The essay considers Conrad's engagement with two figurations of the feminine in late-Victorian fiction fiancees and wives. It begins with Conrad's representation of women in his early fiction. It then examines the critical representation of the Intended in 'Heart of Darkness' as against Marlow's misreadings of her; it explores Conrad's depiction of captain's wives in his fiction and concludes with an engagement with the complexities of Marlow's presentation of Flora de Barral in Chance - as vulnerable female and as wife. Through an examination of these figures the essay also aims to engage with contemporary debates about 'the feminine'.