Two days after Mary Milton’s body is found, the rest of Hope’s End leaves for Mary’s funeral, giving Kit McDeere the private chance Lenora Hope requested. Kit secretly wheels Lenora out of her room, maneuvers the wheelchair down the Grand Stairs, and takes her through the house and onto the terrace. Lenora is visibly thrilled simply to leave her room, and Kit, angered by how thoroughly Mrs. Baker has confined her, decides to make the outing more meaningful by bringing Lenora onto the lawn and laying her in the grass beneath the open sky.

Once they have rested outside for a long time, Kit insists that Lenora honor their bargain and answer questions about the baby. Lenora confirms that the baby was born and that it was a boy. She also indicates that he did not die and that she did not willingly give him away; instead, he was taken from her, and she does not know what became of him afterward. The answers deepen Kit’s sympathy for Lenora and strengthen Kit’s hope that Carter might still be connected to Lenora by blood.

Kit then questions Lenora about Mary. Lenora confirms that Mary drew blood from her arm and that Mary knew why: Lenora had told her about the baby. Lenora also confirms that Mary knew who killed Lenora’s parents and sister. But when Kit presses for that final truth, Lenora refuses to reveal it, despite their bargain. Kit, frustrated and convinced this is her safest chance to force the matter while the others are away, runs inside to fetch the typewriter and paper so Lenora can continue her confession outside.

Kit struggles to carry the heavy typewriter down the service stairs and back to the terrace, only to discover that Lenora is no longer lying on the lawn. Lenora is back in her wheelchair on the terrace, and Mrs. Baker, Archie, Carter, and Jessie are all standing nearby, having returned. Kit is plainly caught in her disobedience. As she lowers the typewriter, the blank pages are snatched by the wind and blown over the cliff into the sea, underscoring how badly her attempt has failed.

Lenora’s typed account then resumes in the past. After Lenora’s mother nearly dies from laudanum, Dr. Walden continues supplying the drug under the excuse of a gradual withdrawal, and life at Hope’s End outwardly returns to normal. Meanwhile, Lenora’s pregnancy becomes harder to hide, and she realizes she needs secret help with food, clothing, and medical care. Unable to rely on her emotionally distant sister, Lenora decides the only discreet person available is her father’s mistress. When Lenora secretly waits outside the sunroom to confront that woman, she is stunned to discover that the mistress is Miss Baker.