Lady Markby

Lady Markby arrives at the Chilterns' with Mrs. Cheveley in tow, cheerfully admitting she has no idea which Cheveleys these are — 'families are so mixed nowadays.' She is a one-woman gossip exchange, mourning Sir John's political temper, praising Vienna's scandals and its chef in the same breath, and introducing the woman whose arrival will unsettle everything. She matters because she is the play's comic engine of social connection: harmless, indiscreet, and exactly the kind of hostess through whom a dangerous newcomer gains entry.