# Mary Vertrees — The Turmoil character guide > Mary Vertrees in The Turmoil by Booth Tarkington. **Role:** major **Also known as:** Vertrees, Miss Vertrees, Mary Vertrees’s **First appearance:** 0004-iii ## Snapshot A dark-eyed, quick-witted young woman from a genteel but fading family who meets Bibbs Sheridan and finds herself drawn into the Sheridans' raw new-money world. ## Who they are Mary Vertrees is the daughter of a household that still keeps its Landseers and its manners while the money quietly runs out, and she is practical enough to know what that means. When she lets Bibbs bring her home and laughs with her mother about how fast she got along with him, she is both candid and calculating, aware that the Sheridans next door represent something her family needs. Her clear-eyed presence gives Bibbs a mirror in which his own difference might be worth something. ## Relationships ### [Sibyl Sheridan](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_turmoil_se/characters/sibyl_sheridan) _friendship_ Mary and Sibyl are close friends, with Sibyl acting as a confidante and supporter of Mary's relationship with Bibbs. ### [James Sheridan](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_turmoil_se/characters/james_sheridan) _social_ James Sheridan disapproves of Mary Vertrees due to her past and her influence on his son Bibbs. ### [Edith Sheridan](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_turmoil_se/characters/edith_sheridan) _friendship_ Edith is a supportive friend to Mary, welcoming her into the family despite initial tensions. ### [Roscoe Sheridan](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_turmoil_se/characters/roscoe_sheridan) _rivalry_ Mary and Roscoe are antagonistic, as Roscoe resents her relationship with Bibbs and her influence on the family. ### [James Sheridan](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_turmoil_se/characters/james_sheridan) _social_ James Sheridan disapproves of Mary Vertrees due to her past and her influence on his son Bibbs. ### [Sibyl Sheridan](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_turmoil_se/characters/sibyl_sheridan) _friendship_ Mary and Sibyl are close friends, with Sibyl acting as a confidante and supporter of Mary's relationship with Bibbs. ### [Edith Sheridan](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_turmoil_se/characters/edith_sheridan) _friendship_ Edith is a supportive friend to Mary, welcoming her into the family despite initial tensions. ### [Roscoe Sheridan](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_turmoil_se/characters/roscoe_sheridan) _rivalry_ Mary and Roscoe are antagonistic, as Roscoe resents her relationship with Bibbs and her influence on the family. ### [Edith Sheridan](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_turmoil_se/characters/edith_sheridan) _friendship_ Edith is a supportive friend to Mary, welcoming her into the family despite initial tensions. ### [Roscoe Sheridan](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_turmoil_se/characters/roscoe_sheridan) _rivalry_ Mary and Roscoe are antagonistic, as Roscoe resents her relationship with Bibbs and her influence on the family. ### [Sibyl Sheridan](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_turmoil_se/characters/sibyl_sheridan) _friendship_ Mary and Sibyl are close friends, with Sibyl acting as a confidante and supporter of Mary's relationship with Bibbs. ### [James Sheridan](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_turmoil_se/characters/james_sheridan) _social_ James Sheridan disapproves of Mary Vertrees due to her past and her influence on his son Bibbs. ## In the story ### [III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_turmoil_se/chapters/iii) Mentioned as a member of the old Vertrees family, key to the Sheridans' social aspirations. Has only barely acknowledged Edith. ### [IV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_turmoil_se/chapters/iv) Seen by Bibbs in the summerhouse; she is caught looking into his window and later admits it to her mother. ### [V](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_turmoil_se/chapters/v) Returns from the Sheridan house, laughing and recounting the visit; she is aware of the Sheridans' social maneuvering and her own family's financial straits. ### [VI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_turmoil_se/chapters/vi) Flirts with Roscoe and Jim Sheridan, laughs at James Sheridan's bragging, and draws attention with her bold manner. ### [VII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_turmoil_se/chapters/vii) Returns home late from the Sheridans' housewarming and recounts the evening to her mother, revealing her calculated plan to secure the Sheridan fortune. ### [VIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_turmoil_se/chapters/viii) Mary rides with Jim Sheridan and bows to Bibbs during a chance encounter. She expresses sympathy for Bibbs's loneliness and illness, questioning the necessity of constant ambition. ### [Chapter X](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_turmoil_se/chapters/x) Listens to Sibyl's plea and realizes Sibyl's true motives and affair with Lamhorn. ### [XII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_turmoil_se/chapters/xii) Mary attends the funeral and is accidentally left behind. She asks Bibbs for a ride home, and they share their first conversation, during which she gains insight into his character. ### [XIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_turmoil_se/chapters/xiii) Seen standing on her front steps in the twilight, bowing gravely as Bibbs returns home. ### [XV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_turmoil_se/chapters/xv) Mary is warm, understanding, and eager to engage with Bibbs. She invites him to hear organ music and shows a perceptive, kind side, revising her earlier impression of him. ### [XVI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_turmoil_se/chapters/xvi) Shares her interpretation of Handel's music as courage, invites Bibbs to hear her play, and mentions her piano is being sent away. ### [XVII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_turmoil_se/chapters/xvii) Sold her piano without consulting her father, plans to sell her furs, and is seen driving with Bibbs; her actions are interpreted by Sibyl as desperate social climbing. ### [XIX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_turmoil_se/chapters/xix) Offers Bibbs unwavering emotional support, promising to be with him each evening after work. ### [XXII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_turmoil_se/chapters/xxii) Visits Bibbs at work, walks home with him, and shares her appreciation for a painter who captures the beauty of the city's smoke. ### [XXV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_turmoil_se/chapters/xxv) Hosts Bibbs for an evening of reading and conversation; shows deep affection and care, standing in the stormy doorway to wave goodbye. ### [XXVII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_turmoil_se/chapters/xxvii) Accompanies Bibbs on a walk, shares a Burne-Jones quote, and evades Bibbs's question about her furs. ### [Chapter XXVIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_turmoil_se/chapters/xxviii) Discussed as the target of Sibyl's accusations; alleged to have pursued Jim and then Bibbs for financial security. ### [XXIX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_turmoil_se/chapters/xxix) Perceives Bibbs's distress, learns of Sibyl's gossip, and is devastated that he believes she would marry for money; she rejects his proposal. ### [Chapter XXX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_turmoil_se/chapters/xxx) Refuses Bibbs's marriage proposal; earlier rejected Jim via letter. ### [XXXII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_turmoil_se/chapters/xxxii) Struggles with guilt and pride, confessing to Sheridan that she believes Bibbs's proposal was motivated by pity, not love, and refuses to see him despite her own feelings. ### [Chapter XXXIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_turmoil_se/chapters/xxxiii) Observes Bibbs's near-accident from the street, calls him to check on his safety, and ultimately appears at his door. ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_turmoil_se/characters/mary_vertrees - Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_turmoil_se - All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_turmoil_se/characters