Mrs. Baker leads Kit inside Hope's End and through a grand but decaying interior that feels frozen in time. On the way to the sunroom, Kit studies a portrait of teenage Lenora Hope and notices three neighboring family portraits covered in black crepe, a visual reminder that Lenora is the last surviving Hope.

In the sunroom, Kit briefly meets Jessica, a young maid whose flashy style clashes with her old-fashioned uniform and with Mrs. Baker's strict manner. After sending Jessica away, Mrs. Baker begins formally questioning Kit about her background, class origins, and professional experience, making it clear that Kit is being judged as much personally as professionally.

Mrs. Baker then explains Lenora's condition: polio left Lenora unable to walk, and repeated strokes over the past twenty years left her unable to speak, paralyzed on the right side, and dependent on limited use of her left arm. When Kit asks about Lenora's previous nurse, Mrs. Baker says Mary disappeared in the middle of the night without warning, leaving Lenora unattended.

Mrs. Baker uses Mary's disappearance to confront Kit about the patient death that led to Kit's suspension. Kit recounts how a terminal cancer patient overdosed on fentanyl after Kit failed to lock the medication away, and how the resulting investigation and public suspicion damaged her reputation even though no crime was charged. Mrs. Baker asks bluntly whether Kit helped the woman die, then links Kit's situation to Lenora's by saying Hope's End gives accused young women the benefit of the doubt. Kit says she will do the same for Lenora, and Mrs. Baker accepts her, preparing to introduce her to Miss Hope. As Kit follows her out, Kit privately admits she has not changed her mind and still believes Lenora is a killer.