In which Roger Carbury finds himself solitary and melancholy, reflecting on unrequited affection and the complex relationships that bind him to his acquaintances, whilst a grand country dinner at Caversham reveals the social manoeuvrings and cautious entertainments of the local gentry. Amidst a subdued assembly marked by constrained conversation and strategic alliances, young Felicity and Marie Melmotte share whispered confidences hinting at intentions and hopes for the future, much to the anxious delight of Lady Carbury.