Mrs Benson

In the novel Cards on the Table, Mrs Benson was a former employer of Anne Meredith. She died after drinking hat paint, kept in an old medicine bottle. First it was believed it was by accident, but Poirot suspected that Anne had murdered her.

Mrs Benson lived in Combeacre in Devon and was a rigid Christian woman. Those who knew her described has as being "a trifle severe towards young people". She was a disagreeable woman, who worked her companions hard, and changed her servants often.

Mrs Benson was in the habit of taking Syrup of Figs regularly. Anne had been helping her brighten up a garden hat with some hat paint, and the bottle broke, so Mrs Benson instructed her to put the leftover paint into an empty Syrup of Figs bottle. The bottle containing the hat paint was then put on the top shelf in the bathroom, and was not re-labelled.

On the night of her death, Mrs Benson went into the bathroom and took down a Syrup of Figs bottle. She poured herself a dose and drank it, and then realised that she had drunk hat paint instead of Syrup of Figs. They had sent for the doctor, but he was out on a case, and was not able to come immediately. They had done everything they could, but Mrs Benson had died.

Portrayals
In the film adaptation of Cards on the Table in Series 10 of ITV's Agatha Christie's Poirot drama series, Mrs Benson becomes the aunt of Rhoda Dawes. The character of Mrs Deering is omitted. Mrs Benson is seen on screen several times in flashback, when she catches Anne Meredith stealing and when Anne accidentally drops a bottle of silver polish and then transfers the contents to an empty syrup of figs bottle. Later Mrs Benson is seen taking a syrup of figs bottle from the bath cabinet and drinking a teaspoon of it and then starts to feel ill. However she does not have a speaking part and the actress who portrayed her is not credited.