Decades pass in a blur until, near Christmas 1879, Sabine surprises Charlotte by bringing her back to Hampshire, a mile from Clement Hall, and unveiling a stately, occupied house as a “gift.” They enter posing as carolers and quickly take control; Charlotte kills the husband gently, lingering in the sensations, and finds the wife dead in the kitchen. A scream upstairs leads Charlotte to Sabine, who is holding a terrified girl of about thirteen and taunting her that everyone else is dead.

Charlotte orders Sabine to stop, but Sabine shoves Charlotte hard—an unprecedented act—then bites the child shallowly and cruelly, prolonging the fear until the girl dies. Charlotte sees that Sabine’s eyes are black and empty, her voice dreamy and alien, and hears the stranger savor, “I like the way it tastes.” When Charlotte, disgusted, tells her to let go, the strange presence seems to vanish, and Sabine returns to herself, confused.

Reeling, Charlotte leaves the house and is drawn to the gardens of Clement Hall. She wanders memory-laden paths, recalling her family and childhood, and wonders who lives there now. In the dark, she discovers an elderly Jocelyn sitting outside. Jocelyn recognizes Charlotte without fear, speaks of dreaming of their past and of a life where she had been braver, and asks if Charlotte found someone brave enough to love her; Charlotte answers yes.

A young man, reminiscent of James’s youth, emerges from the house calling “Nan,” and gently leads Jocelyn back inside. Charlotte, hiding, watches with grief as the door closes and the garden returns to silence. As dawn approaches, pain from the light forces Charlotte to retreat. She plucks a rose and returns to the taken house.

Inside, the bodies are mostly cleared. Charlotte finds Sabine seated before parted curtains, facing daylight as if in penance. Charlotte closes the curtains and lies with Sabine, who shows her familiar golden eyes again and, for the first time, allows Charlotte a fleeting sense of her mind’s confusion and fear. Sabine whispers, “Forgive me,” says she does not know what happened, and asks Charlotte to believe her. Wanting to believe, Charlotte does.

As sleep comes, Sabine asks Charlotte to promise she will never hurt her. Tired and startled by the request, Charlotte still agrees. At dusk they rise and leave Hampshire, Charlotte convinced—or choosing to be convinced—that the violent episode was a dreamlike aberration or a house-bound possession, and that Sabine is restored.