Late at night, Hester waits by the fire, her sense of Doom keeping her awake, when the butler announces Evangeline and Cordelia's arrival. Evangeline spins a dramatic tale of a carriage accident that destroyed their luggage, explaining their meager belongings. Samuel is delighted, while Hester observes Cordelia, who shrinks against the wall and watches her mother with wide, frightened eyes. Hester notes that Cordelia is plain compared to her mother and looks closer to twelve than seventeen, deepening her suspicions.

Samuel makes the predictable gallant remark that Cordelia must be Evangeline's sister rather than daughter. Hester smiles warmly at Cordelia just to gauge her reaction and sees the girl flinch and look to her mother for guidance on how to respond. Hester quickly arranges for hot baths and rooms, eager to be rid of Evangeline for the night, and rings for the housekeeper to take the guests upstairs.

Cordelia, overwhelmed by the size of Chatham House and its many closed doors, recalls humiliating herself by curtsying to the butler, mistaking him for the Squire. The housekeeper shows her to her own room, and Cordelia is shocked to learn she has a personal maid, Alice. Alice gently takes charge, providing a borrowed dressing gown, tea, and showing Cordelia the water closet while other maids fill a copper bathtub.

Alice bathes Cordelia, washing her hair with lavender soap and treating her with a kindness Cordelia has never experienced. Cordelia struggles to stay calm, terrified of making a misstep that would jeopardize her mother's plan to marry the Squire and result in punishment. After eating a delicious meal by the fire, Cordelia is tucked into the enormous curtained bed. With two closed doors and curtains between her and her mother, she falls into the deepest sleep of her life.