Richard followed her upstairs, his step heavy and his shoulders hunched against some invisible burden. She began to regret asking him to participate, but then the guests began to arrive, and she forgot to feel sorry for him. To his credit, he quickly assumed the role of host with the ease of long practice, and no one would have suspected he had any qualms about the event.

Sarah greeted many of her old friends and people she hadn’t seen in many years. The crowd included a sprinkling of Astors and Vanderbilts, along with some of the less famous but no less wealthy names from the social register. Then a tall woman came in whom Sarah didn’t recognize.

For all her expensive finery, she was very plain and somewhat awkward, as if uncomfortable in her own body. She looked as if she might be much more at home on horseback, riding with the hunt, than mingling with the idle rich. The man with her was a head shorter than she and almost as round as he was tall. His bald head shone in the reflected gaslight. Richard Dennis greeted them both with genuine affection and motioned Sarah over to meet them.

“Sarah, this is Opal and Charles Graves. Opal was Hazel’s dearest friend.” Sarah remembered that Richard had given her mother their names to add to the guest list.

“Oh, yes,” Sarah said, shaking both their hands. “I’m so glad you could come.”

“And we’re glad you’ve agreed to accompany Richard to our party on Saturday night,” Opal Graves said. “I hope he warned you that you must wear a costume.”

Sarah managed not to wince. Richard had said nothing about a costume, although she should have guessed it would be expected at a Halloween party. “I’m looking forward to it,” she managed.

“So are we.” Mrs. Graves gave Richard a glance that said her true enjoyment would be seeing him with a female.

Sarah decided a change of subject was in order. “I suppose you already know all about the work of the mission.”

“Yes,” Opal Graves agreed. “I’ve supported their work for many years, since they first began in fact.”

“I’m sure Mrs. Wells will be happy to see a familiar face in the crowd,” Sarah said.

Mrs. Graves frowned ever so slightly. “I’m afraid I’m not well acquainted with Mrs. Wells. Her late husband was the one who first approached Charles and me about his dreams of starting a ministry.”

“He must have been an extraordinary man,” Sarah said.

“Hardly,” Charles Graves said with a chuckle. “He’d still be preaching on street corners if his wife hadn’t pushed him.”

“Now, darling, you mustn’t speak ill of the dead,” his wife chided him fondly. “Reverend Wells was a dedicated man of God. What he lacked in ambition, he more than made up for in his zeal to minister to others.”

“And his wife more than made up for his lack of ambition,” he chided right back, looking up at her with an adoring twinkle in his eyes. For all the difference in their physical appearances, they obviously shared a mutual affection that Sarah couldn’t help but envy.

“I understand you were the one who first introduced Mrs. Dennis to the work at the mission,” Sarah said, deciding she’d ask Mrs. Graves some more about Mrs. Wells when she could get her alone.

“Yes, I was,” she said with a rueful glance at Richard.

“She did enjoy her work there,” Richard assured her quickly. However much he might blame the mission for Hazel’s death, he held no grudge against his friends.

“And she is very kindly remembered there,” Sarah added.

“I’m not surprised,” Mrs. Graves said. “Hazel was an exceptional person.”

Some more guests were arriving who needed Sarah’s attention, but she said to Mrs. Graves, “I’d love to hear more about how you became involved with the mission. Could we talk later?”

“Certainly,” Mrs. Graves said. “I’d be happy to tell you everything I know about it.”

Mr. and Mrs. Graves went off to mingle and greet acquaintances while Sarah and Richard finished their duties. A short time later, Sarah’s parents joined the party, which meant that all the guests had arrived. Mrs. Wells was scheduled to make her appearance a little later in the evening, after the guests had a chance to sample the food and wine the Deckers had provided for them and were in a more generous mood.

Sarah found Opal Graves sitting in a corner, entertaining an elderly lady who could hardly hear a word she was saying. Sarah rescued her, taking her out into the corridor where they could speak without being overheard.

“I wanted to thank you for coming,” Sarah began.

“And I wanted to thank you for inviting us. It’s good to see Richard taking an interest in society again. He’s been far too solitary since Hazel died. I suppose we have you to thank for that, Mrs. Brandt,” she added with a twinkle.

“I don’t want to disappoint you, but Richard and I are merely friends,” Sarah said. “He knew that my work often takes me to the Lower East Side, and he asked me to go with him to the mission so he could find out what his wife had done there.”

“Forgive me if I sound like a hopeless romantic, but love has grown in rockier soil than that,” she said. “Now don’t look so panicked,” she added with a large grin. “I’m only teasing you.”

Sarah managed a smile in return. “It would take more than that to panic me,” she assured her companion. “I am grateful to Richard for introducing me to the mission, however. I’ve started volunteering there myself.”

“You mentioned your work takes you to that neighborhood. What type of work do you do?”

“I’m a midwife,” she said, fully expecting to see the frown of disapproval or even distaste that usually followed this admission, but Mrs. Graves simply looked intrigued. “Of course I don’t deliver babies at the mission,” Sarah assured her. “I’ve begun teaching the girls about hygiene and how to protect themselves against disease.”

“Mrs. Brandt, you astonish me! How did you ever escape the clutches of your adoring family to pursue such a career?”

“I married well,” Sarah said, her smile genuine this time. “And when my husband died, I continued his work. He was a physician.”

“I see. So you’ve decided to help Mrs. Wells save the souls of those poor, miserable girls.”

“I don’t know about their souls. That’s Mrs. Wells’s job. I’m only trying to save their bodies.”

“A worthy goal, and one that is far easier to attain,” Mrs. Graves said with sincere approval.

“You said you didn’t know Mrs. Wells very well, but I was wondering what you thought of her,” Sarah asked.

“What do you mean?” she asked.

“I’m not asking you to gossip,” Sarah hastily assured her. “I’d just like your opinion on her methods. Have they been successful? I saw a few things at the mission that concerned me, and I’d like to have someone else’s view of the situation.”

“As I told you, I don’t know Mrs. Wells very well. We’ve continued to support the mission out of respect for Mr. Wells and his vision, and because we honestly believe it serves a useful purpose. I’m ashamed to admit we haven’t been as involved as we should have been, however, since Hazel died. I’ve been – well, going there brought back too many memories of her. What have you seen that disturbed you?”

“Nothing untoward,” Sarah said. “I’m sure Mrs. Wells isn’t even aware of it, but I saw a lot of rivalry among the girls for her affections.”

“I would expect them to be jealous of each other, under the circumstances. Our children are jealous of each other. It’s only natural for them to want all the attention for themselves.”

“I wish it were that type of jealousy, but I had a sister, and I know the difference,” Sarah said. “At the mission, they are much more fierce.”

“Don’t forget you aren’t dealing with a finishing school here, Mrs. Brandt,” Mrs. Graves reminded her. “You would know even better than I what those girls have been through. They may have seen people beaten to death out of jealousy or stabbed for a scrap of food. They’ve probably never even seen friendly competition.”