Charles Augustus Milverton (Easy Classics)

The story's title character is a blackmailer who specializes in threatening to destroy the reputations of aristocratic women. Milverton obtains some letters written by Lady Eva Bracklewell. If the contents of the letters were made public, Lady Eva's marriage to the Earl of Dovercourt would have to be cancelled. Lady Eva hires Sherlock Holmes to help her. Holmes tries unsuccessfully to persuade Milverton not to blackmail Lady Eva or to at least accept less money from her. He then tries and fails to take the letters from Milverton by force. Believing that he has no other option, Holmes decides to break into Milverton's house and steal the letters. The character of Charles Augustus Milverton is based on the genuine historical figure Charles Augustus Howell, an art dealer and alleged blackmailer who died in mysterious circumstances in 1890.