Miss Riswell is the oldest caretaker at East Hill Asylum. She is not really aware of the world outside the Asylum anymore. Caretakers are not allowed to leave the premises, for some reason. Her memory is not in good shape, she cannot remember Alexandre Du Pré ever being a patient in East Hill.
She does not allow Wakefield to take a look in the archives of the asylum due to privacy concerns. She is however easy distracted and pays no attention whatsoever when she is given a newspaper.