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Aunt Vidala is discovered unconscious behind Aunt Lydia’s statue by Aunt Clover and two elderly gardeners. Paramedics and Ardua Hall doctors diagnose a stroke. A broken Pearl Girls necklace near the scene becomes a minor disciplinary concern as rumors and pious reactions spread through the Hall.

Aunt Lydia visits the ICU, where Aunt Vidala lies comatose with tubes in place. After the nurse asserts hopeful recovery language, Lydia privately assesses the medical setup, considers hastening Vidala’s end, but refrains. She instead pockets a vial of morphine, preserving options without overt action.

At the Refectory, Aunt Helena notes the absence of Aunts Victoria and Immortelle, and Aunt Lydia frames them as fasting and seeking guidance for an upcoming mission. When Aunt Helena asks about Jade, Aunt Lydia suggests illness, prompting Helena to check Jade’s room.

Aunt Lydia hopes Jade (Nicole) has left an elopement note. Aunt Helena returns, thrilled, reporting that Jade has eloped with a plumber named Garth for love. Lydia publicly treats the incident as regrettable but ordinary, suggesting they regularize the union and portraying Jade as unsuited for Aunt-hood.

To solidify the cover, Lydia improvises plausible details: Jade met the plumber during a bathwater complaint and likely scaled the Wall to exit without a pass. By meal’s end, the Hall has fully absorbed the narrative of Jade’s impulsive, romantic escape, diverting scrutiny from Nicole’s true mission.