Ursula Bourne

Ursula Bourne, one of seven children from an impoverished Irish family, became parlourmaid at Fernly Park using her sister's reference. There, she met and secretly married Ralph Paton. On the day of Roger Ackroyd's murder, she sought an interview with him and revealed the marriage, which caused a stormy scene. That evening, she stole out to meet Ralph by appointment in the small summerhouse, where they parted at about twenty minutes to ten. She returned to the house at a quarter to ten and went to her room. After the murder, she gave notice, her story about a dismissal over papers seeming unlikely, and she was suspected by some of having a connection to stolen money. She was often seen weeping and, in a terrible state, sought out Poirot to confess the secret she had kept since Ackroyd's death.

Ursula Bourne served as parlourmaid at Fernly Park, a young woman with steady grey eyes and brown hair. She gave notice after Ackroyd found fault with her for disarranging his desk papers. On the afternoon of the murder, she requested and was granted an interview with Ackroyd, during which she revealed her secret marriage to his nephew, Ralph Paton. That evening, she met Ralph by appointment in the summerhouse, parting from him at twenty minutes to ten before returning to the house. She went up to her room and stayed there until about ten o'clock. After the murder, she left her position and was seen in a terrible state, weeping and waiting to speak to Poirot at the Sheppards' house. She attended Poirot's reunion at The Larches, where she steadfastly maintained that Ralph had never gone near the house after they parted.

Ursula Bourne, a parlourmaid at Fernly Park with steady grey eyes and brown hair, gave notice after Roger Ackroyd found fault with her. On the afternoon of the murder, she requested an interview with him, which she claimed lasted up to half an hour, though this story was later doubted. That evening, she stole out to meet her secret husband, Ralph Paton, in the summerhouse, parting from him just before a quarter to ten and returning to the house. After Ackroyd's death, she was suspected by the housemaid of involvement with stolen money and was seen crying at night. In distress, she sought out Poirot and revealed she had taken the position under her sister's reference and had secretly married Ralph, a fact she disclosed to Ackroyd during their fateful interview. She maintained that Ralph never went near the house after their meeting. Following Ralph's reappearance, she was hurt when he admitted he briefly suspected her of the murder.