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Beryl Stapleton, née García, is the wife of Jack Stapleton. She was a native of the Central American republic of Costa Rica, where she was known as a beauty (she is described as speaking with a lisp, though it may be just her accent). There she attracted the attention of Stapleton, then going by his real name of Rodger Baskerville III and son of the disgraced Rodger Baskerville II. After their marriage, the couple were forced to flee the country when her husband embezzled a significant sum of public money. They changed their name to Vandeleur and moved to England, where they and attempted to open a public school. The venture failed spectacularly after an incident that brought "infamy" on the school, which Stapleton claims to Dr Watson was an epidemic that killed several students. The couple fled again, and Jack lived for a while on robbery. He eventually plotted to kill off the remaining Baskervilles in order to get the inheritance money that would come from the estate.

Appearance

Beryl was described to be an extraordinarily beautiful woman: a proud, finely-cut, and regular face with a sensitive mouth and dark, eager eyes. Her figure was tall, slim, and elegant.

Even before he learned of the truth, Dr. Watson found it difficult to believe that Beryl and Jack were what they claimed to be (siblings), for Beryl's beauty was a dramatic contrast to Jack's looks: while she was "darker than any brunette" Watson had ever seen in England, Jack was light-haired and grey-eyed. There was also something "tropical and exotic" about her demeanour and her air, which was wholly different from those of Jack's, who was "cool and unemotional".

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