Lady Audley's Secret

The first chapter sets the scene by describing the grounds at Audley Court. This does not merely serve a functional purpose, though, nor is it just descriptive. Instead, it uses foreshadowing: the narrator remarks that one can imagine secret meetings taking place in the avenue of the garden (known as lime-tree walk). Likewise, the old well is established as a notable feature. Lime-tree walk may be depicted as a tranquil place but, from the beginning, the reader senses that this tranquility is deceptive.

An important moment occurs after Sir Michael’s proposal to Lady Audley. Having accepted the proposal, she withdraws and ponders the former life that she is all but leaving behind. She then takes out a ring that she usually keeps hidden and that has some relationship with her past. As the narrative progresses, we realize that this is her wedding ring. 

When Luke accidentally opens the secret drawer of Lady Audley’s jewelry box, Phoebe finds that it contains baby shoes and a lock of hair taken from a baby’s head. When she smiles and tells Luke that he will have his public house, the reader is conscious that these items are connected with Lady Audley’s secret and that Phoebe is planning to exploit this.

George also receives a lock of hair from the landlady at Ventnor after he has read that his wife has died. George observes that the hair is straighter than it was when Helen was alive, but the landlady replies that its straightness is a consequence of Helen’s illness. Robert later finds a lock of hair that is similar in color but wavier in texture in George’s trunk. These items form part of the chain of evidence that Robert is collecting and reaffirm that some deception has taken place; specifically, regarding Helen Talboys’ identity. 

George’s son refers to a gold watch bought for him by “the pretty lady,” which his grandfather often sends “to be cleaned” (84). In reality, Mr. Maldon often has to pawn it in order to make money, but he tells George that even if it were to be lost, the lady would give him a replacement.

Robert asks the child about this lady, and this prompts Mrs. Plowson to try to shush him—something that makes Robert even more suspicious. The watch therefore serves as another link in the mystery, with the beauty and wealth of the “pretty lady” pointing towards this woman’s identity.

The characters have various dreams throughout the novel. After learning of his wife’s “death,” for instance, George dreams of Helen in old age and his son as a grown man. Robert is also plagued by odd dreams featuring people such as Sir Michael, Alicia, and, most of all, Lady Audley, who is depicted as beautiful but demonic.

These dreams are fostered by Robert’s preoccupation with investigating George’s disappearance. However, in some cases, they are not mere nightmares but rather premonitions. In one dream, for instance, Robert reproaches a stonemason upon finding that the gravestone for Helen Talboys is gone. The stonemason then tells him that George had a reason for this: a reason that Robert later learns. Moreover, he is right to fear Lady Audley and to imagine that Audley Court is to undergo a major upheaval.

Lady Audley also suffers from nightmares on account her ongoing deception and attempted murder; she wonders if she will be plagued until the terror of them kills her.