Hugo Hamilton is a minor character who features in the 1939 novel, And Then There Were None. He is the ex-lover of Vera Claythorne, who leaves her following the death of his nephew Cyril. While most people, including Cyril's mother, do not blame Vera for Cyril's death, Hugo believes that she deliberately set the boy up to drown and will not have anything more to do with her.
Role in the story[]
Hugo Hamilton was born into a wealthy family and was the younger of his father's two children. Whilst his older brother, Maurice found love, Hugo remained a bachelor for some time. Maurice inherited the family fortune while Hugo was expected to manage on his own, but he remained close to the family.
When Maurice unexpectedly died, Hugo, as the sole surviving heir to his deceased parents, stood a chance of inheriting the family fortune. However, this all changed when three months later, Mrs Hamilton (Maurice's widow) gave birth to a son, Cyril, who beecame the legal heir to the Hamilton fortune. Hugo was disappointed, but did not hold a grudge. On the contrary, he treated the boy with nothing short of love and affection.
Cyril was a sickly child who could not attend school. As such he was home taught and accompanied his mother on frequent holidays. It was during one such excursion that Hugo met Vera Claythorne, Cyril's governess. The pair developed a mutual attraction for one another, which quickly blossomed into love. For as much as he loved her however, Hugo admitted to Vera that he could not marry her, due to his financial situation. Unfortunately, this simple confession would have tragic and devastating consequences for the Hamiltons.
On 11th August 1935, whilst the family was on holiday at the coast, Cyril Hamilton died by drowning. According to Vera, he sneaked away whilst she was not watching and tried to swim out to some rocks offshore. When she realised what had happened, Vera had apparently swum after Cyril, but, despite her best efforts, could not reach him in time. Although both were ultimately pulled from the water, Cyril was pronounced dead at the scene. As a result of this, the shocked and horrified Hugo, inherited his family's money, bringing an end to his financial troubles.
An inquest into the incident cleared Vera Claythorne of any blame. After hearing her testimony, the coroner commended her for her efforts and, although distraught, Mrs Hamilton likewise thanked Vera for at least trying to save her son. To Vera's astonishment and confusion, however, Hugo completely avoided her and not long afterwards he disappeared out of her life. It did not take Vera long to discern the reason why: Hugo had figured out the truth — that she had intentionally let Cyril drown so that he could inherit his family's fortune and marry her.
Vera made a desperate attempt to contact Hugo, but he never responded to her letter and she never saw him again. Years later, Vera remained deeply affected by the loss of Hugo. Despite her best efforts, she thought about him often, wondering where Hugo was and what he was doing.
In his final letter, Lawrence Wargrave revealed that he had met with Hugo on a cruise. Deeply traumatized by Cyril's death and torn between loving Vera as a person and hating her for what she had done, Hugo had become an alcoholic. Carefully plying the young man with questions, Wargrave gathered all the information that he could about the circumstances surrounding Cyril's death. After corroborating the facts, Wargrave agreed with Hugo's assessment about Vera and chose her as one of the victims for his grand scheme.
Vera would ultimately receive her justice at the climax of the events on Soldier Island. As the bodies pilled up, she became haunted by the idea that Hugo himself was on the island. When, in the end, she thought that she was the last survivor and that Hugo was waiting for her, she even believed that the last line of the nursery rhyme was that the final soldier boy "got married".
Driven mad by the trauma and her own personal guilt, Vera ultimately hanged herself, thinking that it was what Hugo would have wanted. It is not known how Hugo reacted to the news of Vera's death.
Adaptations[]
In most of the stage and film adaptations of And Then There Were None, Vera is accused of killing her sister's fiancee which she denies to the end. Cyril's death is the accusation laid at her in the 1989 film Ten Little Indians.
The 2015 BBC miniseries does include Hugo as the bereaved uncle, portrayed by Rob Heaps. Scenes include Hugo visiting Vera in hospital, where he is able to take note of both her behaviour and words, making his suspicion of her causing Cyril's death deliberately that more pronounced. Like in the book, Hugo watched Vera testify at the inquest, whereupon he realised that she had indeed killed Cyril. Unlike in the book however, where he simply left, Hugo confronts Vera directly about what she has done. Although Vera tries to deny any involvement, stating that she loves Hugo, he does not believe her. Barely able to control his temper, Hugo makes it very clear that he now hates Vera, stating how much her actions have hurt him because he genuinely loved Cyril. He even states that if he ever finds a way to prove what she has done, he will make sure she is hanged as a murderer.