# Emily — Antic Hay character guide

> Emily in Antic Hay by Aldous Huxley.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** Mrs. Emily X.

**First appearance:** 0005-iv

## Snapshot

A married young woman with candid eyes and hilariously unruly brown hair, met by Gumbril in the National Gallery and drawn into an intimacy she never quite chose.

## Who they are

Emily is the elder, graver half of a giggling pair, first encountered when Molly whispers 'Beaver' behind Gumbril's back and she blushes to the eyes. Her marriage is real but kept deliberately vague, wrapped in silences and Molly's indiscreet laughter, and she follows where the bolder girl leads. Her slow, half-reluctant yielding to the Complete Man tests whether Gumbril's swaggering vitality can survive contact with someone sincere.

## Relationships

### [Theodore Gumbril](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/antic_hay_se/characters/theodore_gumbril)

_romantic_

Emily is a young woman with whom Gumbril has a tender but ultimately fleeting romantic encounter.

### [Theodore Gumbril](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/antic_hay_se/characters/theodore_gumbril)

_romantic_

Emily is a young woman with whom Gumbril has a tender but ultimately fleeting romantic encounter.

### [Theodore Gumbril](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/antic_hay_se/characters/theodore_gumbril)

_romantic_

Emily is a young woman with whom Gumbril has a tender but ultimately fleeting romantic encounter.

## In the story

### [IX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/antic_hay_se/chapters/ix)

The mysterious woman who meets Gumbril at the National Gallery and later at shop windows. She is described as having green eyes, a slightly aquiline nose, and a wide mouth. She invites Gumbril to her maisonnette in Bloxam Gardens, complaining of her husband's neglect.

### [XII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/antic_hay_se/chapters/xii)

Reveals her traumatic past marriage, her love of flowers and music, and her initial distrust of men; forgives Gumbril after his apology.

### [XIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/antic_hay_se/chapters/xiii)

Shares a deep emotional and physical intimacy with Gumbril, reflecting on happiness and the passage of time.

### [XIV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/antic_hay_se/chapters/xiv)

Mentioned as the recipient of Gumbril's planned visit; she has taken a cottage in Sussex and awaits him.

### [XV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/antic_hay_se/chapters/xv)

Appears in Gumbril's memory as a vision of genuine connection and intimacy, contrasting with the cabaret's artificiality.

### [Chapter XVII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/antic_hay_se/chapters/xvii)

Has left the cottage without leaving an address; her letter to Gumbril is quoted at length, expressing her disappointment and her decision to end their relationship.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/antic_hay_se/characters/emily
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/antic_hay_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/antic_hay_se/characters