Pamela Andrews Timeline and Summary

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• Pamela begins the novel as a young maidservant for Lady B, who has just died.
• Mr. B agrees to take her on after his mother's death, putting her in charge of his linen, i.e. his underthings.
• He also starts harassing Pamela and trying to get inside her drawers.
• She's not too into that, so there are some pretty painful confrontations between the two.
• After repeatedly begging to go home, Pamela gets permission to split—but it's a trick. Instead of sending her home, Mr. B has his coachman drive her to his Lincolnshire estate, where he orders the housekeeper, Mrs. Jewkes, to hold her prisoner.
• Meanwhile, Mr. B offers to take her on formally as a mistress with rights and everything, which he outlines in some letters he sends to her.
• This should be a pretty sweet deal for a little farm girl, but Pamela refuses.
• Ticked off, Mr. B shows up in Lincolnshire and eventually maneuvers his way into bed with her by dressing up like a female servant. Pamela freaks, has some kind of epileptic fit, and makes Mr. B and Mrs. Jewkes feel super bad.
• This fit kicks off some character reform. Mr. B slowly improves after that incident, and he eventually starts talking about loving Pamela and wanting to marry her.
• Pamela, unsurprisingly, doesn't entirely trust him and keeps insisting on going home.
• So Mr. B takes the high road (not) and orders her out in a fit of pique.
• He regrets it almost immediately and sends someone to intercept her on her trip home with a letter asking her to return.
• Surprise! Pamela realizes she is in love with him, too, and heads back.
• They marry secretly, and, while things are still under wraps, Pamela has an extended confrontation with her new sister in-law, Lady Davers, who is infuriated by all the scandalous gossip her brother's behavior has sparked.
• Eventually, Pamela brings Lady Davers—and every other gentleman and gentlewoman around—over to her side, impressing them with her triple threat of brains, virtue, and beauty.
• In his epilogue to Pamela's letters, the editor reports that Pamela and Mr. B had a very happy life together, complete with lots of babies, and they served as a great moral example to the people around them.