# XXVII: Who Is Nina Carrington? explained — The Circular Staircase

> Chapter companion for The Circular Staircase by Mary Roberts Rinehart.

## What happens

Rachel Innes recounts four days of agonizing suspense following Halsey's disappearance. The household is besieged by reporters and false clues. Mr. Jamieson leads the search, calling nightly with no news. Rachel confronts Doctor Walker, who reacts violently to the name 'Nina Carrington.' She deduces that Mattie Bliss is Nina Carrington and that she is connected to Halsey's disappearance. Rachel visits Mrs. Tate and learns that a woman with the initials F. B. A. (Fanny Armstrong) paid for Lucien Wallace's board. The chapter ends with Rachel reflecting on the dead—Thomas, Arnold Armstrong, and his father—and wondering who Nina Carrington is.

## Themes in this chapter

### Secrecy and Deception

Doctor Walker's evasiveness and the hidden identity of Nina Carrington drive the mystery.

### Isolation and Vulnerability

The household's suspense and helplessness during Halsey's disappearance highlight their isolation.

## Character check-ins

### Rachel Innes

Endures four days of suspense, confronts Doctor Walker, deduces Nina Carrington's identity, and visits Mrs. Tate.

### Halsey Innes

Remains missing; Rachel believes his disappearance is linked to Nina Carrington and Doctor Walker.

### Doctor Walker

Confronted by Rachel; reacts with fury to the name Nina Carrington, revealing his fear.

### Liddy Allen

Cries constantly; shares a moment of weeping with Rachel.

### Mr. Jamieson

Leads the search for Halsey, calling nightly with updates.

### Louise Armstrong

Out of danger but very ill; guarded by a nurse; Rachel resolves to see her.

## Key lines

> The four days, from Saturday to the following Tuesday, we lived, or existed, in a state of the most dreadful suspense.

From Saturday to Tuesday, we barely lived, trapped in terrible uncertainty.

_Describes the prolonged anxiety after Halsey's disappearance._

> For a moment I thought he was going to strike me. He grew livid, and a small crooked blood-vessel in his temple swelled and throbbed curiously.

For an instant, I believed he would hit me; his face turned purple and a vein in his temple pulsed oddly.

_Doctor Walker's violent reaction to the name Nina Carrington._

> I then knew, knew as surely as if I had seen the whole thing. There had been an N. C. on the suitcase belonging to the woman with the pitted face.

I suddenly understood with certainty: the initials N. C. on the suitcase matched the pockmarked woman.

_Rachel deduces that Mattie Bliss is Nina Carrington._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_circular_staircase_se/chapters/xxvii-who-is-nina-carrington
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_circular_staircase_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_circular_staircase_se/chapters