Uneasy Money · Character

Dudley Pickering

A middle-aged automobile magnate worth thirty millions who can talk only of carburetors, and who falls hopelessly in love with Claire on the voyage over.

major

Also known as Mr. Dudley Pickering, Mr. Pickering, Pickering, Dudley

First appearance: Uneasy Money

As a major figure in Uneasy Money, Dudley Pickering is not background color—the story leans on what they do once the chapter opens.

A wealthy American who becomes a rival for Claire's affections.

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Pickering built a fortune from the Little Pick to the Pickering Giant, and everyone—papers, Bradstreet, and Pickering himself—speaks well of him. He is a colossal bore on the single subject of automobiles, yet beneath the shy, monosyllabic exterior lurks a man capable of sudden geysers of eloquence when love taps the vein. His thirty millions tempt Claire even as his dullness repels her, making him both rival and comic engine of the plot.

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Character Web

14 connections

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

Relationship types

Romantic
Rivalry
Other

Character groups

Central romantic entanglements
Nutcombe fortune and estate
Protagonist

+9 more in the full Character Web

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Narrative arc

Story tension across the book.

Setup
Escalation
Breaking point
Aftermath
Closing

Bill’s shame and self-loathing upon waking—his conviction that he is a “shallow, coarse-fibered” person for sl…

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Relationships

Claire Fenwick
romantic · ambivalent
Claire is engaged to Dudley Pickering, though she is more interested in his wealth than… How this plays out →
Lord Dawlish
rivalry · negative
Roscoe Sherriff
professional · positive
Lord Dawlish
rivalry · negative
Claire Fenwick
romantic · ambivalent
Claire is engaged to Dudley Pickering, though she is more interested in his wealth than… How this plays out →
Claire Fenwick
romantic · ambivalent
Claire is engaged to Dudley Pickering, though she is more interested in his wealth than… How this plays out →
Roscoe Sherriff
professional · positive
Lord Dawlish
rivalry · negative
Roscoe Sherriff
professional · positive

Claire Fenwick
Claire is engaged to Dudley Pickering, though she is more interested in his wealth than genuine affection.
Lord Dawlish
Dudley Pickering is jealous of Lord Dawlish and competes with him for Claire's attention.
Roscoe Sherriff
Roscoe Sherriff is Dudley Pickering's lawyer, handling his business affairs.
Lord Dawlish
Dudley Pickering is jealous of Lord Dawlish and competes with him for Claire's attention.
Claire Fenwick
Claire is engaged to Dudley Pickering, though she is more interested in his wealth than genuine affection.
Claire Fenwick
Claire is engaged to Dudley Pickering, though she is more interested in his wealth than genuine affection.
Roscoe Sherriff
Roscoe Sherriff is Dudley Pickering's lawyer, handling his business affairs.
Lord Dawlish
Dudley Pickering is jealous of Lord Dawlish and competes with him for Claire's attention.
Roscoe Sherriff
Roscoe Sherriff is Dudley Pickering's lawyer, handling his business affairs.

Relationship notes

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In the story

Dudley Pickering appears across 12 companion beats. Open any chapter in the free preview to see the notes beside the text.

Uneasy Money
A wealthy American who becomes a rival for Claire's affections.
III
Mentioned in Pauline's letter as a friend who made a fortune in automobiles and will be a fellow passenger on the Atlantic.
VII
A wealthy Middle Western automobile manufacturer who has fallen in love with Claire. He begins proposing to her during Lady Wetherby's dance, speaking of his fortune and automobiles.
The Moonlight Proposal
A shy, cautious automobile manufacturer who fears marriage but succumbs to Claire's manipulation and the romantic moonlight, finally proposing.
XII
Musing sentimentally on Claire, he spots Bill peering into the window and mistakes him for a burglar, reporting the incident to Roscoe Sherriff.
XIII
Walking with Claire, unhappy about burglary fears, and later calling the doctor due to a shooting sensation.
XV
Becomes suspicious of Bill, believing him to be a burglar. He examines a revolver and declares he will take steps to protect the house.
Chapter XVI
Mentioned as Claire's fiancé; Bill unfairly describes him as a 'bald, doddering, senile fool' in his anger.
Chapter XVII
Experiences a delayed boyhood, becomes convinced of a burglary plot, and goes prowling at the bee farm with a revolver.
XVIII
Accidentally shoots Eustace, hides in the woods, and is confronted by Claire and the Wetherbys.
Chapter XIX
Mentioned as Claire's former fiancé; she broke the engagement after he shot a monkey.
XX
Struggles with his resolve against marriage, succumbs to Claire's charm, then later suffers regret and self-recrimination after the engagement is broken.

Chapter companion notes

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