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The House of Mirth · Character

Grace Stepney

An obscure, adaptable cousin who reads out the deaths and picks up dropped stitches, Grace Stepney is exactly the kind of woman Lily fears becoming.

supporting

Also known as Grace, Miss Stepney, Grace Stepney

First appearance: vi

As a supporting figure in The House of Mirth, Grace Stepney is not background color—the story leans on what they do once the chapter opens.

Resentful of Lily for causing her exclusion from a family dinner; deliberately shares rumors about Lily's gambling debts and relationships with Gus Trenor and George Dorset.
In the storyChapter XIOpen this moment free

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Grace runs in to sit with Mrs. Peniston when Lily is out, playing bezique and sincerely admiring the purple satin curtains. She is useful in the small ways Lily disdains, and her quiet competence makes her a natural…

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The fuller portrait of Grace Stepney sits in Reading Lens — open the free preview to keep reading with notes on the page.

See Grace Stepney in vi

Character Web

20 connections

A slice of how Grace Stepney sits in the book — open the reader for the full interactive map.

GTGus TrenorSRSimon RosedaleMPMr. PenistonGVGwen Van OsburghMVMolly Van Alst…GSGrace Stepney

Relationship types

  • Other

Character groups

  • High society insiders
  • Peripheral and background figures

+15 more in the full Character Web

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Narrative arc

Story tension across the book — this chapter sits in Exposition.

SetupEscalationClimax
  • Setup
  • Escalation
  • Breaking point
  • Aftermath
  • Closing

In this scene, the emotional and psychological peak occurs when Lily, driven by an intense longing to dispel t…

Full beat labels and climax notes unlock in the reader.

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Relationships

Relationship notes

How these ties play out is in the reading companion — open the free preview.

See Grace Stepney in vi

In the story

Grace Stepney appears across 2 companion beats. Open any chapter in the free preview to see the notes beside the text.

Chapter companion notes

Spoil-light check-ins for Grace Stepney unlock in the free preview.

See Grace Stepney in vi