# Secrecy and the Past in The Charing Cross Mystery

> Theme guide for The Charing Cross Mystery by J. S. Fletcher.

Past events, such as the Sellithwaite fraud and the tattooed armlets, resurface to threaten present lives, showing how hidden histories can be exploited and must be confronted.

## Where it surfaces

- [Whose Portrait Is This?](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_charing_cross_mystery_se/chapters/ii-whose-portrait-is-this): The annotated photograph 'Through my hands ten years ago!' hints at a hidden history and unresolved secrets from a decade earlier.
- [III: The Potential Fortune](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_charing_cross_mystery_se/chapters/iii-the-potential-fortune): Hannaford's secret chemical experiments and the hidden 'potential fortune' in a sealed envelope suggest hidden aspects of his life.
- [IV: The Diamond Necklace](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_charing_cross_mystery_se/chapters/iv-the-diamond-necklace): The photograph and Hannaford's cryptic note 'Through my hands ten years ago!' point to a hidden history involving a woman and a diamond necklace fraud.
- [The Police Return](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_charing_cross_mystery_se/chapters/v-the-police-return): The past events of Mrs. Whittingham's escape are slowly uncovered, and Malladale keeps a secret about being repaid.
- [Samples of Ink](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_charing_cross_mystery_se/chapters/vi-samples-of-ink): Hetherwick uncovers Hannaford's secret experiments and the hidden history of Mrs. Whittingham.
- [Black Velvet](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_charing_cross_mystery_se/chapters/vii-black-velvet): The past of Lady Riversreade as Mrs. Whittingham and her connection to the Sellithwaite jewel theft is uncovered, linking to the mystery of Hannaford's murder.
- [VIII: Fligwood’s Rents](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_charing_cross_mystery_se/chapters/viii-fligwood-s-rents): Granett's past in Sellithwaite and his secretive meeting with Hannaford hint at hidden history and unresolved secrets.
- [X: The Mysterious Visitor](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_charing_cross_mystery_se/chapters/x-the-mysterious-visitor): Lady Riversreade's reaction to Baseverie suggests a hidden connection or secret from her past.
- [XI: Lady Riversreade](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_charing_cross_mystery_se/chapters/xi-lady-riversreade): Lady Riversreade's secretive visit to Vivian's Night Club and her mysterious destination at St. Mary's Mansions deepen the mystery surrounding her past.
- [Alias Madame Listorelle](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_charing_cross_mystery_se/chapters/xii-alias-madame-listorelle): The discovery of Lady Riversreade's secret flat and her connection to Baseverie and Hannaford reveals layers of concealed history.
- [XIII: Who Was She?](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_charing_cross_mystery_se/chapters/xiii-who-was-she): The chapter delves into the ten-year-old Sellithwaite fraud and how past secrets resurface to threaten the present.
- [Is It Blackmail?](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_charing_cross_mystery_se/chapters/xiv-is-it-blackmail): The mysterious woman's hidden flat and Baseverie's secret knowledge point to concealed past events driving the plot.
- [XVI: Still More](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_charing_cross_mystery_se/chapters/xvi-still-more): The sisters' hidden history—the tattoo, the Sellithwaite warrant, and Madame Listorelle's former identity—drives the blackmail and the murder investigation.
- [The Torn Labels](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_charing_cross_mystery_se/chapters/xvii-the-torn-labels): Macpherson's hidden knowledge about Ambrose's prescription and the secretive nature of the investigation.
- [XVIII: The Telegram](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_charing_cross_mystery_se/chapters/xviii-the-telegram): The doctors' hidden histories of professional misconduct and criminal convictions are uncovered, linking them to the current mystery.
- [The Order in Writing](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_charing_cross_mystery_se/chapters/xxi-the-order-in-writing): The investigation into Baseverie's actions and the contents of Madame Listorelle's flat reveal hidden connections and past secrets.
- [The Highly-Respectable Solicitor](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_charing_cross_mystery_se/chapters/xxii-the-highly-respectable-solicitor): The retrieval of the box by Garrowell hints at hidden dealings and past connections between Madame Listorelle and the solicitor, shrouded in mystery.
- [The Landlady of Little Smith Street](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_charing_cross_mystery_se/chapters/xxiii-the-landlady-of-little-smith-street): Baseverie's hidden address and the locked house suggest secrets and past deceptions.
- [The House in the Yard](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_charing_cross_mystery_se/chapters/xxiv-the-house-in-the-yard): The hidden house behind the wall, the woman's secretive behavior, and the concealed laboratory all underscore themes of hidden truths and past actions.
- [Waterloo](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_charing_cross_mystery_se/chapters/xxvi-waterloo): The hidden house with barred windows and bolted doors reveals the secret detention of Rhona and Madame Listorelle, and the woman's sudden flight hints at concealed connections.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_charing_cross_mystery_se/themes/secrecy_and_the_past
- Themes index: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_charing_cross_mystery_se/themes