# Margot Beste-Chetwynde — Decline and Fall character guide > Margot Beste-Chetwynde in Decline and Fall by Evelyn Waugh. **Role:** major **Also known as:** Mrs. Beste-Chetwynde, Margot, Greta **First appearance:** 0015-part-ii-ii-interlude-in-belgravia ## Snapshot A dazzling society hostess and one of the most beautiful women in England, whose wealth and charm make her both Paul's dream and his undoing. ## Who they are Margot Beste-Chetwynde is the fashionable widow whose son Peter attends Llanabba, and whose engagement to Paul becomes a national sensation — announced in the papers, then shattered by his dramatic arrest hours before the wedding. Paul's long meditation on her, torn between inherited codes of honour and Peter's simple plea that you cannot see Mamma in prison, exposes the double standard at the heart of the society she rules. She matters because she is the novel's central test of whether charm, money, and beauty constitute a law unto themselves — and because Paul's answer, that there should be one law for her and another for himself, seals his fate. ## Relationships ### [Paul Pennyfeather](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/decline_and_fall_se/characters/paul_pennyfeather) _romantic_ Margot seduces and marries Paul, but their relationship is built on manipulation and social ambition rather than genuine affection. ### [Captain Grimes](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/decline_and_fall_se/characters/captain_grimes) _social_ Grimes is a peripheral acquaintance of Margot, mostly through his connection to Paul and her social circle. ### [Professor Silenus](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/decline_and_fall_se/characters/professor_silenus) _professional_ Margot hires Professor Silenus as the eccentric architect for her modernist house, King's Thursday, treating him as a fashionable novelty. ### [Peter Beste-Chetwynde](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/decline_and_fall_se/characters/peter_beste_chetwynde) _family_ Margot is Peter's mother, but their relationship is distant and formal, with Margot more concerned with her social life than her son. ### [Dr. Fagan](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/decline_and_fall_se/characters/dr_fagan) _social_ Dr. Fagan is a sycophantic acquaintance of Margot, eager to impress her for social and financial gain. ### [Paul Pennyfeather](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/decline_and_fall_se/characters/paul_pennyfeather) _romantic_ Margot seduces and marries Paul, but their relationship is built on manipulation and social ambition rather than genuine affection. ### [Paul Pennyfeather](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/decline_and_fall_se/characters/paul_pennyfeather) _romantic_ Margot seduces and marries Paul, but their relationship is built on manipulation and social ambition rather than genuine affection. ### [Captain Grimes](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/decline_and_fall_se/characters/captain_grimes) _social_ Grimes is a peripheral acquaintance of Margot, mostly through his connection to Paul and her social circle. ### [Professor Silenus](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/decline_and_fall_se/characters/professor_silenus) _professional_ Margot hires Professor Silenus as the eccentric architect for her modernist house, King's Thursday, treating him as a fashionable novelty. ### [Dr. Fagan](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/decline_and_fall_se/characters/dr_fagan) _social_ Dr. Fagan is a sycophantic acquaintance of Margot, eager to impress her for social and financial gain. ### [Peter Beste-Chetwynde](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/decline_and_fall_se/characters/peter_beste_chetwynde) _family_ Margot is Peter's mother, but their relationship is distant and formal, with Margot more concerned with her social life than her son. ### [Peter Beste-Chetwynde](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/decline_and_fall_se/characters/peter_beste_chetwynde) _family_ Margot is Peter's mother, but their relationship is distant and formal, with Margot more concerned with her social life than her son. ## In the story ### [VIII: The Sports](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/decline_and_fall_se/chapters/part-i-viii-the-sports) Arrives in a dove-grey limousine with a Black companion named Chokey, causing a stir. ### [IX: The Sports—Continued](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/decline_and_fall_se/chapters/part-i-ix-the-sports-continued) Arrives with her companion Chokey, displaying a patronizing and bored attitude toward him and the other guests, while using her wealth to navigate the social tensions. ### [I: King’s Thursday](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/decline_and_fall_se/chapters/part-ii-i-king-s-thursday) Owner of King's Thursday; commissions its radical rebuilding by Professor Silenus. ### [Pervigilium Veneris](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/decline_and_fall_se/chapters/part-ii-iii-pervigilium-veneris) Hosts the weekend, flirts with Paul, and offers him a position in her South American enterprises. ### [Resurrection](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/decline_and_fall_se/chapters/part-ii-iv-resurrection) Interviews Grimes for the syndicate job and invites Potts to dinner. ### [V: The Latin-American Entertainment Co. Ltd.](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/decline_and_fall_se/chapters/part-ii-v-the-latin-american-entertainment-co-ltd) Conducts business interviews for her Latin-American Entertainment company, arranging jobs for young women in South America. ### [VI: A Hitch in the Wedding Preparations](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/decline_and_fall_se/chapters/part-ii-vi-a-hitch-in-the-wedding-preparations) Margot is shopping for the wedding and manages the preparations. She calls Paul about the passport problem with the young women and remains loyal to her old acquaintances. ### [Stone Walls Do Not a Prison Make](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/decline_and_fall_se/chapters/part-iii-i-stone-walls-do-not-a-prison-make) Flees to Corfu; offers to marry Sir Humphrey Maltravers to help Paul, but Paul declines. ### [IV: Nor Iron Bars a Cage](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/decline_and_fall_se/chapters/part-iii-iv-nor-iron-bars-a-cage) Visits Paul in prison; announces her engagement to Sir Humphrey Maltravers; discusses her social ostracism and her son Peter's succession as Earl. ### [Resurrection](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/decline_and_fall_se/chapters/part-iii-vii-resurrection) Margot is absent in England; she has married Sir Humphrey Maltravers (now Viscount Metroland) and sent Paul press cuttings about his supposed death. ### [Epilogue](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/decline_and_fall_se/chapters/part-iii-epilogue) Referenced as Margot Metroland, now married to Metroland; Peter mentions her current situation. ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/decline_and_fall_se/characters/margot_beste_chetwynde - Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/decline_and_fall_se - All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/decline_and_fall_se/characters