Mary Lawrence

Mary Jane Lawrence is the head housemaid at Dixon Mansion and is currently a lady’s maid to Chloe Dixon. She is a minor character throughout Haunted, but she adopts more of a supportive role later on in the series.

Early Life
There isn’t much about Mary’s early life prior to her working as a servant at Dixon Mansion. The few things that are known about her is that she grew up with her mother and sister in Boston, Massachusetts, where she and her family lived in the historical North End. Unfortunately, Mary’s father died in June of 1990, most likely from a long-standing illness he had been fighting for a long time, so her mother remarried in order to ensure the family's security. From that point on, Mary’s stepfather was an abusive man, but her mother refused to believe it as the family would not survive without him.

One night, Mary ran away from home and never looked back. Her mother sent her a letter explaining that she was sorry that she had to let Mary endure years of trauma, after which Mary decided to get as far away from home as possible. Not long after her nineteenth birthday, she quickly rose through her ranks at the family’s estate and became a senior housemaid at Dixon Mansion.

Haunted
Mary is introduced at the beginning of Haunted, not long after Chloe Dixon arrives at Dixon Mansion. When they actually met, it was when Chloe was getting ready to have dinner with her grandparents for the first time. Not long after that, the two befriended each other right away. Unlike the other servants, Mary is the only one who is able to understand Chloe as both of them feel like they are outsiders and have never truly belonged anywhere.

Mary doesn't appear again until Chloe emerges from the time portal Louise’s diary created, still wearing her night clothes from the Titanic. She had initially gone up to the attic to put something away, but when she found Chloe on the floor she had panicked and alerted Ms. King about the incident.

Golden Girl
Mary attends Chloe's birthday party at the beginning of the novel, having given her the two broadway tickets to go see Kinky Boots at the Al Hirscfeld theatre in New York City. She is also one of the staff members who stumbles upon Walter and Emily's corpses in the moments after their death when she hears a commotion going downstairs in the library.

In the weeks after Walter and Emily's deaths, Mary and the other staff member help plan the funeral. Even though it is hard for her, Mary manages to keep her composure during the funeral and tries to be strong for the rest of the staff.

Physical Appearance
Mary is described as having fair skin, with thick dirty-blonde hair and bright blue eyes. Mary is often seen with her hair always pinned up in some way and it always looks neat. Her figure, much like Chloe’s, is slim and petite; though at times it can appear slightly curvy depending on what she’s wearing.

Personality
Mary is the epitome of a good servant. She is loyal and sweet, but she is not afraid to speak her mind when she wants to. As a result, the Dixon family deeply respects Mary and they value her work as a servant. Despite all the turmoil Mary has endured in her life, she admits that being around the Dixon family is the only true family she knows and she continues to be a thoughtful, compassionate, and positive woman.

Appearances

 * Haunted
 * The Timekeeper Saga Companion Guide (Mentioned only)

Trivia

 * In the original draft of Haunted, Mary was supposed to be British, but Lange opted for an American accent instead.
 * Her name was partially inspired by Lady Mary Crawley from Downton Abbey.
 * Mary always wears her hair up.
 * Her favorite movie is Pretty Woman. 
 * She is right-handed.