Harriet Horner is an undercover IRS agent and the love interest of James Bond in the novel, Scorpius.
Novel biography[]
When M assigns James Bond to investigate the mysterious Vladimir Scorpius, Bond uses the alias "James Boldman" at an Avante Carte office on Oxford Street. He is approached by Harriet Horner whom he asks for an application to obtain membership. She tells him that an application is only available through invite into the Society of the Meek Ones. They are soon approached by Mr. Hathaway (Horner's employer) and two gunmen who reveals Bond's identity. The three are later killed by Bond and Horner. She next tells Bond she is an undercover agent for the U.S. Internal Revenue Service.
Horner is then taken to a safehouse in Kilburn for interrogation by David Wolkovsky. Later on, Bond transports Horner and Sergeant Pearlman to a clinic where they interrogate a captured cult member. Following this, the clinic is bombed and Horner is later abducted by Scorpius' men. Pearlman later reveals to Bond that he had been feeding Scorpius information because his daughter, Ruth, is a member of the Meek Ones and he hopes to free her from the cult. He takes Bond to Scorpius' headquarters in South Carolina where Bond sees Horner is being placed under a hypnotic trance as delivered by Scorpius.
In a bedroom, Bond is later reunited with Horner who tells him that Scorpius is trying to make her into a Meek One. She also tells him that Scorpius plans for Bond to marry her. At dinner, Scorpius reveals to Bond that Harriet is his godchild as her father entrusted him to take care of her. Knowing the marriage will be invalid, Bond proceeds with the marriage hoping it would give them time to escape. The two eventually attempt to escape the island through a marsh filled with moccasins. Unfortunately, Horner is stung with poison by the moccasin. Bond is later rescued by Wolkowsky who informs that the FBI is launching a raid on Scorpius' headquarters, which further angers Bond as her death was in vain.
Returning to his island, Bond pursues Scorpius and forces him to die in a similar manner as Horner's.