# Edith — North and South character guide > Edith in North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell. **Role:** supporting **Also known as:** Miss Edith, Fancy Edith, this cousin Edith **First appearance:** 0000-i-haste-to-the-wedding ## Snapshot Margaret's pretty, frivolous cousin, now married to Captain Lennox and absorbed in London society and her new baby. ## Who they are Edith writes letters so entirely like herself that Margaret laughs aloud reading them — full of baby names, sunny skies, and small domestic dramas. She is kind but shallow, the product of a world where talents are spent on sparkle rather than substance, and her happy marriage to the easygoing Captain Lennox gives Margaret a window into a life she finds charming and increasingly unsatisfying. Her letters from Corfu and London measure the distance between Margaret's old self and the harder woman Milton is making of her. ## Relationships ### [Margaret Hale](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/north_and_south_se/characters/margaret_hale) _family_ A cousinly bond of affectionate companionship, with Edith representing Margaret's more frivolous, upper-class social world. ### [Henry Lennox](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/north_and_south_se/characters/henry_lennox) _family_ A brother-in-law and sister-in-law relationship, with Edith being Henry's sister and Margaret's cousin, connecting their families. ### [Margaret Hale](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/north_and_south_se/characters/margaret_hale) _family_ A cousinly bond of affectionate companionship, with Edith representing Margaret's more frivolous, upper-class social world. ### [Margaret Hale](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/north_and_south_se/characters/margaret_hale) _family_ A cousinly bond of affectionate companionship, with Edith representing Margaret's more frivolous, upper-class social world. ### [Henry Lennox](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/north_and_south_se/characters/henry_lennox) _family_ A brother-in-law and sister-in-law relationship, with Edith being Henry's sister and Margaret's cousin, connecting their families. ### [Henry Lennox](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/north_and_south_se/characters/henry_lennox) _family_ A brother-in-law and sister-in-law relationship, with Edith being Henry's sister and Margaret's cousin, connecting their families. ## In the story ### [I: "Haste to the Wedding"](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/north_and_south_se/chapters/i-haste-to-the-wedding) Edith is the bride-to-be, engaged to Captain Lennox. She is portrayed as somewhat materialistic, preferring a comfortable London life to the picturesque but makeshift life in Corfu. She is asleep during much of the chapter but wakes upon Captain Lennox's arrival. ### [II: Roses and Thorns](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/north_and_south_se/chapters/ii-roses-and-thorns) Margaret's cousin; her wedding is the occasion for the journey; Margaret helped with the wedding preparations. ### [III: “The More Haste the Worse Speed”](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/north_and_south_se/chapters/iii-the-more-haste-the-worse-speed) Edith is mentioned as having recently married and sailed from Plymouth; she sends a note to Margaret via Henry. ### [XXIX: A Ray of Sunshine](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/north_and_south_se/chapters/xxix-a-ray-of-sunshine) Writes a cheerful, affectionate letter to Margaret, inviting her to visit and describing her baby and sunny life. ### [Making Friends](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/north_and_south_se/chapters/xxxix-making-friends) Edith writes to Margaret, expressing sympathy and sharing plans to return to England, which Margaret looks forward to as a respite. ### [XLII: Alone! Alone!](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/north_and_south_se/chapters/xlii-alone-alone) Sends her mother to bring Margaret back to live with them, and speaks with Henry Lennox about Sholto. ### [Ease Not Peace](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/north_and_south_se/chapters/xliv-ease-not-peace) Edith is recovering from her confinement and is eager to resume her social life. She is affectionate but oblivious to Margaret's deeper feelings of dissatisfaction. ### [Something Wanting](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/north_and_south_se/chapters/xlvii-something-wanting) Reveals Mr. Bell's idea of taking Margaret to Spain, and becomes emotional at the thought of Margaret leaving. ### [XLVIII: “Ne’er to Be Found Again”](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/north_and_south_se/chapters/xlviii-ne-er-to-be-found-again) Margaret's cousin, who is distressed by the news of Mr. Bell's death and tries to prevent Margaret from traveling to Oxford alone. ### [XLIX: Breathing Tranquillity](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/north_and_south_se/chapters/xlix-breathing-tranquillity) Margaret's cousin, who playfully teases Henry about his interest in Margaret and worries about Margaret becoming 'strong-minded.' ### [Meeting Again](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/north_and_south_se/chapters/li-meeting-again) Hosts the dinner party; initially put out by Thornton's invitation but the dinner goes well. ### [LII: “Pack Clouds Away”](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/north_and_south_se/chapters/lii-pack-clouds-away) Anxiously inquires about Margaret's meeting with Henry Lennox. ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/north_and_south_se/characters/edith - Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/north_and_south_se - All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/north_and_south_se/characters