Though she was still skeptical about her meeting and potential future with Stanley, Agatha's mood significantly lightened for the remainder of the party. Just knowing that a nice guy was interested in her gave a boost in her morale. Her worries about him being too good to be true were on the back burner for now. As far as she was concerned he was a nice guy. Heck, even if he was a fraction of what he seemed he was still better than any of the other men she'd been with. When everything calmed she believed she would be able to say yes. Knowing she wasn't committed made a world of difference. The selfish part of her wished this all hadn't happened at Grace's wedding. She couldn't very well pull her away from a dance with her new husband to tell her about a date. Would she even care right now?

Little by little the guests said their goodnights and the party dwindled down to a few folks who remained for tea and coffee. This night ceased to amaze her. A dinner offer from Stanley, with whom she kept crossing paths, exchanging smiles, and now she was included in the family and close friends portion of the evening. Who would have thought she'd ever be sharing a table with the President of the United States just sitting around chatting? Among the others was Leia who seemed to remember her fondly. It was nice to have at least one other person who'd known her from better days. Conversation was difficult, though, as Agatha had no clue what to say knowing all that had happened with Deven and the kids. Then, of course, there were the children and their adoptive parents. This was the most uncomfortable. Some had gone home as they lived outside of the city now such as Kate and Tessie. She thought she'd seen Duffy at the table but figured she and her father left as she'd been talking to Leia. All that remained was Molly, Pepper, July, and of course Annie. When she hadn't seen them at the beginning, she thought that maybe she was having a good luck streak. Then again, where her luck failed here gave more hope to the thing with Stanley more legitimate.

Pepper was the only one she noticed staring with a less than enthused expression. Annie, by now, seemed unfazed. Molly and July took turns giving nervous and curious glances. The parents didn't seem to recognize her or really know who she was at all. They conversed but there was no reservation. As for the kids, they talked among themselves, sleepy as it was well after nine o'clock. She wasn't going to approach them. If they wanted to talk to her she'd deal with it then.

When Molly fell asleep, hers and the other parents took this as their cue to go. The group moved to the foyer where they said their goodnights and went to their cars. Grace sent Annie straight to bed promising to come and say goodnight. President Roosevelt and Eleanor were saying at the mansion so they bid their bon voyage to Grace and Oliver before heading to their room. Leia, too, was staying the night and walked with Annie upstairs. This left Agatha alone with the newlyweds, suddenly feeling awkward.

"Congratulations," she said, "again. And thanks for letting me be here. I know it probably wasn't easy for you, Warbucks."

"I'm in far too good a mood to hold grudges today," he said, squeezing Grace's hand. "A lot has changed."

"I hope now you'll accept my apologies… for everything."

Oliver extended his hand which Agatha took after a brief moment of hesitation. Giving it a firm shake, she pulled back. "I'm going to go say goodnight to Annie. I'm sure I'll see you around when we get back." He turned back to Grace, kissing her temple before moving toward the stairs.

Grace looked back and smiled at him, then turning her attention to Agatha.

"So," she said, "I guess that means you don't have to worry about coming to visit."

"I'll admit it didn't go as terribly as I thought it would."

"See? I didn't think the girls would give you any trouble."

"They wanted to… might not be so lucky next time."

"Relax. They all have homes now. I can't say they no longer carry a grudge, but they know that in the end, everything worked out. I know Annie thinks so."

"I guess that's a start."

"I'm sorry I didn't come around more tonight. I can't believe how hectic it all was. Every time I got away from someone another came up to talk with me."

Agatha laughed, "I think that's what's supposed to happen at your wedding."

"Still, it somehow ended up bigger than I planned. I would have been happy with you, Leia, Annie, and the girls and their families. Maybe a couple of the others, but not the crowd we had. Most of the guests were associates of Oliver's who'd caught wind through other guests. We told an awful lot of fibs saying the invitations got lost in the mail."

Giving a fake gasp, Agatha said, "What? Pure Miss Grace Farrell? Caught in a lie? Say it ain't so!"

Grace shook her head and chuckled. "She's no more, remember? I'm Mrs. Grace… Warbucks now."

"You needed to think about it?"

"It's funny… this is the first time I've said it. I suppose it hasn't had a chance to sink in."

"How could it? Have you sat down at all today?"

"Not really," she shrugged. "I barely had a chance to eat my dinner."

"What time do you leave tomorrow?"

"In the evening, thank goodness. Annie is hardly packed. I'm not sure about Oliver. Drake probably got a trunk ready for him. I was so nervous last night that I packed and repacked. I'm surprised I made it through the party without falling asleep."

"Nervous? About the wedding?"

"Of course," Grace said. "I don't like all that attention on me. The closer it got the more I wished Oliver and I had eloped. Don't get me wrong, everything today was lovely. I just feel bad that I was thinking more about when it would end than I was thinking about beginning my life with Oliver."

"Well then, why are you standing here talking to me? Go upstairs to your husband."

"I will… I think I just need a little time to myself first. Make sure I didn't forget anything for the trip."

"I'll leave you alone then." It was hard for her to say this as she'd wanted nothing more than to tell her about Stanley. "But call me as soon as you get back."

"I will! But… how are you getting home?"

"I think it's still raining so I was going to catch a cab."

"Why don't you spend the night here? We still have plenty of guest rooms. You'll have a hard time getting one in the rain especially at this hour."

"I don't want to impose…"

"It's no imposition. The room across from Leia's is free. I won't have much time for chatting tomorrow but at least you won't have to get soaked again."

"I have to work in the morning anyway so I'll be outta here early."

"Oh, that's right. All the more reason to stay and rest. You won't get home until well after midnight now."

"As long as your sure. I don't want to upset anybody."

"You heard Oliver, things have changed."

"Yeah, so I'm seeing."

Raising an eyebrow Grace questioned, "How do you mean?"

With a smile, Agatha shook her head. "Don't worry about it."

Grace wasn't sure but was too tired to press on. "I'll show you to your room, then."

"Actually… just give me the directions. I think I left something in the ballroom."

"What is it?"

"Oh, nothing much. Something from my purse. Just don't want it getting mixed up in all the cleaning. I'll be able to find my way."

"If you're sure… go up these stairs, that the left and go up one more flight and then it's three doors down on your right."

"Got it."

"Do you need anything? Mrs. Greer keeps fresh toiletries in there but do you have something you can wear to work tomorrow?"

"My dress should be dry by then. Only, I left it in your room."

"Do you remember the way? If not I can run it by after I kiss Annie goodnight."

"I'll get it myself," Agatha said with a smirk. "You have much more important things to tend to."

Instead of her usual roll of the eyes or swat on the arm, Grace just nodded. "Very well. Goodnight, Agatha. Thanks again for coming. And I'll remember to call when we get back."

"Hey… are you all right?"

Grace shrugged. "As I said before, I think I just need a few minutes to myself."

"Everything is gonna be fine, Grace."

Again, she nodded. "I know."

. . .

Agatha walked slowly back to the ballroom thinking of what she would say if Stanley was still around. There was no use in making him wait for an answer. It was now or never. She thought of how Grace waited all these years for Warbucks. Yeah, she got him in the end, but Agatha didn't have the time to lose. A day or two was too much to risk when she now felt certain of her answer.

It appeared that several of the waiters had called it a night. Agatha vaguely remembered hearing Oliver mention something about a cleaning crew coming in the morning. Now she wondered if Stanley would be here at all. She scanned the room and didn't recognize anyone aside from Drake. She thought a moment if she should ask him if he knew. She knew she wasn't his favorite person but she was afraid to lose her nerve. It didn't take long for doubt to trickle in. Was the name, number, and address real? He could have faked it in order to help a sad old woman at a part. He could be kind without being stupid. He didn't really want to know what'd made her distance herself… that's right. She'd completely forgotten about that part. That was her hesitation. She should have quit while she was ahead. Perhaps it wasn't too late. If the name and number were faked neither of them would ever need to know. But then again, what if the information was real? What if, on the off chance, he really was interested. This was why she was eager to talk to Grace alone. How could she have let herself get so distracted? Maybe it was the wedding talking. After all, she caught the bouquet. It was rigged. Grace aimed at her. The celebration was the mask for so much. Grace said so herself she spent more of the day watching the clock. Who knew what was going through Warbucks' mind? Probably the same. What other groom leaves his bride's side just as their wedding night was about to begin? Even if he'd approved of their friendship all along, it was odd that he hadn't shoved the straggling guests out the door and locking it behind them.

"Can I help you, Miss Hannigan?"

She stood there too long. Wasn't this just what she needed — angering the butler a second time in one evening.

"I… I had just come to look for someone but I see they aren't here. I was just leaving."

"I will show you to the door, Miss."

"Actually, Grace invited me to stay."

"I see," he said with a muffled sigh.

Having reached her limit, Agatha said, "Look, I don't know what your problem is with me but if Warbucks can let it go so can you. Sorry I dragged in the rain and mud and sorry I'm one extra body in the house. Lord knows it's big enough."

"I beg your pardon…"

"I will see myself to my own room."

Without waiting for a response she turned on her heel and rushed into the hallway. To herself, she muttered, "The only thing worse than a holier than thou rich person is a holier than thou butler."

"I believe I only caught half of that but I think I know the type."

Agatha jumped at the voice, not recognizing it as Stanley's right away. "Oh… I thought you'd gone."

"I'm on my way out now. Did something happen? You look irritated?"

"Eh," she shrugged off, "the butler has it in for me."

"I've worked a couple functions here. He's a good guy, really, just hates a mess. Don't take it personally."

"I'm afraid it is. He's just gonna have to get over it."

Changing the subject, Stanley asked, "Maybe I'm jumping to conclusions but I could have sworn I saw you leave with the last group. You didn't happen to come back looking for me, did you?"

"Actually I did… I, um… guess I got caught up in all of it tonight. I came to accept your invitation to dinner."

"… But?"

Agatha sighed. "I may as well be honest with you."

"I wish you would."

"Remember you mentioned what awful things some people do for money?"

"Yeah?"

Pointing to herself, Agatha finished. "You're looking at one of 'em."

"I wondered about that."

"That obvious, hmm?"

"Only by your reaction. What happened?"

"Do you really wanna know? Really. You seem like an honest and hardworking guy. You don't need all my baggage weighing you down."

"I wouldn't ask if I wasn't interested," he said.

"I think I found what's wrong with you."

"Oh yeah?"

"You don't know when to shut your yap and butt out." She smiled.

With a laugh, Stanley said, "It's late now. You seem remorseful, that's all that matters. I'm not saying wanting money is evil. I said it can turn people evil. I don't want a fortune because I know it would go to my head. We all have a past."

"Even you?"

"Of course. You think anyone goes through life without making some haunting mistakes?"

Crossing her arms, Agatha answered, "I dunno… I hear some folks in the Bible managed."

"The lucky ones."

"Well… if you're sure you're willing to sit and have a meal with a wreck… former… wreck like me… I accept your offer."

"Wonderful. Are you free Saturday evening?"

"Yeah, that will be fine. I get off work around five."

"Where do you work?" Stanley asked. "I'll pick you up."

"You bet your buns you will," she joked, "I waited a long time for a real gentleman. I work at Andy's Diner on East Seventy-Third nearer to Lexington."

"Ah, I know that place!" he said with excitement in his voice. "Been quite some time since I've stopped in."

"I only started working there in the last few months. Maybe a bit longer but you know."

"I look forward to stopping by. Maybe I'll come a little early and have a cup of coffee."

Agatha smiled. "I'll be sure to pour it from a fresh pot and not whatever's leftover from lunchtime."

Holding out his hand, Stanley said, "It's a date."

Reciprocating with hers, Agatha nodded. "Just don't say I didn't warn you."

"I like to make my own decisions."

"Quirky… I like it."

As he pulled his hand away, he asked, "What's your name, anyhow? I don't believe you told me."

"Agatha. Agatha Hannigan."