Emily Dixon

Emily Rose Dixon  ( née  McClure ) was the matriarch of the Dixon family and the only known mother of the late Marie Dixon and grandmother to Chloe Dixon. Despite the fact that she was portrayed as a cold-hearted woman by her own daughter, Emily only wanted the best for her daughter when it came to getting an education and living a successful life. Emily was also the only Dixon matriarch to not come from old money.

 She was a supporting character in Haunted and Golden Girl, during which she takes in her granddaughter, Chloe Dixon, to live with her and her husband, Walter, following the death of her daughter, Marie.

Early Life
Emily Rose McClure was born on July 27, 1936. She grew up in a modest home in Hartford, Connecticut, where she had a very happy childhood. As a teenager, her mischievous nature often got her into trouble. At the age of 15, she went to go see a movie on a school night, and went by herself. She later got in trouble when her a girl named Betty Wilcox accidentally ratted Emily out to her mother and never disobeyed her parents after that. Initially wanting to move west and become a movie star, she was pressured by her parents to stay and marry a working man. At the age of 18, in an attempt to please her parents, she married Timothy Randall, only to soon realize that he was an abusive man. It was only after James threw a plate at Emily at a 4th of July barbecue at Betty's house that Emily finally took the steps to divorce him, which she did in 1956, and she never forgave her parents for having her go through that.

Emily finished her college education at Vassar College later that year, earning a degree in History. Her parents heard of her success and asked their daughter to spend one last Christmas with them before moving on with her life, to which Emily accepted their invitation on the condition that she would not forced into an abusive relationship like what she had to endure with James. She was drinking hot cider when a young man with kind blue eyes noticed she was wanting to dance with someone. After they danced to the song "Jingle Bell Rock",the man introduced himself as Walter Dixon. He commented that Emily was the prettiest girl he'd ever seen. After the party, Emily caught up with Walter, who gave him her phone number, but he instead whisked her away to Dixon Mansion, which Emily thought was the most gorgeous home in the entire state of New York. She soon formed a loving relationship with Walter that lasted until he decided to propose to her in the spring of 1961. They were married the following year in 1962.

When Emily struggled with conceiving a child, Walter was patient enough to say that he'd wait as long as possible for her to have children. To his surprise, Emily conceived a child in November 1964. Emily was relieved when a healthy baby girl came out. She named her new daughter Marie, after the last queen of France who famously ran her country into debt during the French Revolution. In time, Marie grew up to be a rebellious daughter, often ignoring her own mother's advice and did whatever she wanted. In 1995, Marie gave birth to her daughter, Chloe in February of 1995. Although Emily and Walter hardly knew of Chloe's existence after she moved to California to stay with her mom, they never stopped staying in contact with her and continued doing so up until Marie's untimely death in 2012 as a result of a fatal car accident. Afterwards, Emily and Walter vowed to take care of Chloe, as they were to be Chloe's guardians until she turned eighteen.

Haunted
Emily first appeared in Haunted when her only granddaughter, Chloe Dixon, moved in with her and her husband, Walter at their mansion in upstate New York. She and Walter were both warm and friendly towards Chloe, and Emily fulfills her roles as a parental guardian, even accepting her as part of the prestigious Dixon family. This was due to the years of isolation Marie caused by telling Chloe her grandparents never cared for her father and certainly did not care for her. Even though Emily knew that her daughter's intentions might have been justified, she and Walter had no idea what Chloe's life was like after she moved to California when she was fourteen, which Chloe's father said it was the worst decision Marie had ever made. It is mentioned that the original guardian was supposed to be Chloe's father, but he was placed as a secondary guardian while Walter and Emily were placed as primary guardians.

Before Chloe had gone up to the attic, Emily warned her that she should not go up there alone, as that was the only rule at Dixon Mansion. She stated that if Ms. King ever caught her up there, she was to be reported immediately. Although Chloe was stalled due to the sinking of the RMS Titanic, which prevented her from returning to the 21st century; Emily had every reason to worry about Chloe's whereabouts because she did not want to lose her. Fortunately, Chloe was able to return to the attic and wore the clothes to confirm that she had survived the disaster. All of the servants and even Chloe's grandparents didn't believe her, but after she gave an account of seeing a few notable members from the family tree, including Louise Seymour, they soon realized she was telling the truth. Walter and Emily were not angry at Chloe for breaking the rule, but they made sure she was grounded for at least two weeks. Afterwards, Chloe swapped stories with her father so they can figure out exactly what possessed her to travel back in time. Emily and Walter wait patiently out in the main parlor room while Chloe and James discuss her experience in the library over the phone.

Golden Girl
Emily made a second appearance at Chloe's eighteenth birthday party, which James organized. Emily hugged Chloe and wished her a happy birthday. Mary, one of the lady's maids, gives Chloe a present from her grandparents, which was two tickets for her and Jack to go see Kinky Boots at the Al Hirschfield theater in New York City. While opening her present, the fun is cut short when James comes bursting through the front door soaking wet. He tells Chloe that someone is wanting to see her outside. They go outside and find nothing except a cryptic note next to Chloe's locket that Jack had given her the previous year.

Once they come back into the house, everyone, with the exception of Chloe, continue her birthday party and reassure her that nothing bad will happen to her grandparents. James and the others are forced to cut the fun short again when the power goes out due to the storm, with Emily apologizing to Chloe after they are forced to eat her birthday cake by the light of flashlights and emergency candles. Chloe opens the rest of her presents and afterwards goes upstairs for the night to get up for school the next morning. While she is asleep during the night, Marjorie Dixon breaks into the library at Dixon Mansion and kills Walter and Emily in cold blood after they refuse to exchange Chloe's life for her mother's.

When Chloe kills Marjorie at the end of the novel, Emily appears to her in the form of a full-bodied apparition and tells Chloe to live her life to the fullest and to listen to her father as he is the only family she has left.

Physical appearance
Emily was extremely beautiful when she was younger with a heart-shaped face with a warm and compassionate look. She had rich, chocolate-colored hair, beautifully striking eyebrows, and a petite figure that is slightly curvier than the other members of her family. Her eyes were actually paler than her husband's and it's said that she was the epitome of elegance and beauty among most members of New York society at social events and functions.

Emily's fashion was modest and feminine when she first married Walter in the 1960s, wearing mostly printed or solid-colored dresses and only wore shorts during the summertime before Marie was born. Over the next four decades, Emily's fashion evolved as she grew older, picking classier silhouettes that exemplified her beauty and her elegant grace.

Personality and traits
Emily was a kind-hearted individual who had an independent nature. She wanted her daughter to succeed in life, which explained her disappointment when Marie decided to go to be a fashion designer after she finished college in New York City. This is the only reason Marie and Emily were never able to get along, which explained Marie's disgust when she found out that Emily and Walter paid Marjorie money to have Marie divorce James, although neither of them knew Marjorie was the one behind the scheme at the time.

She was described as being as intelligent as her husband, and a very kind and gentle person. This is noticed when the people that she interacts with either through social engagements or functions they have held at their house.

Emily was also artistic and creative, and enjoys painting watercolors whenever she felt stressed. She picked it up as a hobby when she was still married to Timothy Randall, and continued it when she married Walter Dixon.

Appearances

 * Haunted 
 * Golden Girl
 * The Timekeeper Saga Official Companion Guide

Trivia

 * Emily speaks French and Italian fluently.
 * She went on a vacation to Cuba sometime in the 1950s.
 * Although her religion is not officially stated, Emily considers herself to be a Protestant.
 * Both Emily and Walter are part of The Greatest Generation. They were born during the great depression and both of their families made valuable contributions to the war effort.
 * She went through fourteen hours of labor before giving birth to her daughter, Marie.
 * When she was in her early 20s, she honestly considered moving to California to become a movie star.
 * She was part of the Rochester chapter for the Daughters of the American Revolution.
 * She took a yoga class, which she encouraged Walter to do once he retired as a real estate agent.
 * According to Walter, there is a picture of Emily somewhere in the numerous family albums of her taking her wedding shoes off on the south lawn of Dixon Mansion when she married him in 1962.
 * She was very involved with theater when she attended Vassar College.