The Murder of Roger Ackroyd: Chapter 22 Summary & Analysis

Ursula—who Poirot has just called “Ursula Paton”—begins to weep. Caroline embraces her, murmuring, “there, there.” Ursula says she has read the report of Ralph’s arrest, and has decided to stop pretending. Poirot sheepishly mutters that not all newspaper stories are true, but nonetheless asks Ursula to tell the truth, in the hopes that her testimony can clear Ralph’s name.

Ursula proceeds to tell Dr. Sheppard, Caroline, and Poirot what she’s been hiding. While working as a parlormaid for the Ackroyds, she fell in love with Ralph Paton and secretly married him—Ralph insisted that Roger would never let him marry “a penniless girl.” Ralph planned to pay his debts and announce the marriage to Roger—however, he fell deeper into debt instead, and Roger instructed him to marry Flora. Unwilling to push back, Ralph agreed. He saw marrying Flora as a business deal, designed to ingratiate himself to his stepfather and relieve his debt. On the afternoon before Roger’s murder, Ursula met with Roger and told him everything about Ralph. Furious, Roger dismissed her. Later that evening, Ursula met Ralph in the summerhouse, where they argued. Ursula says she hasn’t seen Ralph since that evening.

Dr. Sheppard listens carefully to Ursula’s story, and realizes why she kept silent: had she told the truth, people would have thought that she’d murdered Roger before he could cut Ralph (and, in effect, Ursula herself) out of his will. Poirot then asks Ursula at what time she left Ralph in the summerhouse. Ursula answers that she arrived there around 9:33, and left about ten minutes later, returning to the house at 9:45. She remembers this very precisely, since her meeting with Ralph was so important.

Poirot asks Ursula where she went after 9:45. Ursula claims she went to bed, but also admits that nobody can verify this. Poirot points out that Ursula could have committed the murder—a suggestion that Ursula finds terrifying. She points out that Ralph may have run away from the house after hearing about the murder and assuming that Ursula had done it. She also explains that she went to see Dr. Sheppard, assuming that Sheppard might know Ralph’s whereabouts and pass on her message to Ralph. Sheppard insists that he has no knowledge whatsoever of Ralph’s whereabouts. Poirot thanks Ursula and then tells her that the story in the newspaper is a mere “rien du tout.” Ursula looks confused, and Poirot quickly asks her to tell him if Ralph wore shoes or boots during their meeting in the summerhouse. Ursula says she can’t remember.