- This page is about the Netflix character. For the book character, see Mary Sheffield
Mary Sharma (née Sheffield) is the mother of Kate Bridgerton.
History[]
Marriage[]
Once the diamond of the social season in her day, she went against her family's wishes to marry a simple officer and single father, fleeing London to go to Bombay with him. Mary became a mother to his daughter, Kate, and had one of her own with him, Edwina. When her husband died, Mary and Kate both did their best to provide for Edwina, with Kate tutoring her to become a fine young lady so that she might secure a good match and be taken care of.
Return to London[]
Mary and her daughters spent the last of their money to travel to London, where Lady Danbury had agreed to host them as her special guests for the season so they could find a match for Edwina. Lady Danbury was happy to see Mary after so many years. Mary was nervous about seeing people again, especially the queen, after having left abruptly to get married. Lady Danbury assured her that all would be well as they would be Lady Danbury's guests.
Lady Danbury hosted a ball, the first of the season. When the queen arrived, Lady Danbury led Mary and her daughters in that direction and introduced them. The queen was still miffed at Mary's previous departure. They ended up leaving the ball early when Kate decided she wanted to leave after a confrontation with Anthony Bridgerton.
They later attended a ball thrown by the queen herself. Mary told the queen she was satisfied with everything. At the ball, the queen declared Edwina the season's diamond.[1]
Edwina's Courtship[]
Wanting to keep Edwina away from Anthony, Kate wrote out a list of suitable matches for Edwina. Mary and Lady Danbury questioned it, but Edwina said she believed in the list if Kate did. With many suitors, Lady Danbury decided to throw a soiree where Edwina could get to know all of them better. The soiree quickly became a talent showcase, with all the suitors taking turns to show off.[2]
Mary rode with her daughters and Lady Danbury to Aubrey Hall to visit the Bridgertons. They'd been invited to come before the other guests due to Edwina and Anthony's relationship and they believed Edwina might secure a proposal before anyone else arrived.
At their children played Pall-Mall, Mary and Violet watched and bonded over the loss of their husbands.[3]
As the Bridgertons prepared for their annual Hearts and Flowers Ball, Mary joined a card game with Daphne, Edwina, and Lady Danbury. During the game, Daphne and Edwina talked about Edwina's relationship with Anthony.
After the ball, as they were preparing to return to London, Anthony brought out the ring and proposed to Edwina, who happily accepted.[4]
When Mary learned that her parents had come back to town and Lady Danbury was planning to invite them to the engagement dinner, Mary claimed a headache to get out of chaperoning Anthony and Edwina on their walk.
Later, Kate noticed Mary's distress and told her it was okay to skip the dinner, but Mary knew she couldn't do that. She hadn't seen her parents since Kate's father proposed. She was forced to choose between her parents and her love; she chose her love and never regretted it. She told Kate not to worry about her, as their presence wouldn't sour the celebration. She had always hoped that neither of her daughters ever had to choose between affluence and love and was happy that that was happening as Edwina was marrying so well.
When her parents arrived, they were cold toward Mary and Kate, but effusive with Edwina. At dinner, they expressed that they were still upset that Mary had rejected the match they found for her, denying them a relationship with their grandchild. Mary said they had two grandchildren and could have had a relationship with both if they had wanted to. Instead, they decided to shun her. They then revealed the trust fund and dowry they'd set up for Edwina, a surprise to both Edwina and Mary. The Sheffields were finally stopped by Anthony, who said that they were being disrespectful to the Sharmas and they needed to leave. Once they left, Anthony and his mother left as well.[5]
Anthony and Edwina's Wedding[]
The night before Anthony and Edwina's wedding, Mary and Kate helped Edwina with her Haldi ceremony. Edwina expressed how excited she was to be getting married, though she was nervous because he'd moved the ceremony up. Mary assured her she was ready and that Anthony adored her.
Before the ceremony, Mary helped Edwina get ready and told her how beautiful she was. When a maid came in to tell them it was time, Mary told Edwina it was time to show the ton who they really were. She walked Edwina down the aisle. She then watched as the archbishop started the ceremony. She was shocked along with the rest of the audience when Edwina abruptly stopped the wedding and left the church. Mary followed her out, along with Kate, and said it was just nerves. Edwina insisted that it wasn't and said she knew that Kate had feelings for Anthony. She was angry at Kate for keeping that from her. Mary comforted Edwina and sent Kate away.
Mary then went with Edwina to see the queen, who wanted to know if the wedding would go forward. Edwina didn't have an answer at that point, but later told Anthony and Kate that she couldn't marry him.[6]
Harmony Ball[]
In the aftermath of the aborted wedding, Lady Danbury advised them all to say that it was a mutual decision between Edwina and Anthony. Edwina was annoyed by this plan, but Mary said they were not obligated to give answers, even if they were embroiled in scandal. However, they were still shunned by the rest of the ton when they promenaded, leading them to decide to throw a ball.
Then they went to the art gallery together, where they spread their crafted story and talked about their ball. At the gallery, Mary also spoke to Anthony, who apologized to her. She said part of it was her doing, as she'd let too much fall to Kate after her husband's death.
Mary then attended the ball with the rest of the family, but they were shocked when no one outside the two families came. After a lively impromptu group dance, they learned that Lady Whistledown had reported that Eloise was socializing with political radicals.[7]
Kate's Accident and Featherington Ball[]
When Kate was thrown from her horse, Anthony brought her back to Lady Danbury's, where a surgeon looked at her. Mary, Edwina, and Lady Danbury waited by Kate's bedside as she remained unconscious for several days before finally waking up.
As Kate prepared for her return to India, she told Mary she wasn't sure she'd come to the ball. Mary cautioned her not to return to India to escape something difficult. Kate started crying and said she felt that everything that had happened was her fault. Mary denied this, and said it was her own fault that she left Kate to guide Edwina alone when she shouldn't have. Kate felt like she owed Mary for treating her as her own, but Mary said she never had to do that, because she loved Kate from the moment she met her. Kate then told Mary about Anthony's proposal, which she rejected because it was out of obligation. She didn't believe he really loved her, and Mary comforted Kate.
Despite this hesitation, Kate came with them when they went to the ball, where they were greeted with whispers. At the ball, Kate and Anthony became engaged after admitting their love for each other.[8]
Personality[]
An Earl's daughter whose marriage to a tradesman once embroiled her family in scandal, Lady Mary has now returned to London with her own daughters and is forced to endure the scrutiny of the ton yet again.
Relationships[]
Romantic[]
Despite being her season's Incomparable, and thus having her pick of any nobleman as a match, Mary fell in love with a working-class man and widowed father of a young girl, Kate. Mary said that from the moment they met they were drawn to one another. Against her parents' wishes, she accepted his proposal, snubbing the earl her parents chose for her, and moved to India with him and Kate. She was married to her husband until his death, and had another daughter with him, Edwina.
Familial[]
Lord and Lady Sheffield[]
Mary's parents disowned her after she married a working class clerk. When they meet again after Edwina's engagement, they ignore Mary and insult her husband and Kate, saying that she deprived them of their grandchild. Mary stands up, then, saying she has two children, and Lord and Lady Sheffield were the ones who cast them out. Lady Sheffield accuses her of wanting their money, but Mary says she wants nothing from them. Lady Sheffield reveals the inheritance they have set aside for Edwina, which Kate asked them for. Mary was upset to hear about this.
Kate Bridgerton[]
Kate is Mary's stepdaughter, but Mary loves her as her own daughter. She supported Kate's plan to go back to India after Edwina married. When the wedding was halted, Mary admitted she should've taken charge of the household after her husband died, instead of letting Kate do it. Mary told Kate that she loved her as her daughter, and she never owed Mary anything for taking care of her.
Edwina Sharma[]
After eloping with her husband, Mary had another daughter with him, Edwina. After he died, Mary and Kate did their best to provide and care for Edwina to her best comfort. Mary was thrilled when Edwina was named the diamond of the season, and excited when she became engaged to Viscount Bridgerton. She helped Edwina through the scandal when the wedding fell apart.
Notes and Trivia[]
- Netflix Bio: Lady Mary is no stranger to the London marriage mart. Her marriage once embroiled her and her family in scandal. Now newly returned to London with her daughters, she's forced to endure the scrutiny of the ton yet again.
Gallery[]
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A more complete gallery with pictures of Mary Sharma (Netflix) can be found here. |
Memorable Quotes[]
- Violet: It has been some time since you have been on English soil, has it not?
- Mary: Not since I left with my late husband. A lifetime ago, it seems.[3]
- Mary: Lord Sheffield made it clear, in no uncertain terms, that he did not support the match. So I had a choice to make between my family and my heart.[5]
- Mary: From the very first moment, your father and I were drawn together. It is a very powerful thing to meet someone and feel that you know them. In a way unlike any other.[5]
- Lady Sheffield: She simply sailed away from all of us with that man, robbing us of our grandchild.
- Mary: Grandchildren. I have two daughters with whom you have had every opportunity to form a connection. But the choice to shun us was yours alone.[5]
- Mary: When you cast me out, what you did was set me free. Free to raise my daughters far from your constant judgment and craven demands that they should chase wealth and titles above all else![5]
- Mary: In truth, I cannot place blame entirely at your door, Lord Bridgerton. I myself have been absent for far too long. When my husband died, it should've been me taking on my family's burden, not Kate. She sacrificed far too much for us, indeed.[7]
- Mary: It is not right that you were left to guide Edwina alone. That was my failing.[8]
- Kate: Everything I-I did, I owed it to you.
- Mary: You owed me nothing! Oh...You never had to earn your place in this family. I loved you from the day I met you. Oh, love is not something that is ever owed. You came into my life as a daughter, and I never saw you as anything else. Oh...it grieves me to think you do not believe you deserve all of the love in the world.[8]
- Mary: Scandals may cast aspersions, but they do not obligate us to answer to anyone.[7]
Appearances[]
| Bridgerton, Season 2 | |||||
| #01 | "Capital R Rake" | #04 | "Victory" | #07 | "Harmony" |
| #02 | "Off to the Races" | #05 | "An Unthinkable Fate" | #08 | "The Viscount Who Loved Me" |
| #03 | "A Bee in Your Bonnet" | #06 | "The Choice" | ||
References
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