On a rare sunny break after days of rain, Charlotte stands at her window when Aunt Amelia brings a letter sealed in inky blue wax that Charlotte recognizes as Jocelyn’s. Charlotte’s joy at finally hearing from Jocelyn collapses as she reads the letter: Jocelyn is engaged to Charlotte’s brother, James, and signs off as Charlotte’s future sister. Charlotte rereads the letter until her grief hardens into a cold, miserable fog, which follows her into the evening’s ball.

At the ball, Sabine notices Charlotte’s distress at once and quietly ushers her away from the crowd. They thread through rooms to a hidden door leading to a private study, which Sabine reveals is in her own house. Charlotte protests about detaining the hostess, but Sabine dismisses the concern and produces sherry and crystal cups, inviting Charlotte to share what is wrong.

Charlotte admits a friend is marrying and that she should be happy but is not. The friend is clearly Jocelyn, and Charlotte struggles to voice that she had hoped for something else. Sabine listens without judgment and sets out a deck of cards, offering whist as a diversion. As they play, Charlotte envies Sabine’s freedom and confesses that her own future feels predetermined: Jocelyn will marry James, and she will be paraded until claimed by a husband. Sabine counters that choices exist, though they are not easy, and says one must know what one wants before deciding what to do to get it.

Charlotte snaps that not everyone is lucky enough to be widowed, then apologizes. Sabine remains unruffled and explains what draws her to Charlotte: her unhidden feelings, which ripple off her “so loud they almost shout.” Sabine encourages Charlotte not to become small for the world, insisting she should get to live and love boldly. When Sabine reveals she has been cheating—producing extra aces—she uses it as a lesson that one can make one’s own luck.

As the ball winds down, Charlotte moves to leave, but Sabine stops her at the door. Standing very close behind her, Sabine notes a loose hook on Charlotte’s gown and removes her gloves to fix it. Sabine’s cool fingers linger and drift down the line of closures, then splay around Charlotte’s waist, her body close behind Charlotte’s. The contact is openly intimate, with Sabine’s mouth at Charlotte’s temple and her hand venturing lower as Charlotte braces against the door, breath unsteady.

In that charged moment, Sabine whispers, “When you discover what you want, come tell me.” She then withdraws, leaving Charlotte alone at the threshold as Sabine disappears back down toward the party, having stated both invitation and boundary.