Alice, the maid, breaks protocol by approaching Hester directly with her concerns about Cordelia. She describes Cordelia flinching from her mother and sleeping hidden in the wardrobe, comparing the behavior to a young cousin who had been abused (the abusive neighbor having conveniently 'fallen down a well'). Hester, taking the warning seriously, asks Alice to befriend Cordelia and decides she must summon her old friend Richard for support, recognizing that she needs an ally to counter Evangeline's growing influence over Squire Samuel.

Meanwhile, Evangeline takes Cordelia into the city to the dressmaker, Mrs. Tan. Evangeline brushes off Cordelia's worry about the carriageyard man revealing Falada's enchantment, claiming she'll pass it off as a glamour-gift. Mrs. Tan firmly overrules Evangeline's suggestion to dress Cordelia in lower-cut gowns, insisting on modest cuts in bold emerald and sapphire colors. Cordelia endures hours of fittings exhausted and hungry, then is fitted for shoes, gloves, and hats. A Chatham coach arrives to take them home, where Cordelia collapses, hoping Alice will bring food.

Returning upstairs by a quieter route, Hester overhears Evangeline performing a breathy seduction on Samuel, working him toward marriage by invoking gossip and her vulnerability as a widow. Hester deliberately interrupts, loudly proposing to expand their stay into a proper house party by inviting Lord and Lady Strauss, their son, a Mrs. Green, and Richard, ensuring respectable cover and reinforcements. Samuel agrees enthusiastically; Evangeline, briefly enraged, must accept gracefully. Evangeline confirms Cordelia has no friends to invite. Hester decides not to warn her brother directly, instead retiring to write urgent invitations begging her allies to come quickly.