The Mystery of Mrs. Christie

December 11, 1926

Archie overhears police officers laughing in the kitchen at Styles. The home secretary wants Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (the creator of Sherlock Holmes) to assist in the search for Agatha. The police officers chuckle over the news that Conan Doyle, when asked for help, referred the police to a psychic, who touched one of Agatha’s gloves and reported that the owner was “not dead [but] half-dazed” and would “surface next Wednesday” (135). The police plan a large-scale search for the next day, which they call the “Great Sunday Hunt.”

Rosalind enters the house, smile vanishing when she sees Archie. Charlotte mentions that their cook is upset by the disappearance, and Archie wonders if it would make him look good to comfort the staff. Archie summons Charlotte to the study to ask about the letter. She apologizes for telling the police. Her own letter from Agatha merely discussed the change of plans regarding the weekend, and posited to the police that Archie’s was likely similar in content. Archie is pleased at first, then remembers he told the police the letter had nothing to do with the disappearance. Charlotte reluctantly admits that she told the police of the divide between Archie and Agatha and that she suspected an affair.

August 5, 1926

Archie reluctantly stays at Ashfield for Rosalind’s birthday. Agatha is shocked that Archie wants to divorce, and laments that her distant relationship with Rosalind is due to her attention to Archie. She hides her distress from Rosalind, but Madge notices and demands to know what is going on. Agatha admits that Archie wants to leave her.

December 11, 1926

Archie frantically searches the house, checking for any evidence of his affair with Nancy. Madge calls, angry that Archie hasn’t updated her as frequently as he promised. She wants to join the search, but Archie convinces her not to. Madge then asks to take Rosalind, but Archie refuses, more out of concern of what Charlotte will do or say given additional free time than of what’s best for Rosalind. He says he knows what is best for his own daughter and is shocked when Madge reveals she knew about his marital troubles, as Agatha had told him Madge did not know.

August 7, 1926-October 14, 1926

Agatha and Rosalind return to Styles. Agatha agonizes over Archie’s affair, blaming herself for neglecting him during her time of grief. She vows to reunite her family. Archie reluctantly agrees to try to reconcile over the course of three months, which Archie and Agatha begin with a trip to the Pyrenees. Within a week, Archie is refusing to speak to Agatha. When she presses him, he speaks to her so cruelly she briefly worries he will push her off the balcony to plunge to her death.

December 11-12, 1926

Archie struggles to remember the press has no evidence that he has done wrong, only “innuendo and inference.” The Daily Mail solicits commentary from novelist Dorothy Sayers, who is invited to the Great Sunday Hunt. To distract himself and mend ties with his daughter, Archie invites Rosalind to help him wash his car. The gardener’s son interrupts them, obliviously prattling about the scope of the hunt. Rosalind asks why Archie didn’t tell everyone Agatha was away writing. He ignores the question, telling her not to worry, and that the “terrible situation” will soon be resolved.

December 3, 1926

Halfway through their trial reconciliation, Archie and Agatha return to Styles. Agatha is tempted to give up on reconciliation but perseveres for Rosalind’s sake. Agatha takes frequent walks around the Silent Pool to calm herself. She is anxious when Archie is absent, worrying he is with Nancy, and anxious when he is at Styles, trying to make their life there appealing to him. She writes The Mystery of the Blue Train, eager to capitalize on the commercial and critical success of The Murder of Roger Ackroyd. Emotional unrest makes writing difficult.

Over breakfast, Agatha begs Archie to spend the weekend with her. He plans to go to the Jameses, and she knows Nancy will be there. She argues that he has not given their reconciliation enough effort, but he insists he will be moving forward with divorce proceedings. Agatha grows angry. She says she will only agree to a divorce if Archie names Nancy as the reason for the separation. Archie refuses; he will not damage Nancy’s reputation. Agatha points out the irony of caring about his mistress’s reputation over his wife’s. Archie grabs Agatha furiously. She pulls away, knocking over a teapot. Archie shoves her down onto the broken china and storms out.

Rosalind and Charlotte arrive, dismayed to see Agatha on the floor. Agatha tries to pass it off as an accident, but Rosalind says that she knows there was a fight and that Archie does not like Agatha.

December 13, 1926

The press continues to report on Agatha’s disappearance. Speculation mostly blames Archie, though some reports suggest this is a publicity stunt. Archie feels the end of the ordeal is near, a belief cemented by his receipt of a packet of papers entitled The Manuscript. Archie wonders how his life has come to this point. Kenward and Goddard hammer at the door of Archie’s study, announcing that if he does not open the door, they will break it down. Archie opens the door, feeling resigned to his fate.

December 3, 1926

The day of the argument, Agatha dresses carefully for dinner, which she hopes Archie will attend. She packs a suitcase, hoping their weekend in Yorkshire can be saved. Agatha waits alone at the table as different courses of dinner are served. She isn’t hungry and grows superstitious that if she eats before Archie returns, he never will. She resigns herself to the realization that he isn’t coming. The phone rings and Agatha knows things have changed. (The identity of this caller is not disclosed clearly; the reference in this chapter is to a male caller, though later the text refers to it as a standard check-in call from Charlotte. The “elements of fiction” of “The Manuscript” that Agatha describes in Part 2 may account for this discrepancy.)