In the short story The Clergyman's Daughter/The Red House, Mrs Deane is the widowed mother of Monica Deane. Her husband had been rector in Little Hempsley in Suffolk. After he died, Monica worked for a while as a governess but had to stop when Mrs Deane became a confirmed invalid. When Monica inherited Red House from her father's aunt, she and Mrs Deane decided to move in and run the it as a boarding house to earn some income.
Monica was surprised that the estate she inherited seemed to have so little money along with the house, and wondered why. Tommy Beresford believed there must be money hidden somewhere. Fortunately, Mrs Deane did not believe in throwing old papers away. She had kept all of the aunt's papers, including some old-fashioned recipes which she intended to go through some day. These would prove instrumental in unravelling the mystery.