigator because he suspected Tansy of infidelity. He claims the inquiry instead found Tansy giving alibis to Ursula while Ursula was involved with Tony Landry. His account therefore links the sisters through secrecy: Tansy’s apparent role was not, as Freddie had suspected, to conceal her own affair, but to cover for Ursula. Freddie anticipates that the discovery will make the Mays’ divorce contentious, with high-powered lawyers on both sides and the breakup of an old family firm. He adds that Cyprian had represented his second wife, and takes pleasure in imagining the lawyers turning against one another. The evidence presents Freddie’s prediction and relish, not the eventual outcome of the divorce.

Narrative Role

Ursula’s story is assembled from hostile and secondhand testimony rather than direct scenes or her own explanation. Bryony’s party-work dispute colors her account, while Freddie frames the affair as leverage and a source of entertainment amid divorce proceedings. Together, their reports establish the affair and its connection to Tansy’s alibis, but leave Ursula’s motives and perspective unvoiced.