# Mrs. Wilkins — The Enchanted April character guide > Mrs. Wilkins in The Enchanted April by Elizabeth von Arnim. **Role:** major **Also known as:** Lotty, Dear Lotty, the leaping Lotty **First appearance:** 0000-i ## Snapshot A buoyant, impulsive London wife who seizes a newspaper advertisement and a month in Italy as escape from her husband's suffocating self-regard. ## Who they are Lotty Wilkins is the engine of the plot: it is her sudden, rapturous idea to rent San Salvatore that gathers the four women under one roof. Married to the pompous Mellersh, she has learned to read people with startling accuracy and to speak truths others avoid — she tells Mr. Wilkins plainly that Mrs. Fisher 'hasn't got love.' Her openness is both her gift and her vulnerability, and her instinct that Italy can remake a person drives the book's central wager. ## Relationships ### [Mrs. Fisher](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_enchanted_april_se/characters/mrs_fisher) _psychological_ Mrs. Fisher initially dismisses Mrs. Wilkins as frivolous, but gradually comes to respect her transformative influence. ### [Mr. Wilkins](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_enchanted_april_se/characters/mr_wilkins) _family_ They are a married couple, initially strained and unhappy, but their relationship softens and improves during the stay. ### [Mrs. Arbuthnot](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_enchanted_april_se/characters/mrs_arbuthnot) _friendship_ They form a close, supportive friendship, bonding over their shared escape from unhappy marriages and finding renewal. ### [Scrap](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_enchanted_april_se/characters/scrap) _friendship_ Mrs. Wilkins admires Scrap's beauty and confidence, and they develop a warm, sisterly friendship. ### [Frederick](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_enchanted_april_se/characters/frederick) _friendship_ Frederick is kind and appreciative of Mrs. Wilkins' gentle nature, and they share a supportive, platonic bond. ### [Mrs. Fisher](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_enchanted_april_se/characters/mrs_fisher) _psychological_ Mrs. Fisher initially dismisses Mrs. Wilkins as frivolous, but gradually comes to respect her transformative influence. ### [Mrs. Arbuthnot](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_enchanted_april_se/characters/mrs_arbuthnot) _friendship_ They form a close, supportive friendship, bonding over their shared escape from unhappy marriages and finding renewal. ### [Scrap](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_enchanted_april_se/characters/scrap) _friendship_ Mrs. Wilkins admires Scrap's beauty and confidence, and they develop a warm, sisterly friendship. ### [Mrs. Fisher](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_enchanted_april_se/characters/mrs_fisher) _psychological_ Mrs. Fisher initially dismisses Mrs. Wilkins as frivolous, but gradually comes to respect her transformative influence. ### [Mr. Wilkins](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_enchanted_april_se/characters/mr_wilkins) _family_ They are a married couple, initially strained and unhappy, but their relationship softens and improves during the stay. ### [Mr. Wilkins](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_enchanted_april_se/characters/mr_wilkins) _family_ They are a married couple, initially strained and unhappy, but their relationship softens and improves during the stay. ### [Frederick](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_enchanted_april_se/characters/frederick) _friendship_ Frederick is kind and appreciative of Mrs. Wilkins' gentle nature, and they share a supportive, platonic bond. ## In the story ### [I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_enchanted_april_se/chapters/i) Shy and neglected, she spots the advertisement and impulsively speaks to Mrs. Arbuthnot, revealing her deep longing for escape. ### [II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_enchanted_april_se/chapters/ii) Impulsive and persuasive; insists that their current goodness makes them unhappy and that a happy sort of goodness awaits at the castle; described as having a 'curious infectiousness' and the eyes of a seer. ### [III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_enchanted_april_se/chapters/iii) Excited by Mrs. Fisher's reminiscences; interrupts to ask about Keats; flustered when Mrs. Fisher asks for references; later suggests waiving Mrs. Fisher. ### [IV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_enchanted_april_se/chapters/iv) Anxious about telling Mellersh about the trip; feels guilty but determined; experiences joy after leaving England. ### [V](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_enchanted_april_se/chapters/v) Arrives in Italy with Mrs. Arbuthnot; frightened but joyful upon reaching San Salvatore; kisses Mrs. Arbuthnot. ### [VI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_enchanted_april_se/chapters/vi) Expresses awe at the beauty of San Salvatore and the Judas tree, feels a sense of divine presence, and bluntly admires Lady Caroline's beauty. ### [VII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_enchanted_april_se/chapters/vii) Feels thwarted at not being able to prepare a welcome for Mrs. Fisher, but is too happy in the paradise of San Salvatore to remain disappointed; she makes light-hearted remarks about husbands and beds. ### [VIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_enchanted_april_se/chapters/viii) Serene and philosophical, she embraces the freedom of San Salvatore, likening it to heaven and urging Mrs. Arbuthnot to let go of earthly concerns. ### [IX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_enchanted_april_se/chapters/ix) Suggests leaving Scrap quiet, earning a moment of esteem from Scrap. ### [XI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_enchanted_april_se/chapters/xi) Shows remarkable transformation, expressing love and forgiveness toward Mellersh; writes to invite him to San Salvatore, embracing generosity and selflessness. ### [XII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_enchanted_april_se/chapters/xii) Wants to invite her husband Mellersh, feeling a need to share her happiness; becomes uneasy about the bedroom arrangements. ### [XIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_enchanted_april_se/chapters/xiii) Responds instantly to the beauty of San Salvatore, diving into glory with rapture, and returns to dinner full of sunshine and contagious spirits. ### [XIV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_enchanted_april_se/chapters/xiv) Cheerfully meets her husband in the street, sings as she walks, and has become transformed by the atmosphere, feeling she has found her 'celestial legs'. ### [XV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_enchanted_april_se/chapters/xv) Observes Mellersh's transformation with delight, delays confession about the nest-egg, and feels proud of his adaptability. ### [XVI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_enchanted_april_se/chapters/xvi) Lotty expands and becomes 'really very nice' under Mr. Wilkins's newfound affection; she marvels at his rapidly developing affectionateness. ### [XVII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_enchanted_april_se/chapters/xvii) Enthusiastically supports Rose's decision to write to Frederick, embracing her with joy. ### [XVIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_enchanted_april_se/chapters/xviii) Lotty returns from her picnic, sees Mrs. Fisher laughing, and impulsively kisses her. She then engages Briggs in friendly conversation, showing her characteristic warmth and lack of propriety. ### [XIX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_enchanted_april_se/chapters/xix) Mentions that Kate Lumley's room is available for Briggs. ### [XX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_enchanted_april_se/chapters/xx) Comments on the love at San Salvatore and encourages Rose's optimism. ### [XXI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_enchanted_april_se/chapters/xxi) Lotty greets Frederick effusively, calls San Salvatore 'a tub of love,' and sits next to Rose at dinner. ### [XXII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_enchanted_april_se/chapters/xxii) Senses she might become Mrs. Fisher's close friend; teases Mr. Wilkins about the 'Briggses' and draws him away from the garden. ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_enchanted_april_se/characters/mrs_wilkins - Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_enchanted_april_se - All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_enchanted_april_se/characters