In this section Mrs. Wagner’s reforms move into practical execution as her ideals confront financial structures and institutional realities. Expanding employment for women and introducing new business methods generate both optimism and resistance as competing interests clash. Suspicion surrounding the Fontaine family spreads further and the past begins to influence present relationships. The correspondence between the parts offers alternative perspectives and exposes concealed motives and emotions. Beneath the surface the tension steadily intensifies, preparing the way for open crisis.
