# Mrs. Henry — The Master of Ballantrae character guide

> Mrs. Henry in The Master of Ballantrae by Robert Louis Stevenson.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** Alison Graeme, Miss Alison Graeme, Miss Graeme, Alison, Mrs. Durie

**First appearance:** 0002-the-master-of-ballantrae

## Snapshot

The spirited Alison Graeme, once betrothed to the Master, whose marriage to his brother becomes a battlefield of pride, estrangement, and unspoken grief.

## Who they are

Alison Graeme flings a coin through the family window when the Master rides away, and that fury never quite leaves her. Married to Henry, she finds herself trapped between a husband who recoils from her timid advances and a household that whispers the Master's name like a prayer. Her blushes, her quarrels, and her slow estrangement from Henry make her the emotional barometer of Durrisdeer's decay.

## Relationships

### [Mr. Henry](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_master_of_ballantrae_se/characters/mr_henry)

_family_

A strained marriage marked by Mr. Henry's insecurity and his wife's lingering, unrequited love for the Master.

### [The Master](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_master_of_ballantrae_se/characters/the_master)

_romantic_

She harbors a secret, doomed romantic obsession with the Master, which poisons her marriage to Mr. Henry.

### [Mr. Henry](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_master_of_ballantrae_se/characters/mr_henry)

_family_

A strained marriage marked by Mr. Henry's insecurity and his wife's lingering, unrequited love for the Master.

### [The Master](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_master_of_ballantrae_se/characters/the_master)

_romantic_

She harbors a secret, doomed romantic obsession with the Master, which poisons her marriage to Mr. Henry.

### [Mr. Henry](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_master_of_ballantrae_se/characters/mr_henry)

_family_

A strained marriage marked by Mr. Henry's insecurity and his wife's lingering, unrequited love for the Master.

## In the story

### [The Master of Ballantrae](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_master_of_ballantrae_se/chapters/the-master-of-ballantrae)

Alison Graeme, the Master's intended bride, is left behind and later marries Henry after the Master is presumed dead.

### [I: Summary of Events During the Master’s Wanderings](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_master_of_ballantrae_se/chapters/i-summary-of-events-during-the-master-s-wanderings)

Miss Alison Graeme, the Master's betrothed, who mourns him and resists Lord Durrisdeer's pressure to marry Mr. Henry, though she is influenced by his quiet persistence.

### [II: Summary of Events (Continued)](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_master_of_ballantrae_se/chapters/ii-summary-of-events-continued)

Treats Mackellar with condescension; is deeply attached to the Master's memory; weeps at the chimney-side with Lord Durrisdeer; opposes replacing the stained-glass pane.

### [IV: Persecutions Endured by Mr. Henry](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_master_of_ballantrae_se/chapters/iv-persecutions-endured-by-mr-henry)

Cold toward the Master after his exposure but later becomes the target of his romantic siege, appearing lost in listening to him.

### [Account of All That Passed on the Night of February 27th, 1757](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_master_of_ballantrae_se/chapters/v-account-of-all-that-passed-on-the-night-of-february-27th-1757)

Awakened by Mackellar, she shows courage but is devastated upon learning the Master is the one wounded; Mackellar implies she may have rebuffed the Master's advances.

### [VI: Summary of Events During the Master’s Second Absence](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_master_of_ballantrae_se/chapters/vi-summary-of-events-during-the-master-s-second-absence)

Nurses Mr. Henry alongside Mackellar; argues that the Master cannot be excluded from the house due to public opinion; later shows constancy and kindness but is troubled by her husband's indulgence of their son.

### [VIII: The Enemy in the House](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_master_of_ballantrae_se/chapters/viii-the-enemy-in-the-house)

Decides to flee to New York with her family, entrusting Mackellar with the keys to the house.

### [X: Passages at New York](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_master_of_ballantrae_se/chapters/x-passages-at-new-york)

Present at the confrontation, she rises with a pinched expression and takes her children inside.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_master_of_ballantrae_se/characters/mrs_henry
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_master_of_ballantrae_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_master_of_ballantrae_se/characters