Lady Audley's Secret

Sir Michael is a 56-year-old man who has been widowed for 17 years. He is conscious of his age, and grieves the loss of his youth. This is one of the reasons he is bewitched by “Lucy Graham” upon their first meeting.

Sir Michael initially harbors fantasies about Lucy falling in love with him. Even if she is not besotted with him in the same way that he is with her, he believes that his provision of love and care will appeal to her. He does not want to believe that she would marry him solely for his money and status, but, when she agrees to marry him, Lucy reveals that this is her main motive. Sir Michael is dejected but agrees.

When Lady Audley’s past is revealed, Sir Michael is again reminded that his wife was motivated by his money and status. He realizes that he has been blinded by her feminine wiles and has neglected his only daughter.

Despite being the head of the household, he is depicted as naïve and ignorant of all that is going on throughout much of the novel. However, hearing the truth serves as a wakeup call and he entrusts Lady Audley’s future to Robert, saying that he does not want to know anything further of this woman. He is crestfallen, but his daughter does her best to help him recover. 

Alicia is a hot-headed teenager, who resents her father’s marriage to a woman she considers vacuous. She frequently makes barbed comments about her stepmother, and is exasperated by men’s tendency to fall under her spell. In Alicia’s eyes, Lady Audley is akin to a doll or a mannequin. The pair would most likely be engaged in arguments were it not for Lady Audley’s placid demeanor.

Alicia is in love with her cousin Robert, and his failure to requite her love is another source of annoyance to her. They squabble regularly, and Alicia wonders why she bothers with someone who pays her so little attention—as opposed to her would-be suitor, Harry Towers.

Though Robert is fond of Alicia, he finds her a nuisance and laments that she has been brought up in the countryside rather than a more civilized environment. Eventually, Robert makes it clear that he loves Alicia as though she were his sister, and Alicia realizes that she has been silly to behave in such a petulant manner. In the final chapter, it is revealed that she is engaged to Harry.

Alicia’s more mature stance regarding Robert is echoed in her treatment of her father during the novel’s later chapters. Once Robert has told her that Sir Michael is grieving as a result of Lady Audley’s actions, Alicia agrees to accompany her father abroad. Though Sir Michael is downhearted, Alicia does her best to keep his mind off whatever has happened.

Sir Michael’s nephew, Robert, is first presented as a feckless idler. Though technically a barrister, he has enough money that he does not need to pursue his profession. He is ridiculed by his colleagues and seen as an eccentric. However, when he runs into his childhood friend George Talboys, his life soon veers into a different direction and he becomes an amateur detective, as well as the novel’s protagonist.

As George is grief-stricken by news of his wife’s supposed death, Robert takes him in and the two renew their friendship. Robert tries to divert George’s thoughts away from his loss by going on a trip to Audley, though this is what brings about George’s encounter with his former wife.

When George disappears for no apparent reason, Robert is perplexed and lonely. The rest of the family do not think it is cause for alarm, nor does George’s father, but as time goes on and no news arrives, Robert takes it upon himself to investigate. As he proceeds, he finds that he has a talent for detective work and realizes that maybe he should not continue to fritter his life away.

Upon encountering obstacles and confusion in his investigation, Robert has moments when he wonders if he should give up. However, his sense of devotion to George is persistent, and Clara Talboys’ desperate wish to find her brother makes a big impact on him.

Clara also influences him on a personal level, and prompts him to reconsider the direction of his life. Robert often makes derogatory remarks about women, his opinions being shaped by characters such as the scheming, dangerous Lady Audley or the benign but annoying Alicia. His observation of them leads to his wider ruminations about women and their faults. However, he quickly becomes fond of Clara, who encourages him to rethink his lifestyle and apply himself to an occupation. Envisaging the prospect of a life with Clara, he is much more inclined to make this change.

During his investigations, Robert is persistent and refuses to be dissuaded. Even so, he displays a surprising amount of fairness and leniency in his dealings with Lady Audley. Not only does he give her the chance to run away, he seeks medical attention for her after she claims that she has hereditary madness. He accompanies her to the institution where she will live out the rest of her days and ensures that no one knows about her background.

Though Lady Audley says that Robert is cruel, it is apparent that he has gone to a great deal of effort to secure her comfort. With Sir Michael unwilling to even say his former wife’s name, Robert takes on the responsibility of planning her future. 

George is the son of a wealthy father and Helen Maldon was keen to marry him for this reason. However, upon learning that his son had married a woman from a poor background, his father cut all ties. It is this that ultimately prompted George to go to Australia to earn a living, his intention being to return to support his wife and child. However, upon returning to England, he is horrified to learn that his wife is dead.

While Helen may have married him for his money, it is clear that George cares deeply for his wife. He fails to recover from her “death” and is plagued with grief. Robert attempts to distract him by taking him to Audley: an event that catalyzes the narrative. Though the link between George and Lady Audley is not made explicit until later, when they meet it is clear that all is not right and that George is troubled.

Later, Lady Audley says that George had insisted on finding her and revealing the truth; despite her pleas for him to leave her alone. This is believable, as George is depicted as someone who would do anything in his power to find his wife. However, in a letter that Luke Marks reveals later on—written after Lady Audley’s first attempted murder—George states that he will no longer pursue his wife and hopes that God will forgive her as he has done.

When he finally returns to London, George reveals that he has been in New York where he found himself lonely and troubled by his burden: a burden that only his immediate family and friends could understand. This prompted his return, and he goes on to live with George and Clara. At the novel’s conclusion, his grief is slowly diminishing and he is being visited by his son.

George’s father is a tough, no-nonsense man who seems lacking in compassion; not least towards his son. Indeed, by cutting ties with George because he deemed his wife unsuitable, he sets in motion the novel’s tragic events. Robert compares him to Junius Brutus and is surprised that George is so amiable given his father’s cold, ruthless character.

Harcourt Talboys is also depicted as vain: not in terms of his appearance but rather his lofty status. Indeed, it is only by appealing to his vanity that Robert is able to get his attention. He rejects the idea that something terrible may have happened to George, insisting that his son is just trying to worry him and get his attention. This attitude supports Robert’s observation that Harcourt sees himself as the center of the universe.

Despite his vanity, Harcourt ultimately admits that he has been worried about George and is pleased to see him. Regarding Lady Audley, however, he says that he would have been far less lenient than Robert in deciding her fate. 

When Robert first meets Clara, he finds her much like her father: cold and seemingly indifferent. Shortly afterwards, he finds that the opposite is true. Clara reveals that her brother has been her sole companion in life and that she is desperate to find him. She explains that she has tried in the past to appeal to her father emotionally, but found that it only made things worse. This is why she put up a front of indifference.

Clara does not have the childish energy of Alicia but rather a noble, resolute demeanor that Robert finds appealing. Given his fondness for George, Clara’s devotion to her brother is also pleasing to him. For a long time, the two relate to each another as companions bound by their concern for George. However, Robert ultimately reveals that he loves her. In the final chapter, they are depicted living in an idyllic countryside cottage, parents to a young child. 

Helen’s father is a former sea captain who has struggled to stay afloat financially. According to George, it was Mr. Maldon who fleeced Helen and himself of the last of their money. Also, the woman who owns the family’s old house remembers Helen and her father having a serious misunderstanding, prompting Helen to leave Wildernsea. She speculates that Mr. Maldon had been spending her hard-earned money in public houses.

Mr. Maldon comes across as a shambling character who is frequently drunk and is motivated by the prospect of money; especially since, unlike Harcourt Talboys, he is not from a wealthy background. His relationship with Helen seems strained, as, according to his grandson, he complains that she “uses him very hard and that he can't keep the wolf from the door” (149).

He often seems confused and inarticulate as he tries to keep up with his daughter’s cover story. He does not have a predilection for being cunning or dangerous, and appears less volatile than his daughter or wife: both of whom have apparently been afflicted with a degree of madness. He also emphasizes to Robert that he has never mistreated his grandson.

Despite his role in the conspiracy, he is horrified to learn that Helen may have killed George. Ultimately, he is presented as a pitiful character rather than an evil one and, in his weakness and desperation, he stands in contrast to George’s father, who is composed and aloof. 

When Robert visits Mr. Maldon’s house, he finds that a woman is looking after George’s son and appears nervous. Consequently, he believes that she is part of the conspiracy; whatever it may be. As he later learns, she was the mother of Matilda: the young woman whose body lies in Helen Talboys’ grave. Mrs. Plowson was struggling financially and, according to Lady Audley, was willing to do anything in exchange for the amount of money on offer. She and her daughter thus serve as vital components in Helen Talboys’ plan to deceive George. 

George’s son is precocious and charming; in particular, Robert is surprised by his culinary tastes (he rejects bread and milk, asking for veal cutlets). The young George has seen little of his father throughout his life, and has failed to form a bond with him. Similarly, he does not know his mother. He has been raised by his grandfather, who he loves very much. Still, he is happy when Robert offers him the chance to attend school.

Because of his youth and ignorance of all that is going on regarding his parents, George is inclined to make comments that would otherwise be hushed up. Most notably, he talks of a “pretty lady” who gave him a watch. Robert observes that the woman who is looking after him seems nervous, as though a conspiracy exists that the child may unwittingly reveal. 

At the conclusion of the novel, George has been reunited with his father and they are establishing a bond.