The evil Adelaide Halstock
Adelaide Halstock (Katherine Evans) is the hidden main villainess from the 2024 Hallmark film, Gilded Newport Mysteries: Murder at the Breakers (airdate February 2, 2024).
Backstory and Introduction[]
Adelaide Halstock is the wife of wealthy Rupert Halstock, and her introduction revealed that she is the longtime childhood friend of main protagonist Emma Vanderbilt-Cross, who encountered the couple at a ball in the Vanderbilt mansion. It was during the festivities that Alvin Goddard, who had a stake in the construction of a railway, suddenly fell to his death, with the investigation quickly revealing that Goddard was murdered.
Emma's half-brother, Brady Cross, ended up accused and arrested of not only Goddard's murder, but also stealing Goddard's plans for the railway. As for Adelaide, she continued to confide in Emma and reveal that Rupert had been ill, while a bruise on her arm also revealed that he was violent towards Adelaide as well.
Climax[]
Adelaide holding Emma at gunpoint
Emma's investigation saw her newly run down in a horse-and-carriage collision, with the suspicion that Emma was targeted, and she was later held at knifepoint by a cloaked attacker, who later left a note threatening Emma to stop investigating. Suspicion was directed towards Derrick Anderson, who had been tracking Emma, who later revealed that Derrick's real surname was Andrews, and he was a newspaper heir and not a reporter as originally introduced. Derrick later informed Emma that he was actually tracking Adelaide, as he had suspected that Adelaide was poisoning Rupert.
At that moment, Nanny O'Neal (Emma's friend and housekeeper) revealed that Rupert was deceased, and regarding Adelaide, she sobbed as Emma approached her, with Adelaide stating that Rupert attacked her after she found out that he stole the plans, which ended up leading to his death, while voicing her sympathy towards Emma for Brady being framed. However, Emma went upstairs and looked around in Adelaide's room, where she noticed that the gold chain that was at the scene was part of Adelaide's gown at the ball. She also found the plans hidden in the drawer, and it was followed by Emma being held at gunpoint by Adelaide.
Reveal[]
Adelaide unleashing her heel persona towards Emma
As Adelaide herself revealed, she only married Rupert for wealth and status, but she was looking to get out of her horrible marriage. Adelaide turned heel at the ball by planning to steal Goddard's plans and sell them, with the scheming villainess appearing in the office and taking the plans before being caught by Goddard. Adelaide struck Goddard with Rupert's cane and sent him falling over the balcony, and she placed a candlestick holder in the hands of an incapacitated Brady to set him up. The villainess also planned to poison Rupert, and was slowly doing so after killing Goddard.
Though she continued to befriend Emma publicly, Adelaide secretly unleashed her heel persona towards her longtime friend, doing so by attempting to run her down, and even donned a cloaked disguise and held her at knifepoint while threatening Emma to stop investigating. Adelaide claimed that she didn't intend to kill Goddard, and even pleaded with Emma to keep her secret under the claim that she was looking to get the plans back to exonerate Brady. However, Emma, having realized that Adelaide is a cold-blooded villainess, refused to comply with her former friend's pleas, and in response, the evil Adelaide raised her gun with intent on killing Emma. At that moment, detective Jesse Whyte entered and held Adelaide at gunpoint, which was followed by the villainess being arrested by Jesse.
Gallery[]
