The Mysterious Affair at Styles · Chapter
The Last Link explained
Poirot reveals the final pieces of the puzzle, explaining that Mrs.
What happens
Poirot reveals the final pieces of the puzzle, explaining that Mrs. Inglethorp herself destroyed the will by burning it in a fire, that Mary Cavendish administered a narcotic to Cynthia and Mrs. Inglethorp, and that the strychnine came from a precipitated bromide in the medicine. He reconstructs the events leading to the murder, clearing up misconceptions and identifying the true culprits.
Themes in this chapter
Deception and Appearance vs. Reality
Poirot uncovers the hidden actions of Mary Cavendish and the true cause of Mrs. Inglethorp's death, revealing how appearances misled everyone.
Justice and Truth
Poirot systematically dismantles false assumptions and presents the factual sequence of events, leading to the resolution of the case.
Marriage and Betrayal
Mary Cavendish's jealousy and her secret actions highlight the betrayal and mistrust within the Cavendish marriage.
Characters to notice
- Hercule Poirot
Delivers the final explanation of the crime, revealing the truth behind the will, the narcotic, and the strychnine.
- Mary Cavendish
Confesses to administering a narcotic and attempting to retrieve a paper from Mrs. Inglethorp's room, driven by jealousy.
- Emily Inglethorp
Posthumously revealed to have destroyed her own will and died from strychnine precipitated in her medicine.
- Cynthia Murdoch
Was drugged by Mary Cavendish, explaining her deep sleep during the night of the murder.
- Lawrence Cavendish
Reacts to the revelations, understanding the drugged cocoa and the delay in strychnine symptoms.
Key passages
“The temperature on that day, messieurs, was 80 degrees in the shade. Yet Mrs. Inglethorp ordered a fire! Why? Because she wished to destroy something, and could think of no other way.”
Despite the extreme heat, Mrs. Inglethorp lit a fire solely to burn a document, as wartime waste paper restrictions left no other means of disposal.
Poirot explains the incongruity of the fire as key evidence of will destruction.
“Mrs. Cavendish administered a safe, but effectual, narcotic to both Mrs. Inglethorp and Mademoiselle Cynthia.”
Mary Cavendish gave a harmless sleeping drug to both her mother-in-law and Cynthia.
Poirot reveals Mary's role in drugging the victims.
“The strychnine that killed Mrs. Inglethorp was the identical strychnine prescribed by Dr. Wilkins.”
The poison came directly from Mrs. Inglethorp's own medicine, where it had precipitated as crystals.
Poirot identifies the source of the strychnine.