Frustrated by Evangeline's relentless flirtation with Squire Samuel, Hester summons the butler, Tom Willard, an old friend from her childhood. They confide their shared distrust of Evangeline, agreeing she is cold and her daughter terrified. Hester enlists Willard and the staff to constantly interrupt any private moments between Evangeline and Samuel until the house party arrives. Willard mentions servants' gossip that Evangeline's green-eyed white horse is rumored to be enchanted; Hester dismisses it as superstition, reasoning Evangeline is too poor to afford sorcery.

Summoned to her mother, Cordelia listens as Evangeline rages about the omnipresent servants thwarting her seduction. Evangeline reveals she uses subtle magic to draw Samuel's attention without compelling him outright. She then warns Cordelia about the Strausses' son at the upcoming party: Cordelia must be friendly but never fall in love or be compromised, threatening to "deal with" any young man who interferes.

Evangeline offhandedly admits she once thought Cordelia's father would marry her after she got pregnant, but "he didn't, and so I had to take steps." Objects rattle and the teapot boils with her anger. She dismisses Cordelia, who flees shaken.

Cordelia asks Hester what a "compromising position" means. Horrified at the girl's ignorance, Hester spikes her tea and patiently explains fornication, virtue, ruin, and the unfair social rules around chaperones, realizing how completely Evangeline has neglected to prepare her daughter for the world.

Alone afterward, Cordelia obsesses over her mother's words about her father. She suspects Evangeline may have killed him, just as she killed the Parkers, but has no way to investigate. She also wonders whether Falada resents Evangeline, concluding the familiar likely enjoys his role. She hides under the bedcurtains, seeking even an illusion of safety.