In the aftermath of the concert crowd surge that injured Laura Ives and the same night they learned Gerald Ives had died, Margaret Grace Ives stormed into the library intending to excoriate Cosmo Sinclair. She found Cosmo shy and sincere, offering lily of the valley and an apology after reading about the injuries. Initially hostile, Margaret questioned his motives, but his awkwardness, Southern lilt, and concern softened her stance.

Cosmo invited Margaret and Laura to the final show with police protection and access to the wings; Margaret declined for Laura but agreed to attend herself. That night, after his performance, Margaret and Cosmo kissed backstage and spent the night together in his dressing room. Margaret framed it as a one-time encounter to protect Laura from Cosmo’s presence and to keep the liaison private.

Afterward, Cosmo sent multiple flower bouquets and brief, tender letters from Nashville that always included well-wishes for Laura. Margaret kept all the notes but never replied, while Laura retreated into mourning, reading Gerald’s journals and later broader subjects, aided by prescribed sedatives. Margaret tracked press coverage of the Rock ’n’ Brawl but shielded Laura from it, and overheard Frederick saying Laura was not tough enough for public scrutiny, which filled Margaret with shame.

As months passed, the letters stopped, leaving Margaret feeling hollow and unsettled by how intensely she missed Cosmo despite barely knowing him. Laura became interested in controversial psychologist Dr. David Ryan Atwood and his theories about self-sourced pain, which briefly made Margaret question her feelings. Eventually, thoughts of Cosmo faded.

In 1962, four years after Lawrence Ives’s death anniversary marker and following Bernie Bernhardt’s Oscar nomination, Bernie brought Margaret as her date to the Academy Awards. Buoyed by the evening, Margaret stopped by the Board of Governors Ball alone. On the arrivals line, her dress hem snagged under the shoe of Cosmo Sinclair, who appeared on the arm of a Best Supporting Actress nominee.

The two locked eyes as cameras flashed; Cosmo’s attention focused on Margaret, barely acknowledging his date. The next day’s headlines sensationalized the moment, but Margaret felt the truest framing was that Cosmo spotted her and “the world stops,” signaling a powerful, ongoing pull between them.