The Maid's Secret

Flora Gray is Molly’s grandmother. Although she is deceased at the time the novel takes place, she has left behind a diary for Molly, and the entries in this diary form a secondary narration from Flora’s perspective. Molly remembers Flora as a generous, loving, hard-working, and extremely ethical person: When Maggie accuses Flora of being a thief, for instance, Molly instantly discounts Maggie’s story, sure that her grandmother could never have stolen from anyone, regardless of the circumstances. Flora took Molly in when Maggie abandoned her and did her utmost to give Molly a wonderful life, showing her a great deal of love and teaching her important lessons about how to live honestly and happily.

Flora’s diary makes clear that this was not always who she was, however. Flora was raised in luxury by cold and demanding parents who believed themselves better than everyone around them. As a young woman, Flora was often cruel to those she deemed beneath her socially, as when she rejected John’s friendship at school because he was the child of servants. Flora had an epiphany that changed her worldview, however, following the death of a beloved mentor figure, Mrs. Mead, and the discovery that she had allowed herself to become engaged to a wealthy monster simply to please her avaricious parents. After this, Flora tried to live in a way that honored Mrs. Mead’s legacy, making sacrifices for those she loved—as when she left John in order to preserve his chance to go to college—and working hard to earn her place in the world instead of relying on inherited wealth. This great change in Flora makes her the novel’s most dynamic character and reinforces the themes of the value of love and The Impact of Class and Privilege.

Juan Manuel is Molly’s fiancé and the head pastry chef at the Regency Grand. He is a flat and static character who functions mainly as an illustration of the rewards Molly receives for being a good person, embodying the theme of the value of love. Juan adores Molly and makes every effort to make sure she is happy and comfortable. When she faints at the initial appraisal of the golden egg, he rushes to take care of her, and he fusses over her safety frequently as the novel’s events unfold. In the smaller things, too, he is consistently attentive: Juan is shown cooking for Molly and bringing her little treats, telling her how much he loves her, and showering her with physical affection.

Aside from his love for Molly, the narrative reveals little about Juan. He is hard-working, like Molly, proud of having worked his way up to being the Regency Grand’s pastry chef, and he shows creativity in the confections that come out of his kitchen. Juan shows a strong ethical core in his reaction to the temptation of millions of dollars. He gets more excited than Molly does about the potential wealth the Fabergé egg represents, but he understands her differing feelings and never pushes her to change her perspective. He also does not view the money as partially his, and he is surprised and grateful when she suggests sharing the money with his family. Like Molly, he is sanguine about the loss of the egg when its true owner is revealed, remaining focused on the love he and Molly share and not on their circumstances in life.

John Preston is Molly’s grandfather. Recently retired from his post as a doorman at the Regency Grand, John frequently stops in at the hotel to help out, showing his hard-working and generous nature. Molly worked with John for many years before learning, in The Mystery Guest, that he is actually her biological grandfather. Although Flora never told Molly this while she was alive, she does confirm John’s biological relationship to Molly in the journal that she leaves in The Maid’s Secret. In the narrative present, John is a protective and doting grandfather to Molly: He praises her frequently, offers rides to keep her safe, and immediately comes to her side to support her whenever she needs him. He even offers her and Juan a home when, at the end of the novel, it temporarily appears that they are about to be unhoused.

In her diary, Flora characterizes young John as intelligent, self-assured, and ambitious. Although he was the son of a servant, he carried himself with quiet pride and did not accept the premise that his family made him inferior. John was an excellent student whose goal was to go to college; he showed real determination, staying in his college-prep classes despite the daily harassment of his classmates. The characterization of John as such an ethical, responsible, and hard-working man, combined with plot events like his having to accept work as a bellhop instead of going to college after Reginald fired his father, is an important part of the story’s consideration of the impact of class and privilege.

The depth of John’s love for Flora and his sense of ethical responsibility are both illustrated in his willingness to give up his planned future to take care of Flora and their unborn child. Both qualities show again when he continues to search for Flora, even after she leaves him, and when he vows to take care of Maggie—and then Molly—for the rest of his life. John, like Juan, is an embodiment of the value of love. “Juan” is the Spanish equivalent of “John,” creating a further parallel between these two characters.

Beagle and Brown are married art and antiquities dealers who also host the television show Hidden Treasures. They enter Molly’s life when the television show comes to film at the Regency Grand—unbeknownst to both the Bees and Molly, however, the three are also connected by The Long Reach of Family Secrets. For much of the text, the two men are characterized very similarly, aside from their physical differences: Brown is larger, blond, and wears a scarlet waistcoat during the show’s filming, while Beagle is slighter, dark-haired, and wears a blue waistcoat. Both are quick-witted and use language to amuse their audience at the expense of their guests. They make unkind quips about Mr. Snow sweating heavily during his appearance, for instance, and they make condescending remarks about Molly’s earnest, literal mind to make their audience laugh.

One difference between the two men is that Beagle tends to emphasize the power of money slightly more than Brown does; this both characterizes Beagle and is an element of the text’s foreshadowing, as, later in the novel, Molly learns that Beagle is behind the theft and return of the Fabergé egg. The reasons behind his theft are rooted in the family secrets that have reached through the generations to touch the present: Beagle’s grandfather is the Barron Beagle that Algernon and Magnus—who turn out to be the father and grandfather of Baxley Brown—stole as an engagement present for Flora Gray. Beagle thus becomes the antagonist of Molly’s plot in the present timeline, a thief and a liar who does not value relationships as much as he values wealth. By contrast, Brown shows himself to be far more ethical: After the entire plot is revealed, he apologizes to Molly for his husband’s actions and decides to give Molly a substantial amount of money to make amends for what his father and grandfather did many years ago to her grandmother.