In the short story Triangle at Rhodes, Marjorie Emma Gold was the wife of Douglas Gold and a guest at the resort hotel in Rhodes where Poirot was hoping to have a quiet holiday. She had a secret affair with Tony Chantry and plotted with him to murder his wife Valentine Chantry and then frame Douglas for the murder.
Shortly before the killing, Marjorie suggested to all who would listen that she was distressed that her husband was in love with Valentine. Poirot discerned that she was merely stage managing and misdirecting attention to the wrong love triangle, that of Tony, Douglas and Valentine.
Poirot told Pamela Lyall that Marjorie was a "very clever woman ... amazingly attractive in her demure Madonna, poor-little-thing-way". He had known four women criminals of the same type: Mrs Adams who murdered her husband but was acquitted, Mary Parker, who killed an aunt, a lover and two brothers before she got careless and was caught, Mrs Rowden and Mrs Lecray.
Portrayals[]
Marjorie Gold was played by Angela Down in the film adaptation of the story in episode 6 of Series 1 of ITV's Agatha Christie's Poirot drama series. One added plot element which became a clue for Poirot was Marjorie telling Pamela of her distress that Douglas wanted to divorce her. Poirot had earlier noticed that Douglas was a devout catholic and so this could not be true. In the film also, it transpired that Marjorie was the one who had purchased the exotic poison from a herbalist in the old town of Rhodes.