Who is Baroness de Higgins from Collected Short Stories Volume Three and what is their importance? W._Somerset_Maugham English & Literature Baroness de Higgins | Collected Short Stories Volume Three

The Baroness de Higgins invites Ashenden to play bridge with her and a group of her friends after dinner. The Baroness is an Austrian whom Ashenden believes might have given his name to the police as a spy. Later in the story "Giulia Lazzari" Ashenden indicates that he has had a brief fling with the Baroness. This fling is brought to an end when Ashenden learns that the Baroness de Higgins is indeed an Austrian spy.