Lady Audley’s Secret · Chapter
III: Hidden Relics explained
Phoebe Marks shows her cousin Luke around Audley Court while Lady Audley is out.
What happens
Phoebe Marks shows her cousin Luke around Audley Court while Lady Audley is out. Luke is awed by the opulence, and Phoebe discovers a secret drawer in Lady Audley's jewel casket containing a baby's shoe and a lock of hair, which she takes, hinting at a hidden secret.
Themes in this chapter
Secrecy and Deception
The hidden drawer containing a baby's shoe and lock of hair suggests a concealed past and deception within Lady Audley's life.
Social Class and Ambition
Luke's envy of the jewels and Phoebe's ambition to secure a public house highlight class tensions and aspirations.
Characters to notice
- Phoebe Marks
Lady Audley's maid, shows Luke the house and discovers the secret drawer.
- Luke Marks
Phoebe's cousin, a coarse and envious countryman who covets the jewels.
- Lady Audley
Absent from the house; her private apartments and secret drawer are explored.
Key passages
“I declare! my lady has left her keys in her pocket for once in a way; I can show you the jewelry, if you like, Luke.”
Phoebe is surprised to find Lady Audley's keys and offers to show Luke the jewelry.
This moment of carelessness leads to the discovery of the secret drawer.
“Why, one of those diamond things would set us up in life, Phoebe.”
Luke covets the diamonds, seeing them as a means to financial security.
Reveals Luke's materialistic desires and the class divide.
“You will bear me witness where I found this.”
Phoebe asks Luke to remember that she found the hidden items in the secret drawer.
Foreshadows the importance of this evidence in uncovering Lady Audley's secret.