Mary Hawkins is the daughter of a baronet, and niece of the merchant Silas Hawkins. She traveled to France to stay with her uncle, who was arranging her marriage to an elderly French nobleman. While there, she fell in love with Alexander Randall, the secretary of the Duke of Sandringham.
Personal History[]
In 1744, Mary traveled to Paris to stay with her uncle, Silas Hawkins, unaware that he intended to arrange her marriage to the Vicomte Marigny, an elderly French nobleman. During her stay, she met and fell in love with a young curate. Disgraced after her rape and the consequent dissolution of her arranged marriage, Mary returned to England, where her godfather the Duke of Sandringham attempted to arrange her marriage to a Jewish merchant.
In early 1746, she escaped her godfather's care and reunited with her lover, who was dying. She acquiesced to his final request – that she marry his brother, Jonathan Randall, to ensure Mary's protection and that of their unborn child. Within a few months she was a widow, and within a year she had married again.
Events of the Novels[]
Dragonfly in Amber[]
Claire Fraser meets Mary at the salon of Louise de La Tour de Rohan, where she learns that the girl is extremely shy, probably due in part to her pronounced stammer. Mary emphatically says she does not sing, in response to Herr Gerstmann's search for singers for an impromptu choir. Feeling compassionate, Claire directs Mary to a curtained alcove where she can hide and avoid talking or singing, but mentions that singing might actually help her; Claire had once known a physician who had observed that people with stammers don't have one when they sing. Mary takes refuge in the alcove, but Claire thinks she detects a high soprano voice from the direction of the alcove when the chorale begins.
Mary Hawkins later accompanies several noble ladies on a volunteer mission to L'Hôpital des Anges, a charity hospital run by nuns. Although most of these ladies decamp swiftly, horrified by the conditions therein, Mary insists on staying with Claire, who is determined to worm her way into the hospital's operation.
Mary continues to accompany Claire to the hôpital, serving gruel to patients and cleaning floors. She confides in Claire that she is in love with someone, who has written that he would return to Paris soon. Claire suspects that Mary is as yet unaware of her uncle's machinations into arranging Mary's betrothal to the Vicomte Marigny. After a few probing questions, Claire asks her if the man is French, and Mary seems horrified, and surprised that Claire appears not to know what Frenchmen do "in bed". Her notion amounts to what typical marital relations are like for any couple, regardless of nationality, and Claire tells Mary they must have a little talk.
In early May of 1744, Claire and Mary are returning from the hôpital, accompanied by Murtagh and Fergus, when the group is set upon by brigands. Murtagh is almost immediately knocked unconscious, and one of the men begins to rape Mary. Another man sees Claire's face and shouts, "La Dame Blanche!" and the men flee, but the trauma is done.
Fergus, who had escaped and run to Jared's house, brings Jamie back with him and, after reviving Murtagh, return to the house. They are joined suddenly by Alexander Randall, and together they bring Mary inside the house. Because they have a dinner planned with several key players in the impending Jacobite rebellion, Jamie and Claire decide to sequester Mary in a spare bedroom upstairs, sufficiently drugged with laudanum to calm her, and proceed with the dinner as planned. Alex Randall remains to watch over her.
Things go sideways, however, when Mary, awakening to find Alex hovering solicitously, becomes hysterical with terror, screaming loud enough that the entire dinner party rises and moves toward the stairwell. Alex attempts to subdue the frightened girl, which from below looks like he is attacking Mary. Mary's uncle, Silas Hawkins, is one of the dinner guests, and he is joined in outrage by several other guests. Jamie puts a stop to the imbroglio, but the gendarme has already arrived, and Jamie is taken into custody. Claire manages to force another strong dose of poppy juice down Mary's throat and she collapses into unconsciousness again. Mary is taken to her uncle Silas's house.
When Claire visits Mary to check on her the next day, she finds the girl shut up in her room, under orders from her aunt not to see anyone because of her "disgraced" condition. Claire gives her some herbs that can help soothe her injuries, and Mary weeps in her friend's arms, believing that Alex Randall will never speak to her again. She leaves with a written statement from Mary describing the attack, to deliver to the authorities.
Mary slips out of her uncle's house and goes to the Duke of Sandringham's home to try and find Alex Randall. Claire, also looking for Alex, discovers Mary hiding in a room. A footman arrives and informs Mary and Claire that Alex Randall has been dismissed from his position with the Duke, and is believed to have taken a ship back to England. Jamie arrives to tell Claire the same thing, having just learned it from the Duke, but Mary refuses to believe it and runs off. Claire takes after her in pursuit.
In late 1745, having returned to her father's house in England, Mary receives a letter from Alex saying that he is in Edinburgh. She makes her father send her to stay with her aunt Mildred in Edinburgh so that she can see Alex. Mary visits Alex each day, paying her Aunt's footman to keep quiet and pawning her mother's jewelry to buy the things that Alex, who is ill, needs to be comfortable. While in Edinburgh, Mary runs into Claire in a pawnbroker's shop and asks her to come with her to see Alex.
In 1746, Mary is astonished when Claire is brought in by English soldiers to the Duke of Sandringham's house. Mary barely has time to tell Claire that the duke is her godfather, before Claire faces a private interrogation with the duke himself, and is later locked up in a bedroom.
That night, Mary bribes the housekeeper to let her into the room with Claire, planning to let her out the next morning before the duke finds out. Claire asks about the poacher who had been caught in the yard earlier that night, and Mary regretfully informs her friend that they hanged the man at the park gate.
Once Claire recovers from her grief at this news, she asks Mary about why she is there at the duke's house. Mary reveals to Claire that her godfather has arranged another potential marriage for her, to a Mr. Isaacson[3] from London. Mary is there to meet and hopefully marry Mr. Isaacson. She has been told not to say anything about her rape, as Mr. Isaacson doesn't know. Mary is very unhappy about the impending marriage, and had left Alex without telling him. Claire and Mary eventually fall asleep and Claire is awoken in the dead of night by Jamie grappling with Mary, whom he has mistaken for Claire. Once correct identities are established, Jamie tells Claire to get dressed as they have to get out of the house quickly before someone notices.
Mary defies Jamie and insists he take her as well, saying she will scream the house down if he doesn't. As they leave down the servant's stairs, they encounter a man whom Mary recognizes as the man who raped her. The man, whose name the duke had revealed to Claire earlier as Albert Danton, sees Claire and whispers "La Dame Blanche" in horror. Jamie grabs Danton and tells him that if it were Jamie's choice, Danton would die a slow death. He then slits Danton's throat and his blood sprays all over his shirt and spatters his face. Mary is violently sick.
Mary, Claire, and Jamie escape the house and meet up with Jamie's men. They retrieve Hugh Munro's body on the way, and ride through the night to deliver Hugh's remains to his widow. Just as Jamie is about to leave, Murtagh steps into the house with Mary Hawkins, carrying one of his saddlebags. Murtagh bows to Claire and tells her he has brought her her vengeance. He then bows his head to Mary and Mrs. Munro, and says he has brought them justice for the wrong done to them. Mrs. Munro opens Murtagh's saddlebag and draws out the Duke of Sandringham's head.
| “ | We've had... two months. I k-keep telling myself that that's more than most people ever have, two months of happiness... but we lost so much time that we might have h-had, and... it's not enough. Claire, it isn't enough! | ” |
— Mary
| ||
It takes several weeks for Mary to return to Edinburgh with Jamie and Claire. When they arrive, Mary and Claire go immediately to visit Alex Randall, who is now close to death. Alex asks Claire if she will return to visit him with Jamie the following day and she agrees. Mary stays with Alex all night. When Jamie and Claire arrive the next day, Alex tells them he is waiting for one more person. That person turns out to be his brother, Jack, and Alex asks Jack to do one last thing for him. Claire realizes that Mary is pregnant, and Alex wants Jack to marry her. Alex performs the ceremony himself with the last of his strength, with Claire and Jamie as witnesses. He then fades away with Mary by his side.
Personality[]
Mary is a tenderhearted young woman, and markedly timid when Claire first meets her in Paris in 1744. At fifteen,[4] she is shy and innocent, having very little understanding of things like marriage and sex.[5] However, when Claire sees her over a year after their time in Paris, she has gained a bit more nerve.
Physical Appearance[]
Mary is small and fair-skinned, with dark hair and brown eyes.[1] Claire notes that she has the sort of beauty that would make her stand out in a crowd.[6]
Relationships[]
Alexander Randall[]
Alex Randall was the secretary of the Duke of Sandringham, Mary's godfather.[7] It is unclear when they first met, but they arrive in the same party at Versailles in spring of 1744.[6] Perhaps weeks later, Mary confesses to Claire Fraser that she is in love, though she does not name Randall at that time.[5]
Claire Fraser[]
Mary befriends Claire at one of Louise de La Tour's salons, finding themselves two English ladies among so many French women.[8]
Jonathan Randall[]
Mary is barely acquainted with Jack Randall when they wed, acceding to Alex Randall's dying wish that his brother marry his lover and give their child the Randall name.[9]
Name[]
- Mary is the usual English form of Maria, the Latin form of the New Testament Greek names Μαριαμ (Mariam) and Μαρια (Maria) - the spellings are interchangeable - which were from Hebrew מִרְיָם (Miryam). The meaning is not known for certain, but there are several theories including "sea of bitterness", "rebelliousness", and "wished for child". However it was most likely originally an Egyptian name, perhaps derived in part from mry "beloved" or mr "love".[10]
- Hawkins comes from the Old English personal name Hafoc, which continued to be in use until the 13th century. The surname Hawkins was originally derived from the form Havec and the addition of the diminutive suffix -in, which forms Havek-in. It was first found in Kent at Hawkinge or Hackynge, a parish in the union of Elham, hundred of Folkestone which dates back to at least 1204 when it was listed as Hauekinge and literally meant "place frequented by hawks" or "place of a man called Hafoc."[11]
- Randall derives from the given name Randel, which is a medieval diminutive form of names (e.g. Randolf) beginning with the Germanic element rand meaning "rim (of a shield)".[12]
- Isaacs is of Anglo-Saxon origin from the Biblical Hebrew personal name yishaq, "he laughs".[13][14]
Trivia[]
- On Frank Randall's family tree, Mary Hawkins and Jonathan Randall were indicated as the parents of Denys Randall. However, Denys was actually the son of Alexander Randall, Jonathan's brother. Biology notwithstanding, Mary was the widow of Jonathan when Denys was born, and so Denys was the legal son of Jonathan Randall.
TV Series[]
English actress Rosie Day portrays Mary Hawkins on the Outlander television adaptation.[15]
Appearances[]
- Not in Scotland Anymore
- Useful Occupations and Deceptions
- La Dame Blanche (Episode)
- Untimely Resurrection
- Vengeance is Mine
- The Hail Mary
Gallery[]
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Dragonfly in Amber, chapter 20.
- ↑ Gabaldon, Diana. "Emergency Nit-Pickers." MSG: 80143.161. Diana Gabaldon. Books and Writers Community. Compuserve. Published 21 March 2014. Accessed 1 December 2017.
- ↑ In later books, Mary's husband's name is given as "Isaacs".
- ↑ Dragonfly in Amber, chapter 8.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Dragonfly in Amber, chapter 14.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Dragonfly in Amber, chapter 9.
- ↑ Dragonfly in Amber, chapter 44.
- ↑ Dragonfly in Amber, chapter 11.
- ↑ Dragonfly in Amber, chapter 45.
- ↑ Behind the Name: Mary – accessed 22 April 2016.
- ↑ House of Names: Hawkins – accessed 22 April 2016.
- ↑ Behind the Name: Randel – accessed 28 September 2014.
- ↑ House of Names: Isaacs – accessed 15 June 2016.
- ↑ Ancestry.com Surname: Isaac – accessed 15 June 2016.
- ↑ Exclusive: Rosie Day joins Outlander season 2 – June 10, 2015