# Mrs. Lawford — The Return character guide

> Mrs. Lawford in The Return by Walter de la Mare.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** Lawford, the old Lawford

**First appearance:** 0002-i

## Snapshot

Arthur's mother, a matriarch whose presence anchors the Lawford household and whose sharp attention misses nothing that passes in her sitting room.

## Who they are

Mrs. Lawford sits at the center of the family's quiet dramas, receiving visitors like Mr. Bethany and observing her son with a gaze that is both maternal and unsparing. She has already confided family secrets to the vicar, treating Arthur's crisis as something to be managed through old alliances and established authority. Her steadiness throws into relief the instability of her son's position, and her loyalties will shape how far the family is willing to go to protect—or expose—him.

## Relationships

### [Sheila](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_return_se/characters/sheila)

_family_

Mrs. Lawford and Sheila are family, likely mother and daughter-in-law, with a close but sometimes tense bond.

### [Arthur Lawford](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_return_se/characters/arthur_lawford)

_family_

Arthur and Mrs. Lawford are family, likely mother and son, with a caring but sometimes strained relationship.

### [Sheila](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_return_se/characters/sheila)

_family_

Mrs. Lawford and Sheila are family, likely mother and daughter-in-law, with a close but sometimes tense bond.

### [Sheila](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_return_se/characters/sheila)

_family_

Mrs. Lawford and Sheila are family, likely mother and daughter-in-law, with a close but sometimes tense bond.

### [Arthur Lawford](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_return_se/characters/arthur_lawford)

_family_

Arthur and Mrs. Lawford are family, likely mother and son, with a caring but sometimes strained relationship.

### [Arthur Lawford](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_return_se/characters/arthur_lawford)

_family_

Arthur and Mrs. Lawford are family, likely mother and son, with a caring but sometimes strained relationship.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_return_se/characters/mrs_lawford
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_return_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_return_se/characters