At the palace celebration, attendants hurry Ms. Reynolds—addressed as Lady Harrison—into the hall before the emperor and noble consort arrive. Noblewomen swarm her with backhanded praise, mocking the count's rejected daughter and boasting that Lord Harrison refused concubines for her. Conversation pivots to Juliet, long shunned, when a guest reveals she begged Spence and finally coaxed him into giving Juliet a chance as a chambermaid. The noble consort's arrival cuts the gossip short; Ms. Reynolds is led in while Juliet's fragile new opportunity and its consequences remain unresolved.