Huntingdon Whiteley

Huntingdon Whiteley is the public-relations company that employed Rachel Watson before she was fired. Its importance in the available account lies not in its business activities, which are not described, but in the way employment there gives Rachel a routine and a social identity she continues to perform after leaving.

Workplace and Social Setting

The company’s employees share a familiar coffee shop: Rachel enters it while distracted and finds herself among people from Huntingdon Whiteley. Their recognition makes the place part of the company’s everyday social world, as well as a setting where Rachel’s attempt to pass unnoticed fails. She has gone in before seeing them, and the brief encounter leaves her scrambling to explain her presence.

Rachel’s Employment and Departure

Rachel tells Detective Inspector Gaskill that she no longer works for Huntingdon Whiteley and that she left three months earlier. She has not told Cathy, her landlady, because she worries Cathy will be concerned about the rent; Rachel says she has money and can pay. When asked why she left, Rachel admits that she was fired. The account establishes the distinction between having left the company and the more difficult fact that she did not leave by choice.

The Job Rachel Continues to Perform

Although no longer employed, Rachel preserves the appearance of a working routine. She goes into London at the same time as before, even though she does not go to the office, hoping Cathy will not realize she is unemployed. The performance sustains a misleading impression at home while exposing how much of Rachel’s daily life is organized around concealing her circumstances.

That concealment also reaches the police. During their inquiry, Rachel initially confirms that she works in public relations at Huntingdon Whiteley. After Detective Inspector Gaskill asks again about her employment, she corrects the lie and explains that she was fired. Her former workplace thus becomes a concrete point where her attempt to manage what others know about her gives way to disclosure.