Mrs. de Winter Timeline and Summary

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• Mrs. de Winter meets Maxim in Monte Carlo where she's working as a paid companion to Mrs. Van Hopper.
• She falls in love with Maxim and agrees to marry him. She accompanies him to Manderley after the honeymoon.
• At Manderley, she meets Mrs. Danvers, who seems to hate her. She begins to feel that everybody is comparing her unfavorably to Maxim's first wife, the late Rebecca.
• Mrs. de Winter begins to feel more at home when it's decided that a costume ball will be held in her honor. She's excited about surprising everyone with her fabulous costume.
• Unfortunately, she lets Mrs. Danvers suggest her costume; it turns out to be the same one Rebecca wore at her last Manderley ball. Maxim believes her act was deliberate, and she is pretty sure her marriage is over. Bummer.
• She confronts Mrs. Danvers about the costume, and Mrs. Danvers tries to make her commit suicide, by jumping from Rebecca's bedroom window. This is intense.
• Soon enough, Mrs. de Winter learns that Maxim actually hated Rebecca and that he shot her. Yep, he was the one who killed her. Mrs. de Winter doesn't care: she's just happy to learn that Maxim isn't still in love with Rebecca.
• She agrees to stand by Maxim and swears she still loves him. She's overjoyed when Maxim tells her he loves her for the first time.
• Mrs. de Winter is relived when Rebecca's death is officially declared suicide and the truth of Rebecca's cancer is revealed.
• Just shy of a happily-ever-after, she drives back to Manderley with Maxim to find the beautiful house on fire.