Florence waits on the platform of the Hudson train station, where she has agreed to meet Helen Wilcox, who she learned is the real identity of Maud Dixon. Helen meets Florence and drives her to her house in Cairo, New York. Florence finds Helen intimidating because she has a critical way of looking at her. Helen asks about her family, and Florence confesses that Vera thinks that Florence still works at Forrester.

Helen pulls into the driveway of a beautiful old house. Helen guides Florence to the carriage house, where Florence will live. Florence loves the solitude and thinks that this may be the best thing that has happened to her.

Florence meets Helen in the main house for dinner. Over dinner, Florence asks if Helen’s new book is a sequel to Mississippi Foxtrot, but Helen says it is a stand-alone novel. Helen knows that the public wants a sequel, but she does not want to give it to them.

Helen tells Florence that her new novel needs research on Morocco, which Florence can help her with. She says that the novel is about an American woman who moves to Morocco, like a Peter Bowles novel.