Act 2

Gerald & Evaโ€™s Affair

The Inspector comes back to the room where Sheila and Gerald are chatting. He asks Gerald about Eva/Daisy. Gerald is caught off guard and tries to lie but realizes the futility of it.

He confesses that he met Eva as Daisy in a restaurant where she was attacked by a man. He assumed her to be an escort and offered her a place to stay.

He did not intend to seduce her but eventually, they both became intimate. They both knew the relationship would not last but they both enjoyed their times together.

After hearing Geraldโ€™s story, Sheila has not accepted it as truth and decides to work on their relationship in order to start afresh. They are joined by Sybil, Sheilaโ€™s mother, who is angry with Inspectorโ€™s line of enquiry.

She also dismisses Sheilaโ€™s claim that Eric is an alcoholic and asks her to stay quiet. Both mother and daughter share a cold stare at each other. Arthur joins the family in the room.

Sybilโ€™s Revelation

Now, the inspector turns to Sybil who refuses to recognize Eva even after seeing her picture. Sheila, however, claims that her mother his lying. After being pressed by the inspector, Sybil accepts the accusation.

She says that she met Eva who introduced herself as Mrs Birling, a few days prior to that night. She informs the guests that Eva was pregnant with a child and had come to her charity for financial aid.

Evaโ€™s story about being left by her husband after childbirth was rejected by the selection committee. Consequently, Eva changed her story to having a child out of wedlock. The charity decided to not help her.

Eric Enters

The inspector accepts Sybilโ€™s version of the events. Both Arthur and Sheila are aghast at Sybilโ€™s confession. They also realize that the father of Evaโ€™s child had to be Eric. Sybil also realizes the situation after glancing at her husband. Suddenly, the silence in the room is disrupted with Ericโ€™s footsteps.