A Fortune of Sand

Inside, Graham and Chet survey the chaotic party, noting the mix of guests includes notorious criminals alongside prominent local figures and heirs. Chet informs a shocked Graham that Myrtle Branley was found dead that morning. They covertly discuss their plan to kill their father, Duncan, but worry the crowded party makes it too difficult. When Graham spots Ivy, he recognizes her from the Nightingale as part of Marjorie’s residency. Alarmed, he and Chet approach the women; Chet notices that their dresses are likely Marjorie’s. Ivy is flirtatious with Graham and reveals that Marjorie is outside. Graham and Chet head outside to find Marjorie before Lilah does, and Bernice joins them, while Ivy stays inside as a gangster named Ziggy Selbin approaches her.

Marjorie observes the party from the garden, repulsed by the drunken, lewd behavior inside. She is intercepted by Hank, the reporter who has presented himself as a newspaper delivery boy. Unaware of her identity, he calls the Lennox family a “wrecking ball” and shares damaging gossip. He claims Duncan resents his youngest daughter and “fingered” her friend Peter Howell for a jewel theft at the Institute of Arts, after which the man disappeared. Just as Graham, Chet, and Bernice appear, Marjorie gets rid of Hank by telling him that Charles Bonafante is in the backyard. She quickly explains to her siblings that Hank is investigating the family. Graham gives her the keys to his Packard so she and Bernice can leave safely. As Chet pursues Hank, Graham promises to watch over Ivy, who has decided to stay. Marjorie leaves, disturbed by her siblings’ alarm, wondering why they reacted so strongly to seeing her.

While driving Bernice from the party, Marjorie is troubled by Hank’s accusations and her siblings’ worried reactions. At Bernice’s request, Marjorie gives her a tour of Grosse Pointe. She explains that her family often manufactures provenance and tells stories to gain advantage—games that Marjorie privately thinks of as “moral larcenies.” After viewing the estates of local tycoons and the Lennox family home, Glen Arden, Marjorie drives to Charles Bonafante’s impressive French château. As they admire the house, Bernice questions why such a wealthy man would spend nights at the Nightingale. Their conversation is interrupted when Bonafante himself arrives in his Silver Ghost.

Marjorie and Bernice hide as Bonafante drives onto his estate, but a steward spots them and extends an invitation to come inside. Bernice eagerly accepts, and they agree on a hand signal to communicate safety. They are led through a stunning foyer into a vast library, where Bonafante waits with his Doberman, Daisy. Marjorie notices that Bonafante is wearing the tie she left in his car. He greets them, and Bernice admires a table that Bonafante identifies as an Eileen Gray prototype. After Bernice explains that they broke the residency rules to attend Cecile’s housewarming, Marjorie mentions that Dock gave her permission and that she had been in his apartment. Bonafante reacts sharply to this information before opening a cabinet of drawings from Gray and other designers for Bernice to study. He then invites Marjorie for a walk to the lake. Before Marjorie leaves with him, she clasps her hands together, signaling to Bernice that she feels safe.

Bonafante and Marjorie walk toward the lake and his yacht, the Laetitia. Marjorie apologizes for breaking the residency rules and recounts her encounter with Hank. Bonafante assures her not to worry about the reporter. She asks if he is married or prefers men, and he says he has never been married and indicates that he does not prefer men, explaining that the estate was his mother’s greatest dream. He invites her aboard the yacht to see the stars more clearly. He instructs her to lie on a banquette, which she mistakes for a romantic advance, but he simply wants her to have an unobstructed view of the sky. Later, back on the dock, he tells her she is “incredibly talented” but fears she may be “in over your head” (168); Marjorie takes this to mean she must leave, but he does not answer when she asks when she has to go and instead says he may speak to Dock. Drawing attention to the viridian tie she made him, Bonafante tells her that viridian is one of his favorite colors. He pulls her close, and she admits she thought he was going to kiss her. He appreciates her directness but says he has to leave for a meeting and arranges for his valet to escort them home.

Chet finds Graham dazed and smitten after a sexual encounter with Ivy. Their sister Cecile interrupts, furious that reporters at her party were investigating the family rather than celebrating her new home. She accuses her siblings of “fornicating” in her house and warns them that their father, Duncan, is “comfortably numb and all too eager to answer questions about his wife’s head wound” (172). Graham rushes to intervene. Chet then claims that there are “whispered suspicions” that Cecile killed Myrtle Branley. Graham finds Duncan with reporters, including Hank. Duncan appears ill, with an ashen face. The reporters press the family with questions about family succession and Marjorie’s past scandal. When Hank mentions Bonafante, Duncan abruptly excuses himself. Afterward, Chet notes their father’s poor health and suggests their murder plot might now be “overkill.”

The next morning, Marjorie notices Ivy’s hamper is missing when she retrieves the papers; Bernice waves her into her room to talk. Bernice is not upset about their likely dismissal from the residency; meeting Bonafante introduced her to designer Eileen Gray, whose work inspires her to seek Gray out and try to become her apprentice. Marjorie, however, is consumed with guilt. Bernice warns Marjorie that Bonafante may be a dangerous gangster, potentially even more dangerous than the “hardwood criminals” at the party because he hides behind wealth and respectability. She also claims she saw Bonafante return to the Nightingale at 4 am with Charlie Chaplin, a story Marjorie finds unbelievable. Bernice offers Marjorie her friendship and a safe haven in Copper Country if she ever needs it.

Marjorie sees movers clearing out Ivy’s apartment. Dock confirms that Ivy’s lease has been terminated; Bernice, he says, left an hour ago. He tells Marjorie that her own status is still under review. Graham arrives with flowers for Ivy, and Marjorie explains that their friends are gone because they broke the rules to attend the party. Graham urges Marjorie not to return to the family home but to go to the cottage instead, as their father is in a foul mood and reporters are sniffing around. Deeply concerned for Ivy’s safety, he leaves his car for Marjorie and goes to search for Ivy in Palmer Woods, where Marjorie thinks Ivy’s family lives. Marjorie realizes her silver key might open Ivy’s apartment, where she could look for a forwarding address.

Marjorie uses her silver key to enter Ivy’s empty apartment. The space feels lifeless. After taking a few small keepsakes, she finds an unsent letter from Ivy to her father. In it, Ivy describes her new friends with affection, comparing Bernice to Thanksgiving—steadying, like a lighthouse glow—and writing that Marjorie inspires her to pursue expressing the meaning of love and “Valentine” as new painting subjects. She writes that she is “well behaved and well cared for by my new friends” (184). Reading these words, Marjorie is overwhelmed with guilt. She realizes that she and Bernice were wrong to leave Ivy alone at the dangerous party and questions how she could have left her behind.

During dinner at the Lennox estate, Duncan insults Lilah, who storms off. Granny tells Graham she has ordered a religious icon to help cure his eye and mentions her psychic was committed to Eloise Asylum. Duncan falls ill again and rushes from the room. With him gone, Graham tells his grandfather, Gramps, that Cecile’s party was filled with criminals and that reporters were asking about family succession and Marjorie. Granny adds that rumors are now circulating that Cecile was involved in Myrtle Branley’s death. When Granny notes that death comes in threes and wonders who will be next, Gramps looks from Chet to Graham and says he wonders the same thing—his meaning is left unclear.