Lady Boynton

"I never forget. Remember that. I never forget anything. Not an action, not a name, not a face."

- Lady Boynton's famous threat towards Lady Westholme (which was thought to be a threat towards Sarah King) "You do see, don't you, that she's got to be killed?"

- Raymond Boynton to his sister, Carol, about their mother's murder

Lady Emily Boyton is the primary victim and the posthumous antagonist of Agatha Christie's Appointment With Death. She is the sadistic and condescending matron of Boynton family, as well as the abusive mother of her four children.

In the 1988 film adaptation, she was portrayed by Piper Laurie, who also portrayed Margaret White. In Agatha Christie's Poirot, she was portrayed by Cheryl Campbell.

Overview
Formerly a prison warden, Lady Emily Boynton is the second wife of the late Lord Boynton and stepmother to the three Boynton children – Lennox, Raymond, and Carol – and mother to Ginevra. She carried over her sadistic and domineering attitude from her original occupation onto her children, being sadistically abusive.

After her husband's demise, she blackmailed the family lawyer, Jefferson Cope, into destroying a second will of her late husband that would have freed the children from her dominating influence and allowed them to inherit $200,000 each.

Sarah King, who was fell in love with Lennox Boynton, attempted to save the Boynton children from their harm, but when she tried to confront Lady Boyton, Sarah heard her saying she never forgot anything, something she thought to be herself. However, it was revealed to be Lady Westholme, a parliament member and Lady Boynton's secretary, who would become a new subject to torture due to Lady Boynton's lust for torment.

Lady Westholme later poisoned Lady Boynton, using a lethal dose of digitalis under the guise of an inconspicuous Arab servant to commit the murder, as an attempt for keeping her past secret as a criminal, once imprisoned in the very same prison where Lady Boynton served as its warden.. After Poirot solved the case, Lady Westholme committed suicide to evade capture. The Boynton children were eventually freed from their abusive mother and moved on to their newer and better life.

Trivia

 * The famous threat made by Lady Boynton never made it to Agatha Christie's Poirot, due to the adaptational change of Lady Westholme's murder motive in this version.