Luke Marks is the husband and cousin of Phoebe Marks, who, along with his wife, attempts to blackmail Lady Audley. Luke uses information Phoebe gives him concerning Lady Audley’s past to leverage Lady Audley for money in order to purchase and maintain his public house, the Castle Inn. Luke is described as brutal and ugly in both appearance and behavior. He selfishly desires increasing amounts money yet drinks away his funds and mismanages his public house. In order to stop the blackmailing—and simultaneously kill her other enemy, Robert Audley—Lady Audley sets fire to the Castle Inn. Luke is badly burned but does not die. Later, however, upon becoming deathly ill, Luke reveals to Robert that Lady Audley did not actually kill her first husband, George Talboys. George survived his fall down the well and, with Luke’s help, fled the country.
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Luke Marks Character Timeline in Lady Audley’s Secret
The timeline below shows where the character Luke Marks appears in Lady Audley’s Secret. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Volume 1, Chapter 3
...walk. Phoebe assures him they won’t be heard in this secluded area. The man, named Luke, is “broad-shouldered” and “stupid-looking.” Luke is Phoebe’s first cousin and sweetheart from childhood. They remark...
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Phoebe remarks on how just three months ago, Lady Audley was a servant like her. Luke tells her not to worry because they could buy a public house (an inn) and...
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Since Lady Audley and Sir Michael are away, Luke proposes that he and Phoebe look at all Lady Audley’s finery. Inside, Luke mentions a...
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Luke considers stealing one of Lady Audley’s diamond bracelets, but Phoebe tells him not to. Luke...
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Volume 1, Chapter 14
Lady Audley scolds Phoebe for her association with Luke, who has become a groom at Audley Court and whom Lady Audley considers to be...
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Lady Audley says Phoebe shouldn’t marry Luke if she’s afraid of him, but if she insists on marrying him, Lady Audley will...
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Lady Audley meets with Luke and Phoebe and promises them 50 pounds. Luke demands 100 pounds. Lady Audley turns to...
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Volume 1, Chapter 15
Luke and Phoebe get married and move into their public house in the village of Mount...
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Phoebe cries as she and Luke leave their hometown. Luke says that she didn’t have to marry him and it’s not...
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Volume 1, Chapter 17
Robert hears Luke through the thin walls and decides that the inn-keeper sounds like a fool and that...
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Robert remarks on how Luke seems to have powerful secrets on someone, or more likely, Luke’s wife holds the secrets....
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Volume 2, Chapter 13
...that Robert is at the Castle Inn right now. Lady Audley suspects Robert is interrogating Luke. Phoebe says Luke forced her to come ask Lady Audley to pay the inn’s Christmas...
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Lady Audley contemplates the situation, with Robert and Luke in the same place. She knows the drunken Luke will only become cruel if she...
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Phoebe fears they will all die in a fire, because when Luke becomes drunk he leaves lit candles in precarious places. The Castle Inn, with its cheap...
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Volume 3, Chapter 1
...her great despair.” She notices a light in one window of the Castle Inn, where Luke must be still awake. Lady Audley assumes Robert is asleep in one of the unlit...
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Wind blows heavily upon the inn. Luke sits in his chambers drinking with the landlord. Luke’s intoxication increases his brutal nature and...
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Lady Audley pays Luke and Phoebe offers to walk her home. Lady Audley agrees but says that she feels...
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...off in the distance. Phoebe is horrified, certain it’s the Castle Inn. She fears for Luke and Robert inside. Then she remembers Lady Audley’s quarrels with Luke and Robert and begs...
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Volume 3, Chapter 3
...fire. Robert slept lightly because of his worries. He woke up in time to save Luke, but not before Luke was horribly burned. Afterwards, Luke and Phoebe told Robert that Lady...
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Volume 3, Chapter 7
Clara’s letter states that Luke is in failing health and both he and Phoebe wish to see Robert before Luke...
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...the Castle Inn. Robert goes to Mr. Dawson, because the doctor has been caring for Luke since the fire. Mr. Dawson leads him to the cottage where Luke lies. He tells...
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Through the cottage window, Robert sees Luke’s wife and mother watching over him. Robert waits while Mr. Dawson tends to Luke. He...
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Phoebe watches Luke, fearing death itself but not the loss of her husband. Phoebe has made the room...
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Phoebe takes Robert aside and says Luke doesn’t remember anything of the night of the fire, but resents Lady Audley for not...
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Luke demands to speak to Robert alone. Phoebe agrees, but tells him not to say anything...
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Luke mentions he heard from the Audleys’ servants that Robert was very fond of the man...
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Luke pauses, clearly suffering from a fever. Robert thinks about what he will do now that...
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Volume 3, Chapter 8
Robert’s thoughts wander until Luke asks his mother if she remembers the 7th of last September (the date of George’s...
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Luke asks his mother if she remembers when he worked at a neighbor’s farm before marrying...
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Robert realizes who Luke is talking about and exclaims, “George Talboys is alive!” Luke asks his mother to fetch...
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Luke says that on the 7th of September he went to visit Phoebe at Audley Court....
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Luke brought the man to his mother’s cottage, and as they bandaged him up, he seemed...
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The man wrote the two letters and left for the train station with Luke. He gave Luke the letters, telling him to deliver them to Lady Audley and Robert....
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Luke then went to Audley Court to visit Phoebe in the garden. When he tried to...
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Phoebe started crying and told Luke she was sitting by a window yesterday when she saw Lady Audley and a gentleman...
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Robert sits by sleeping Luke’s bedside until daybreak. He thinks about how he can now tell Clara that George is...
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Volume 3, Chapter 9
...who tried to kill him. Summoning all his strength, he climbed out and hid until Luke found him.
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