Henry's children do not look upon her engagement to their father with a friendly eye. But the only real opposition comes from Charles and his wife Dolly; as they fear that Margaret endangers their inheritance of Howards End. Leonard Bast is living with but not married to Jacky, a troubled, vulnerable "fallen" woman for whom he feels responsible. Helen continues to try to help him, apparently out of guilt for having meddled with his life in the first place for making him quit his job, but also perhaps because she is secretly attracted to him. Helen soon encounters the starving Basts and brings them to Evie Wilcox's wedding celebration, whereupon Henry recognizes Jacky as his former mistress. He flees from the scene, cutting off his engagement to Margaret. His first thought is that the Schlegels and Basts have concocted a plot to expose him, but he later calms down and tells Margaret the truth. Ten years previously, when he was on business in Cyprus, despite being married, he seduced Jacky and then carelessly abandoned her. Margaret, dreadfully disturbed by this, confronts Henry about his ill-treatment of Jacky. Henry is deeply embarrassed and ashamed about this. Such are the ways of the world, to his mind. Margaret, for various reasons, wishes to save the relationship and forgives him. The Schlegel sisters drift apart, partly because of Margaret's impending marriage into the Wilcox family, partly because of Helen's profound disapproval of Henry's treatment of the Basts. Much distressed by what she has heard from Leonard about the circumstances of Henry's acquaintance with Jacky in Cyprus, she is overwhelmed by love and pity for him; she sees Leonard as a strikingly altruistic and romantic figure. Helen and Leonard are thrown together in an atmosphere of great anguish and succumb to their feelings of mutual passion. Finding herself pregnant, Helen leaves England, travelling to Germany to hide her condition, but she later returns to England upon receiving news that Aunt Juley is ill. Helen refuses to meet her sister Margaret, who, following Henry's suggestion, travels to Howards End in order to surprise her there. Henry and Margaret had designed an intervention with a doctor, presuming Helen's dishonest behaviour was a sign of emotional weakness or mental illness. As soon as they encounter Helen at Howards End, they see the truth. Helen is expecting. Margaret decides it is her duty to stand by her sister and help her. She tries in vain to convince Henry that if she can forgive him his sin, he should forgive Helen hers.