Flora Gray wrote to Molly as her health declined, explaining that she had little strength left to continue her letters. She picked up her story after moving into her own apartment with proceeds from selling the egg and giving birth to Maggie. While working for the Astors as a maid, Flora carried infant Maggie from room to room in a laundry basket, teaching her as she cleaned; Maggie’s first word was “spoon,” inspired by Flora’s small collection.

Years passed, and when Maggie was five, John Preston arrived unexpectedly at Flora’s door. They spoke on the sofa while Maggie played nearby. John revealed he had never gone to university and had moved to the city to support his father; he worked as a bellhop at the Century Hotel. He also shared that his uncle Willy had died two years earlier and that he was now married to a kind woman named Mary. John offered support to Flora and Maggie, stressing he wanted to help.

Mary later invited Flora to tea. Flora met Mary and discovered a generous, warm friend who knew the history between Flora and John and accepted it. Mary began quietly helping Flora, sometimes hiding money and joking that “the fairies” had left it. John and Mary remained steady sources of support and eventually had a daughter, Charlotte. Flora felt reassured that letting John go had led him to happiness.

When Maggie became a teenager, she began struggling, and Flora, John, and Mary tried to guide her without success. After Molly’s birth, Maggie could not cope and left with a “fly-by-night,” leading Flora to raise Molly as her own. Flora assured Molly of her deep love and reminded her that others loved her, too.

As Molly reached working age, Flora asked John—by then a doorman at the Regency Grand—to help Molly get an interview. Mr. Snow initially judged Molly as lacking social skills, but John persuaded him to give Molly a chance. Molly excelled at the hotel, echoing earlier joy Flora had seen when Molly worked briefly alongside her at the Grimthorpe mansion.

After Flora’s diagnosis, she worried about Molly’s future and confided in John during a recent visit while Molly was at work. John responded that Molly would “forever and always” have him, easing Flora’s fears as she faced the end of her life.