Rowena Deeley is a character appearing in the episode Harvest of Souls of the ITV crime drama Midsomer Murders.
Rowena is the wife of Niall Deeley and together, they operated the Black Dog pub in the village of Whitcombe Mallet, which sees a lot of visitors during the harvest fair. Though overtime, their dream started to become less profitable for them and despite Niall's commitment until the very end, Rowena was in talks with Harry Wyham to sell the pub behind his back so they could start fresh; though the price offering was much lower than the average market value as the bidding never went through, greatly angering her. She and Niall also once owned a horse named Lightning that they rented from Harry, though because they fell behind on paying stable fees, Wyham wound up repossessing it. Rowena and Niall also had an unnamed daughter that they had little time to raise or care for since she was critically ill and needed a kidney transplant ASAP. Rowena tested her parents to see if it was a match, though because Niall never met his biological parents, no progress was made and the girl died due to negligence. This mistake had haunted the Deeleys for years, though Serena Wyham would hire Rowena to be the childminder of her granddaughter Amy whenever they weren't there to look after her. Unbeknownst to Serena, however, she was in leagues with Jessica Myerscough, Amy's divorced mother, to reclaim custody of her daughter despite a restraining order that was filed on her.
On the first day of the 2015 harvest fair coming to town, Rowena sees Harry get into an argument with Sean Nevins outside the Black Dog as he follows her into the pub, where he gives her one last choice regarding the sale of the bar despite Deeley pleading she can't do it. When Niall comes in to give Wyham a "beer," he asks Rowena if he's up to his usual tricks again, though she says its nothing he can't handle. The next morning, Rowena is making a phone call with someone, presumably a doctor, about scheduling an appointment when Niall comes upstairs to inform her that Harry Wyham and that the police are investigating - unaware that he was the one who did it as part of an elaborate revenge scheme. Outside the Black Dog, the Deeleys tell DCI Barnaby and DS Nelson of Harry's offer to buy the place, his run-in with Sean and that veterenarian Clara Myerscough was heavily against his real estate plans, though Rowena chooses to omit her wanting to sell the pub to Harry. Back inside, she nervously watches them to split up to interview the Nevins and Myerscoughs when Niall calls her downstairs to discuss something. In the Black Dog, Rowena meets up with Jessica where she argues with her to pick up Amy after school on Friday, though being loyal to the Wyhams, Deeley says Serena might find out; causing Myerscough to think she's not on her side. The day after the horses get stolen from the Wyham stable, Barnaby and Nelson bring up to the Deeleys that Lightning was one of the ones that got stolen. Rowena tells them that even though she meant a lot to them, Harry would've waived their stabling fees down if they signed her over to him, though she wasn't valuable in monetary terms. When they indirectly mention to Niall of her wanting to sell the pub to Harry, she's forced to admit that they agreed a price and was going to tell him before - wanting to fight for their future, though chose to say nothing after Harry renegned at the last minute. When the police are gone, Rowena argues with Niall about their dream as he desperately tries to hold on while she says every penny they've sinked into the place is not working as they should find somewhere else. Rowena mentions finding a doctor who thinks she has a $1,000 chance to be a Mom again, though this trigger Niall's PTSD over losing their first daughter as he walks out on her. Later that night, she meets with Jessica in the pub after having a fallout with her Mom siding with Serena as she assures her she's still on her side and is doing everything she can for her, though Jess walks off to take matters into her own hands. When the police discover the horse thief's hideout next day and empty organic beer bottles lying around, they take one of them - Midsomer Nectar, to the Deeleys since their pub is the only that sells them. Rowena says it could've been anyone from the fair and when they accuse them of taking Lightning before the police could find the horses, she denies going through great lengths to take her back.
Later that night, Rowena is summoned to the Whitcombe veterenarian centre by Jessica where they fight once more about kidnapping Amy. Deeley states what she's planning is wrong and that she's loyal to Serena, though Myerscough states that she's running out of options and tells her - offscreen - just how unfairly she's been dealt by the Wyham's. Nevertheless, Jess manages to win her over as the next day, behind Serena's back, Deeley kidnaps Amy and places her into her car where they go for a car ride to rendevous with Jess in Oak Woods while ignoring a voicemail that Serena tried sending her for help after finding out her granddaughter went missing. Rowena delivers her to Myerscough and is happy to see them reunite when she asks what's the next step in her plan. Though before she can escape with her, the police catch up with Jessica as they arrest her and pry Amy away from her hands. Before its Deeley's turn to be locked up, she cries about the injustices Myerscough faced and that she is proud of what she did because no mother should ever lose a child - especially since she would know what its like. Barnaby assumes this about her and Niall's daughter as she spills the beans about her needing a kidney transplant and her parents testing for a match, but ended up dying because Niall was an adopted child and never knew his biological parents. Rowena is taken away for her part in the conspiracy, though she unknowingly gives Barnaby the last piece of the puzzle he needs to solve the mystery and confront the murderer - who just so happens to be her husband.