Margaret Grey
Chris's former love and the one person his damaged memory recognizes emotionally.
To protect Chris's happiness without leaving him permanently cut off from his adult life.
The book
At a glance
- Mrs Margaret Grey
- William Grey
- Chris Baldry
- Dick, deceased
Who they are in the book
Spoiler-freeMargaret Allington Grey is the innkeeper's daughter Chris loved at Monkey Island. Failed letters and a quarrel separated them before both married.
She now lives with less money and arrives at Baldry Court in clothes Jenny and Kitty judge harshly. Her knowledge of Chris soon proves more reliable than their social certainty.
Margaret's love is not simply nostalgic. She values Chris's happiness but also accepts responsibility for a truth that will end it.
How the book draws them
- Practical dressHer worn clothes become a test of the household's prejudice.
- Quiet recognitionShe greets Chris without forcing him to perform.
- Monkey Island memoryTheir shared past gives him a safe identity.
- Emotional accuracyShe understands the condition before experts solve it.
- Shared bereavementHer son Dick's death lets her understand Oliver's importance.
- Moral courageShe gives up the happiness the amnesia briefly returns.
Margaret uses Oliver's jersey and ball to restore Chris's memory, knowing the act ends their recovered happiness and returns him to grief and war.
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