In which Lily, enveloped in the tender ambiguity of spring, finds herself cast adrift by the closing of the social season and her dwindling means, provoking a poignant visit from Mr Rosedale whose practical offer unsettles her pride and stirs a tempest of conflicted reflection. Alone and wearied, she draws strength from a dawning resolve that leads her back to a familiar threshold, where memories and courage alike confront the shadows of past intimacies and present need.