Lady Delacour’s maid Marriott arrives in a panic at Oakly-park to tell Belinda that her mistress is finally convinced that the rumors about Belinda’s betrayal were just that; she now wants to beg Belinda for her forgiveness. Belinda without thinking twice sets aside their quarrel and returns to London. The reunion with Lady Delacour is touching. Believing she is dying, Lady Delacour, at Belinda’s urging, at last forgives her husband for a lifetime of transgressions and finally confesses the truth behind her sickness.

Far from being angry at being lied to for so long, Lord Delacour embraces his wife and promises to stay by her side through the cancer operation. Sensing Lady Delacour’s emotional vulnerability and her genuine terror over the approach of mortality, Belinda convinces her that now would be a good time to summon Helena, her estranged daughter, and make peace with her. When Helena arrives later that day, Lady Delacour collapses in tears and shares with her daughter the reality of her condition and her fears over her death. Certain she will die (she even has a dream foretelling her death), Lady Delacour heads to meet Doctor X.