The Murder of Roger Ackroyd: Chapter 4 Summary & Analysis

A little before 7:30 pm, Dr. Sheppard arrives at Roger Ackroyd’s estate, known as Fernly. The butler, Parker, lets Sheppard inside, where Sheppard finds Ackroyd’s secretary, Geoffrey Raymond. Raymond greets Sheppard and, noticing Sheppard’s black bag, asks him if he’s here on medical business. Sheppard explains that he expects to be called out at any minute. Raymond leaves Sheppard by himself in the room. Sheppard is about to walk into the drawing rom when he hears the sound of a window being shut.

Inside the drawing room, Sheppard finds Miss Russell, who’s breathing hard. Russell says she didn’t expect Sheppard for dinner, and Sheppard senses that his presence there is somehow displeasing to her. Russell walks away, leaving Sheppard in the drawing room. He notices that all the windows are “long french ones,” meaning that the sound he just heard couldn’t have been a window shutting. He realizes that the sound came from the lid of a silver table (a table for holding silverware and other valuables).

A moment later, Flora Ackroyd enters. She’s a beautiful young woman, though many people dislike her. Flora proudly shows Dr. Sheppard her engagement ring, which Ralph gave her a month previously. Flora and Ralph announced their engagement yesterday, and Roger has promised to set them up in one of his houses. Just then, Mrs. Ackroyd enters. Dr. Sheppard dislikes Mrs. Ackroyd greatly: she’s cold and “most unpleasant.” Mrs. Ackroyd professes herself overjoyed with her daughter’s engagement, but tries to convince Sheppard to give Roger advice for making “settlements” for Flora. Before Sheppard can answer, Major Hector Blunt enters. Blunt is a well-known big-game hunter, and—despite being very different from Roger—he and Roger have been friends for years. Sheppard notices that Blunt begins speaking to Flora right away.

At dinner, Dr. Sheppard sits next to Mrs. Ackroyd and Flora Ackroyd. Dinner is tense, and Roger Ackroyd seems depressed. After dinner, Roger leads Dr. Sheppard to his study. Roger asks Sheppard for a tablet (pill), and Sheppard—guessing that Roger is trying to make their conversation seem medical—plays along, asking Parker to bring his black bag from the hall. Roger asks Sheppard to make sure the window is closed, so Sheppard goes over to the window and tells Roger it’s closed.

When Parker has brought Dr. Sheppard’s bag and left, Roger begins to speak openly. He says he’s “in hell” and that he only asked about the tablets so that Parker wouldn’t be suspicious. Roger asks Sheppard—who “attended Ashley Ferrars in his last illness”—if he considered that Ferrars was poisoned. Roger then explains that Ashley was poisoned, by Mrs. Ferrars; she told him so just before her death.

Roger goes on to explain to Dr. Sheppard that he asked Mrs. Ferrars to marry him three months ago, but she refused. Yesterday, Ferrars explained her reason for refusing—she’s guilty of killing her husband, a crime she committed partly because she loved Roger and partly because she despised her husband. Roger tells Dr. Sheppard that someone was blackmailing Mrs. Ferrars, but she wouldn’t tell him the person’s name. However, Roger wants to track down the blackmailer and “make him pay.” He’s certain that Mrs. Ferrars left him a message before her death, which must have been a suicide.

Just then, Parker enters with the mail and leaves. Roger finds an envelope from Mrs. Ferrars. He asks Dr. Sheppard again if he shut the window, and Sheppard insists that he has. Roger explains that he’s had a feeling of being watched all evening. Then Sheppard and Ackroyd hear a door being pushed very slightly. Sheppard checks outside—there’s nobody there. Roger opens the letter and begins to read. Mrs. Ferrars explains that she is going to kill herself and leave to Roger “the punishment of the person who has made my life a hell.” Roger pauses and then tells Sheppard that he’ll read the letter later, when he’s alone. Sheppard asks Roger to read the letter now—just not aloud. Roger refuses. Sheppard presses the point, but Roger again refuses.

Around 8:50 pm, some ten minutes after the letter arrived, Dr. Sheppard leaves the study, “the letter still unread.” Sheppard tries to think if there’s anything he’s “left undone.” Outside, he sees Parker, whom he tells, “Mr. Ackroyd particularly does not want to be disturbed.” Sheppard puts on his coat and leaves. Outside, he passes by a “stranger” with “a hoarse voice.” The stranger asks Dr. Sheppard which way Ackroyd’s house is, and Sheppard answers him, thinking that the man’s voice is familiar.

Around ten o’clock, when Dr. Sheppard is in bed, the phone rings. He shouts to Caroline that it’s Parker: Roger Ackroyd has just been found murdered.