# Mrs. Arbuthnot — The Enchanted April character guide > Mrs. Arbuthnot in The Enchanted April by Elizabeth von Arnim. **Role:** major **Also known as:** Rose Arbuthnot, Rose, Arbuthnot **First appearance:** 0000-i ## Snapshot A devout, self-denying woman whose austere marriage has starved her of tenderness, and who hopes Italy might restore what London has withered. ## Who they are Rose Arbuthnot is Lotty's friend and fellow adventurer, a woman of strict conscience and hidden hunger whose Hampstead house is cold and whose husband Frederick is mostly absent. At San Salvatore she is stirred but not consoled: she wants to be 'privately important' to someone, and the ache of that wish makes her restless, vain, and irritable in ways she barely recognizes. Her longing for a telegram from Frederick anchors the novel's meditation on marriage and worth. ## Relationships ### [Frederick](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_enchanted_april_se/characters/frederick) _romantic_ Frederick is Mrs. Arbuthnot's estranged husband, and their interactions are marked by longing, tension, and a slow rekindling of affection. ### [Mrs. Fisher](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_enchanted_april_se/characters/mrs_fisher) _social_ They are fellow guests at the castle, maintaining a polite but distant acquaintance with occasional moments of understanding. ### [Mrs. Wilkins](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_enchanted_april_se/characters/mrs_wilkins) _friendship_ They form a close, supportive friendship, bonding over their shared escape from unhappy marriages and finding renewal. ### [Mr. Wilkins](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_enchanted_april_se/characters/mr_wilkins) _social_ They are cordial fellow guests, with Mr. Wilkins occasionally teasing or provoking her, but without real hostility. ### [Scrap](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_enchanted_april_se/characters/scrap) _friendship_ They are friendly fellow guests, with Mrs. Arbuthnot often acting as a calming, maternal presence for Scrap. ### [Mrs. Fisher](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_enchanted_april_se/characters/mrs_fisher) _social_ They are fellow guests at the castle, maintaining a polite but distant acquaintance with occasional moments of understanding. ### [Mrs. Wilkins](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_enchanted_april_se/characters/mrs_wilkins) _friendship_ They form a close, supportive friendship, bonding over their shared escape from unhappy marriages and finding renewal. ### [Mrs. Fisher](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_enchanted_april_se/characters/mrs_fisher) _social_ They are fellow guests at the castle, maintaining a polite but distant acquaintance with occasional moments of understanding. ### [Frederick](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_enchanted_april_se/characters/frederick) _romantic_ Frederick is Mrs. Arbuthnot's estranged husband, and their interactions are marked by longing, tension, and a slow rekindling of affection. ### [Frederick](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_enchanted_april_se/characters/frederick) _romantic_ Frederick is Mrs. Arbuthnot's estranged husband, and their interactions are marked by longing, tension, and a slow rekindling of affection. ### [Mr. Wilkins](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_enchanted_april_se/characters/mr_wilkins) _social_ They are cordial fellow guests, with Mr. Wilkins occasionally teasing or provoking her, but without real hostility. ### [Mrs. Wilkins](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_enchanted_april_se/characters/mrs_wilkins) _friendship_ They form a close, supportive friendship, bonding over their shared escape from unhappy marriages and finding renewal. ## In the story ### [I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_enchanted_april_se/chapters/i) A sad, efficient woman absorbed in the same advertisement; she is surprised but receptive when Mrs. Wilkins addresses her. ### [II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_enchanted_april_se/chapters/ii) Struggles with guilt and excitement over the prospect of the Italian holiday; prays for guidance but cannot bring herself to ask God to prevent the trip; reflects on her marriage to Frederick and her life of charity. ### [III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_enchanted_april_se/chapters/iii) Calm and dignified during the interview; insists references are not needed; later pays the full castle rent in person to the owner. ### [IV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_enchanted_april_se/chapters/iv) Tormented by conscience over the deception; gives £100 to charity; writes a note to Frederick before leaving. ### [V](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_enchanted_april_se/chapters/v) Travels with Mrs. Wilkins; remains calm and patient during the chaotic arrival; calls Mrs. Wilkins 'Dear Lotty'. ### [VI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_enchanted_april_se/chapters/vi) Wakes up feeling secure and happy for the first time in years, without dreaming of Frederick, and shares a moment of harmony with Mrs. Wilkins. ### [VII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_enchanted_april_se/chapters/vii) Quietly reflects on the moral hierarchy of the party, feeling that she and Lotty should be the hostesses; she is polite but subtly resistant to Mrs. Fisher's assumption of control. ### [VIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_enchanted_april_se/chapters/viii) Initially pensive and discomposed by Mrs. Fisher's behavior, she is gradually soothed by the beauty of the garden and joins Mrs. Wilkins in a moment of complete happiness. ### [IX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_enchanted_april_se/chapters/ix) Tenderly tries to care for Scrap, offering tea and coffee. ### [XI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_enchanted_april_se/chapters/xi) Struggles with her feelings about Frederick, unable to bring herself to write to him; observes Lotty's rapid spiritual growth with bewilderment and concern. ### [XII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_enchanted_april_se/chapters/xii) Embarrassed by Mrs. Wilkins' tactless remarks about inviting husbands; shares Mrs. Fisher's disapproval. ### [XIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_enchanted_april_se/chapters/xiii) Sits alone among the rocks, yearning for Frederick and her dead baby, unable to pray, and feeling her past happiness stripped away by San Salvatore. ### [XIV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_enchanted_april_se/chapters/xiv) Hears Mrs. Wilkins pass beneath her window and sighs, taking cover in her room for breakfast. ### [XV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_enchanted_april_se/chapters/xv) Acts as a dignified hostess, is perceived as retiring by Mr. Wilkins, and blushes during their brief encounter. ### [XVI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_enchanted_april_se/chapters/xvi) Rose begins to think of writing to Frederick, hoping San Salvatore might change him; she questions her former strait-lacedness. ### [XVII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_enchanted_april_se/chapters/xvii) Writes to Frederick in a moment of weakness, then regrets it; struggles with vanity, irritability, and a sense of being a bore; seeks solitude but is sought out by Mr. Wilkins and Mr. Briggs. ### [XVIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_enchanted_april_se/chapters/xviii) Rose walks with Mr. Briggs, feels flattered by his attention, and begins to recover from her disappointment about Frederick. She reflects on her blindness to the beauty of San Salvatore and feels penitent for her past behavior toward Mrs. Fisher. ### [XX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_enchanted_april_se/chapters/xx) Resolves to confront Frederick, experiences joy at his arrival, and reflects on her brief admiration from Mr. Briggs. ### [XXI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_enchanted_april_se/chapters/xxi) Rose passionately embraces Frederick, showing her restored love and happiness at his arrival. ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_enchanted_april_se/characters/mrs_arbuthnot - Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_enchanted_april_se - All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_enchanted_april_se/characters