she was just a little girl when her mother died, and Anne, being the sweetheart that she is, has probably always been Mary's comfort. I can't imagine Elizabeth or Sir Walter soothing a crying child who has woken in the middle of the night, but I can imagine Anne doing this for Mary. And, just as children take their parents for granted, so Mary takes Anne for granted. This is her habit of long-standing: she has a right to Anne.