The Circular Staircase · Chapter
XXVII: Who Is Nina Carrington? explained
Rachel Innes recounts four days of agonizing suspense following Halsey's disappearance.
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.
Free preview opens on this chapter — companions, themes, and character notes appear beside the text.
Narrative arc
Story tension across the book — this chapter sits in Rising action.
- Setup
- Escalation
- Breaking point
- Aftermath
- Closing
In this excerpt, the emotional and psychological peak occurs when the narrator, for the first time in twenty y…
Full beat labels and climax notes unlock in the reader.
Follow the arc while readingThemes 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.
Characters to notice
- 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 passages
“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.
