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Margery is the young daughter of Clare and Jack Bellew. While Margery never appears on the page, her future and relationship to her mother are constantly at risk throughout the novella. Although Margery is a mixed-race child, neither she nor her racist father are aware of her heritage due to Clare’s passing as white. Should Jack discover Clare’s secret, she believes that he would sever her from contact with Margery, although it’s also possible that Jack would disown both Clare and Margery. These tensions and possible dangers are the sole reason that Clare does not divorce Jack and move to Harlem to fully join the Black community. However, while Clare does have a begrudging allegiance to her daughter, she is ultimately loyal only to herself. While she won’t actively leave Margery, she is not particularly devastated by the idea of being released from her maternal duties should Jack divorce her and keep her from contacting their daughter. For Clare, Margery represents the greatest obstacle between herself and total freedom. While she loves her daughter, she loves her freedom more, and she tells Irene pointedly that motherhood is not her highest priority in life.
Just as Clare and Irene both mirror and contrast one another, Margery too mirrors and contrasts Brian and Ted Redfield in the sense that, while Irene is willing to do anything – even kill – to secure her children’s safety and happiness, Clare is willing to give up anything – including her daughter – to secure her own desires. While Irene acts, or believes she acts, in the best interest of her children, Clare acts against the best interest of hers. While the consequences and effects of these actions on Brian, Ted, and Margery are not explored, the children and their futures are at the center of the novella’s drama and stakes.
