Short Fiction · Character
Mary Chadleigh
A girl who spent her childhood watching the door for a mother who never came, and now must grieve a stranger she loved on faith alone.
supporting
Also known as Little Mary Chadleigh, Miss Chadleigh, Chadleigh, Mary, young Chadleigh, poor Miss Chadleigh, old Chadleigh, Miss Mary Chadleigh, Poor Mary Chadleigh
First appearance: a chapter in the history of a tyrone family
As a supporting figure in Short Fiction, Mary Chadleigh is not background color—the story leans on what they do once the chapter opens.
Referred to as Miss Chadleigh; discovered dying in bed during the narrator's intrusion.
Within Sir Arthur's household her mother's name is proscribed, and Mary has learned to swallow her questions and keep her longings to herself. Her secret life is a castle of reveries in which Lady Chadleigh one day returns and loves her as she wishes to be loved; the black dresses arrive before the wish ever can. That stored-up, unspent affection makes her the tenderest and most exposed figure in the house, and the natural doorway through which the story's strangeness first enters.
Free preview opens at this moment — character cards, Character Web, and themes sit beside the text as you read.
Character Web
33 connectionsA slice of how Mary Chadleigh sits in the book — open the reader for the full interactive map.
Relationship types
- Romantic
- Other
Character groups
- Carmilla story figures
- Supernatural encounters
- Ghost story narrators
+28 more in the full Character Web
Open in readerNarrative arc
Story tension across the book.
- Setup
- Escalation
- Breaking point
- Aftermath
- Closing
This is the story's dramatic climax because it marks the psychological peak of the narrator's horror and the r…
Full beat labels and climax notes unlock in the reader.
Follow the arc while readingRelationships
- Mr. Jennings
romantic · positive
Mary Chadleigh and Mr. How this plays out →
- Mr. Jennings
romantic · positive
Mary Chadleigh and Mr. How this plays out →
- Mr. Jennings
romantic · positive
Mary Chadleigh and Mr. How this plays out →
Relationship notes
How these ties play out is in the reading companion — open the free preview.
See Mary Chadleigh in a chapter in the history of a tyrone familyIn the story
Mary Chadleigh appears across 1 companion beat. Open any chapter in the free preview to see the notes beside the text.
Chapter companion notes
Spoil-light check-ins for Mary Chadleigh unlock in the free preview.
See Mary Chadleigh in a chapter in the history of a tyrone family