# Mr. Whittington — The Secret Adversary character guide

> Mr. Whittington in The Secret Adversary by Agatha Christie.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** Mr. Edward Whittington, Whittington, Edward Whittington

**First appearance:** 0004-ii-mr-whittington-s-offer

## Snapshot

A smooth, watchful businessman whose too-generous offer to Tuppence smells less like opportunity than like a trap being baited.

## Who they are

Whittington presents himself as a man of affairs, the kind who can afford a good suit and a quiet room, and he approaches Tuppence with an offer that seems almost designed for her. But his questions are too pointed, his interest too sudden, and the money he dangles too large for the errand he describes. He matters because he is the first person to make the Young Adventurers feel that adventure has a price, and because his disappearance leaves behind exactly the kind of loose thread a serious reader wants pulled.

## Relationships

### [Tuppence Cowley](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_secret_adversary_se/characters/tuppence_cowley)

_professional_

Employer who hires Tuppence for a mysterious job, later revealed as a criminal associate.

### [Tommy Beresford](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_secret_adversary_se/characters/tommy_beresford)

_rivalry_

Criminal contact who tries to eliminate Tommy to protect the conspiracy.

### [Tuppence Cowley](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_secret_adversary_se/characters/tuppence_cowley)

_professional_

Employer who hires Tuppence for a mysterious job, later revealed as a criminal associate.

### [Tuppence Cowley](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_secret_adversary_se/characters/tuppence_cowley)

_professional_

Employer who hires Tuppence for a mysterious job, later revealed as a criminal associate.

### [Tommy Beresford](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_secret_adversary_se/characters/tommy_beresford)

_rivalry_

Criminal contact who tries to eliminate Tommy to protect the conspiracy.

### [Tommy Beresford](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_secret_adversary_se/characters/tommy_beresford)

_rivalry_

Criminal contact who tries to eliminate Tommy to protect the conspiracy.

## In the story

### [The Secret Adversary](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_secret_adversary_se/chapters/the-secret-adversary)

Offers Tuppence a mysterious position, hinting at a larger conspiracy.

### [II: Mr. Whittington's Offer](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_secret_adversary_se/chapters/ii-mr-whittington-s-offer)

Whittington offers Tuppence a job, reacts angrily to the name 'Jane Finn,' and pays her fifty pounds to keep her quiet.

### [A Set Back](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_secret_adversary_se/chapters/iii-a-set-back)

Whittington is mentioned as the man who gave Tuppence the money and who has now abruptly closed his office and disappeared, deepening the mystery.

### [IV: Who Is Jane Finn?](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_secret_adversary_se/chapters/iv-who-is-jane-finn)

Mr. Whittington is mentioned as the man who offered Tuppence a job, and his clerk named Brown is suspected to be the elusive Mr. Brown.

### [VI: A Plan of Campaign](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_secret_adversary_se/chapters/vi-a-plan-of-campaign)

Spotted by Tuppence leaving South Audley Mansions; Tommy follows him.

### [VII: The House in Soho](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_secret_adversary_se/chapters/vii-the-house-in-soho)

Dines with Boris, discusses Mr. Brown and 'Flossie,' then departs for Bournemouth by train.

### [XI: Julius Tells a Story](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_secret_adversary_se/chapters/xi-julius-tells-a-story)

Followed by Julius to Bournemouth; seen meeting a woman at a nursing home.

### [XXIII: A Race Against Time](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_secret_adversary_se/chapters/xxiii-a-race-against-time)

Disguised as the butler at Astley Priors, he ejects Tommy from the grounds.

### [Julius Takes a Hand](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_secret_adversary_se/chapters/xxiv-julius-takes-a-hand)

Deceived by Kramenin into releasing the girls; present at Gatehouse during the escape.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_secret_adversary_se/characters/mr_whittington
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_secret_adversary_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_secret_adversary_se/characters