Candy had asked the Annie and Patty to accompany her to New York but the two regretfully declined. Annie still had other obligations at her school and Patty decided to stay in Chicago to entertain her newfound friend. The girls later found out that the gentleman in question was indeed a nephew of Candy's old patient Mr. McGregor.
Meanwhile, Candy continued to stay in Chicago and Annie did her best to drag Candy once again to meet other men her age in the hopes that a romance might blossom, but she still wasn't interested.
"So you've brushed off Dennis, too? He's very handsome, Candy." Annie censured when she was helping Candy pack for her trip.
"Don't play matchmaker anymore. Why is it that women who are married or engaged wants the world around them to be the same?"
"Candy! Of course I want you to marry, you're not saying you like being alone, do you?"
"I'm not alone, Annie, I have Sister Maria and Miss Pony, marriage isn't for everybody, you know, it's a calling, maybe it isn't for me."
"I would've believed you if you always held that outlook before, but didn't you want to marry Terry? You were so excited when you went to New York, I thought for sure that…"
"Annie, what's this?" Candy interrupted holding up a box that Annie put beside her suitcase, not wanting to think about that separation anymore.
"Oh, those are new clothes I bought for you, take them to New York."
"Aw, Annie, you didn't have to do that, I'm not going there for a holiday," Candy said, touched by her gesture.
"You never buy anything, heaven knows, with that pittance you earn at that hospital, try this one on."
There were four dresses in the box and one nightgown that made Candy gasp.
"Annie, are you sure this isn't something for your honeymoon?"
"Silly Candy, that's for you."
"I think this is too, er, umm, sheer don't you?" The gown was made of white lacy material that reached to her knees.
"No one's going to see you wear that in New York," Annie said.
Only Albert, and once he sees you in that, he won't be able to take his hands off you; you'll be married by summer for sure! thought Annie in her head.
"You're staying with Albert at the penthouse suite, aren't you?"
"Yes, I think so, why?"
"Oh, nothing," she answered, giving Candy a naughty smile.
"Oh, no, Annie, are you trying those cupid tricks on Albert, too?"
"Candy, I just want you to keep your options open, there are other fish in the sea, Albert is in love with you and you don't even notice."
"Annie! He's like a brother to me, I'm sure he doesn't feel that way."
"Oh, Candy, you're so blind sometimes, wake up and smell the coffee, I'll let you go this time, but when you come back from New York, I'm going to have you married by next year or my name isn't Annie Brighton!"
Candy visited Anthony's grave and even aunt Elroy before she eventually left for New York with George and Albert, Elroy was still her old cranky self, but she has lost much of her energy due to her deteriorating health.
Chicago –
"Is this is it, Neil?" Eliza asked her brother as they stopped before the edifice of Cook County hospital. "This is it, the biggest hospital in Chicago, I don't understand you, Eliza, and I thought you wanted to keep this pregnancy a secret?" he asked, scratching his head. Eliza looked at her brother and sighed, didn't she explain this already? She took off the scarf covering her head. "I'm going to have a little fun at the expense of your stable girl, Neil." Neil gaped at her when she took off the covering; she was wearing a blonde wig, her hair in pigtails, and for a moment thought he was looking at Candy. "Oh, sis, you've become crazy, I probably should be taking you to a mental hospital…"
"Shut up, all I need is an hour, Neil, stay here, I'll come back to see you later."
"Ah, Tessie, any good copy for me today?" asked Sid Malone, the tabloid reporter for the Chicago Evening Journal, as he hovered around the receptionist. "Well if it isn't Sid, why are you here anyway? Aren't you supposed to be covering hotels and mansions for your fodder?"
"It's dry over there, Tessie, besides, those are run of the mill stories, you know, engagements, weddings, who wants that? I want dish - diseases, who's dying, who's got the clap, who's having sex with who, those kind of things, you can get a lot from hospital records, you know."
"You're a sick man, Sid, go away, or I'll call security now."
"Hey, hey, don't get worked up baby, you're just angry 'cause you missed me, I promise I'll make it up to you," he caressed her hand as the woman softened.
"Anyone interesting came to see our good doctor?"
"Sid, I don't want to lose my job, please…"
"Tessie, there's six of you working these shifts, who's to say it's you, eh? And the rewards are great!" he winked maliciously. He grabbed the folder she brought out, began to read and whistled. "This is certainly more interesting than the feud with Astor and his aunt! Candice Ardlay, the heiress, pregnant by person unknown, you saw her yourself, Tessie?"
"Eh, she certainly didn't look anything like her picture, remember you covered her engagement? But it's her, with that blonde hair and all that, no one now wears pigtails anymore. Maybe her boyfriend's the father?"
"No, that family's in Florida, I'll dig to see where she went the past few months, maybe we can create a father for her baby, she'll like that. Well, Tessie, I guess I'll see you tonight." The woman flushed as she realized his implication.