Major Richard Knighton, also known as The Marquis, is the main antagonist of the Hercule Poirot novel The Mystery of the Blue Train and its subsequent televised adaptation in the British television mystery show Agatha Christie's Poirot, as its tenth series' premiere. Knighton was a secretary to American socialite Rufus Van Aldin, which hid his true nature as a jewel thief and the eventual killer of Rufus' daughter Ruth Kettering, so Knighton would get the family ruby with the assistance of maid and former actress and impersonator Ada Mason.
He was portrayed by Nicholas Farrell in the television adaptation.
Biography[]
Major Knighton was a veteran of the First World War, being hospitalized at the villa of one Rosalie Tamplin when she was using it to house wounded soldiers. Several items were stolen from Rosalie's home, which were committed by Knighton as his first thefts He would eventually escalate to jewel heists, his wily robberies garnishing him the moniker "The Marquis". This could be because he spoke fluent French, which was likely acquired during his time of service in the war.
Knighton's next mark was Van Aldin, who he pretended to meet by chance at a Swiss resort, when he was really scouting an Aldin to earn his confidence. Knighton employed Mason, who ended up working as maid for Van Aldin's daughter Ruth, to assist him in snatching from the family the Heart of Fire, a richly valuable ruby Van Aldin acquired. When Van Aldin gave it to Ruth, Knighton set into action when she was to travel on Le Train Bleu with the gem, escaping her abusive marriage to gambling-addicted aristocrat Derek Kettering so she'd reunite with her lover at the French Riviera. In the film, she was fleeing with her lover and was taking the train to Nice to meet her mother, who was mentally unwell and placed her in a convent there.
With Knighton having snuck on board, he brutally kills Ruth in her train compartment and snatches the gem. In the book he strangles her; in the TV film, he bludgeons her to death with a hammer, making her features almost unrecognizable. Mason, at around this time, impersonated Ruth to make her appear alive and throw off the investigation, lying about which station she herself would leave the train at. She then disguised herself as a young man and left the train at a different station. The two conspirators covered for each other, lying about their whereabouts and Knighton stating he saw Mason at the bar when he didn't see her.
As in the film, Ruth and Katherine Grey switched train compartments so Ruth would be closer to her mister, Poirot feared Katherine was the original target. He met Katherine when wanting to get away from the festivities Ruth had pressured him to attend for her birthday, and she was coincidentally Rosalie's cousin, who wanted to meet her after gaining her family's massive inheritance.
Knighton became smitten with Katherine, and despite his struggles to court her from not coming to his words at Rosalie's house party, she thanks him for and is fond of his courtesy to her. However, Mason fell in love with Knighton, so as she was serving drinks, she barged in between the two of them and let the glassware and wine tumble just to keep them apart. Knighton sent her over to Van Aldin to shoo her away politely.
Mason and Knighton hasten their plans by Mason crying and lying she saw Derek in Ruth's cabin. This leads to Van Aldin ordering Derek's arrest by French police. In the film, as Mason was still jealous of Katherine, she broke into the villa window when Lenox opened it for a breeze to come in. Fully covered in a dark disguise, she failed to stab Katherine in her sleep, as Katherine dove out of the way and hid under her bed. Her dear cousin Lenox, sleeping in the same room, jumped Mason, bit her neck, and chased her out the window again.
Knighton realized Mason was responsible, bringing Katherine tea and flowers to be at her side, and out of fear she'd suspect him. The theft of the ruby is tied to "Le Marquis" once Poirot hears about the thefts and makes the connection. When Poirot heard about Rosalie having taken in war veterans, only for thefts to occur at the villa, he realizes Le Marquis was there. Knighton is identified as the murderer, Poirot remembering Knighton said he was one of the wounded soldiers there. Mason is also identified when her former line of work is revealed, and in the film, when the bite mark is found on her neck.
Knighton gives the ruby back, surrendering to police in the novel. In the film, he holds a razor against Katherine's neck and flees for an escape, with Mason creating a diversion. When failing to find an escape route, Knighton places the ruby in Katherine's hand and commits suicide by jumping in front of a train a train, which devastates Mason while she's taken into custody. Katherine herself was traumatized and heartbroken as Knighton was so polite to her, but Poirot reassured her.
Trivia[]
- Knighton is inspired by Archibald Hall, a.k.a. "The Monster Butler". Hall is a Scottish serial killer and thief with a preceding history of jewelry thefts, which escalating to murdering his employers when he wanted to rob them of their finances and estates. Hall was assisted by an accomplice like Knighton was.
