Having escaped from Mr Theale, Amanda sets off for the farm. Gareth follows after her and catches up with Fabian who is now staying at another inn. By now, the elderly dandy has given up on Amanda and is wondering if perhaps he was mistaken in thinking her a lady of easy virtue. He tried to find her but when he could not, he settled down for the night. Gareth is furious with him but leaves him alone, knowing that its more important to find his runaway. He goes to the inn where Amanda was last seen and makes enquiries, and then a local farmer comes in. Mr Sheet tells the innkeeper that his son brought home a pretty genteel young lady, and she's staying at his farm.
Gareth has told the innkeeper and his wife that Amanda is his ward and that she ran away from school with one of the masters. He wonders if he could leave her at the farm till he goes to London and finds Amanda's Neil at Army headquarters.
However the farmer tells him that Joe is falling in love with Amanda and it would be better if they were separated... so he goes to the farm to take her away. She doesn't want to go with him, and is only distracted a little when Joe gives her a kitten to take with her..
They spend the night at another inn, where Amanda sees a new possible rescuer. Hildebrand Ross is a young man who is on his way to join friends on a walking/riding tour.
Gareth thinks that Hildebrand is a nice young well bred chap who will amuse Amanda but is not likely be seen by her as a rescuer. He allows the 2 young people to chatter over dinner, but orders his "ward" off to bed early. However, Amanda manages to get hold of Hildebrand and tells him that Sir Gareth is her guardian but that she is an heiress and he wants to marry her. Hildebrand, who is of a literary turn of mind, agrees to help her by holding up their chaise the following day.
Gary is shocked when the chaise is suddenly stopped by a young man on horseback brandishing a pistol, and the gun goes off, wounding him. Amanda, horrified by what she has done, manages to tear off his coat and stop the bleeding, and they get to the nearest inn. A doctor is called, Hildebrand is desperately upset by his accidental shooting and realises that Amanda has deceived him.
He is shocked that she is so good at making up tales, but knows he was foolish to take a pistol when all he really meant to do was to startle Gary and let Amanda escape. She realises that she cant look after Gareth, when the bullet has been dug out, and hits on the idea of finding Hester and asking her to come and nurse him.
Hildebrand takes the chaise on to Brancaster which is not too far away and meets Hester. She wants to go, but wonders how she will escape her family. she and Hildebrand finally hit on a story that her sister's children are ill and she has to go and nurse them, and they drive back to the inn where the party are now staying.
Hester finds Gary in a fever and speaks to the doctor, in a flurry she tells him that she is Gary's sister, and he tells her that he will live but will need careful nursing. When he comes round after a couple of days, he finds that he now has Amanda and Hildebrand as niece and nephew, and Hester as his sister.
While he is recovering, his new family enjoy life in the quiet inn, away from the social round. Hildebrand is writing a play. Amanda helps with the nursing and keeping Gary company and tries to find some way of finding out if her Grandfather is trying to locate her. She discovers that a local gentleman takes the quality papers, and she wants to get hold of them so she can see if her grandfather has put an advertisement in them to let her know she can come home. Gary wonders if he should write to his brother-in-law to try and find Neil, who will be on the Army lists, but he is tired out from his wound and puts it off.
Hester, for the first time able to escape from her unpleasant family, is happy looking after Gary and the young people. She looks prettier and becomes much more cheerful.
Gary realises that she is capable of being funny and lively, and she's a very capable nurse.
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