Lord Snowthorpe

Lord Snowthorpe is a senior figure at the British Museum whose visit to the Throckmorton home turns family resentment into a pivotal clue: his request to see the Heart of Egypt makes Theodosia realize that the artifact has disappeared.

Identity and Standing

Snowthorpe is a high-ranking figure at the British Museum, where Alistair Throckmorton once worked for him. His position gives him the confidence to arrive at the family home and expect to be shown a celebrated discovery. He says he has waited all his life to see a Heart of Egypt and presents the visit as an opportunity for Alistair to display it.

A Disliked Visitor

The family’s response to Snowthorpe is distinctly hostile. Theodosia describes him as a greasy fellow whom none of them likes, particularly Alistair; his visits leave Alistair in a bad mood for at least two days. When Snowthorpe arrives, he waits in the foyer, leaning against a marble column and tapping his cane impatiently. Henrietta and Alistair are nowhere in sight, and Theodosia suspects they are bracing themselves before receiving him.

Snowthorpe’s physical presence reinforces the impression he makes on the household: he is tall, red-faced, hooked-nosed, and so round-bellied that his coat barely contains him. Theodosia also observes his superior air, which makes even his formal position seem less important than his manner of wielding it. His impatient tapping and self-satisfied bearing make the visit feel like an intrusion rather than a welcome call.

The Heart of Egypt and the Missing Artifact

After a disturbance that leaves those present fussing over Snowthorpe as though he had nearly been murdered, he turns to business and explains why he has come. He has heard that Alistair found the Heart of Egypt, an artifact associated with Thutmose III, and expects to see it. His request is the decisive clue for Theodosia: the moment he names the Heart, she recognizes that this is what has gone missing.

Snowthorpe therefore matters not only as an unwelcome former employer, but as the visitor whose assumption exposes the theft. He arrives expecting a display of the discovery; instead, his words reveal to Theodosia the identity of the absent object and redirect the scene toward the mystery of the missing Heart.