# The Past Haunting the Present in The Middle of Things

> Theme guide for The Middle of Things by J. S. Fletcher.

Long-past events, such as Lord Marketstoke's disappearance thirty-five years earlier, directly impact the present-day murder and legal claims, showing how history resurfaces to shape current lives.

## Where it surfaces

- [VI: Speculations](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_middle_of_things_se/chapters/vi-speculations): Miss Penkridge suggests the murder's secret lies in Ashton's past, and the cablegram from Melbourne reveals a gap in his history.
- [News from Arcadia](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_middle_of_things_se/chapters/viii-news-from-arcadia): Ashton's secret journey to Marketstoke and his interactions there hint at unresolved matters from his past.
- [IX: Looking Backward](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_middle_of_things_se/chapters/ix-looking-backward): The disappearance of Lord Marketstoke from thirty-five years ago resurfaces with the arrival and murder of John Ashton, linking past events to the present mystery.
- [X: The Parish Register](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_middle_of_things_se/chapters/x-the-parish-register): The disappearance of Lord Marketstoke thirty-five years ago resurfaces through Ashton's visit to Marketstoke, linking past secrets to the current murder investigation.
- [The Present Holder](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_middle_of_things_se/chapters/xv-the-present-holder): Lord Marketstoke's disappearance years ago continues to affect current events, as Ashton's possession of related papers leads to murder and intrigue.
- [XXVIII: The Truth](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_middle_of_things_se/chapters/xxviii-the-truth): Ashton's past connection with Cortelyon in Australia and the recovered papers from his body unravel the mystery.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_middle_of_things_se/themes/the_past_haunting_the_present
- Themes index: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_middle_of_things_se/themes