In Dumas's novel, Felton is portrayed as a Puritan who serves the fictional Lord de Winter. Felton is entrusted by de Winter to guard Milady de Winter, the widow of his brother and a French spy. Milady's master Cardinal Richelieu has ordered her to have Buckingham murdered so that he will not aid the Huguenot cause in the city of La Rochelle. As they question each other she puts on a façade of sorrow and broken innocence, even pretending to be a Puritan like Felton, and inventing a story of being drugged and raped by the duke. Milady manages to seduce Felton in a matter of days. They finally escape together, and Felton is sent to stab Buckingham, which he then justifies on the grounds of his lack of promotion in order to protect Milady. However, Felton realises that he has been deceived when Milady sails away without him, and he is left to be hanged for his crime.