Nucky’s relationship with Margaret gets serious this week on Boardwalk Empire. Despite her apprehension over her reputation and some tense words from Lucy Danzinger, Margaret accepts an offer to be his mistress and move into an apartment of his keeping. Things seem to be looking up for this widowed mother, until she begins to contemplate her existence as a glorified “concubine.”

One of Nucky’s bagmen is robbed by Italian thugs causing suspicion to fall on Lucky Luciano who’s relationship with Gillian is keeping him in town. Eli looks into the theft, while Nucky busies himself currying favor with the mayor of Jersey City. With his support, along with the involvement of Senator Edge, Nucky can get a road built between New York, Atlantic City, and Philadelphia.

Van Alden’s request for funding to expand his investigation of Nucky is denied by his superior, and his obsession with Margaret Schroeder is questioned. As he reads over Margaret’s immigration file, he seems intensely interested in her. At the episode’s end, he is seen whipping himself while looking at her immigration photo.

In Chicago, Jimmy is still distraught over the loss of the young Pearl. When Torrio decides to back out of Greektown, Jimmy convinces him that retreating would be a mistake. Jimmy, Capone, and Torrio meet with Sheridan under the guise of negotiation, but actually use the meeting to kill their rival gangsters. Jimmy’s plan endears him to Torrio, but causes tension with Capone who was unable to handle the Greektown problem. However, Jimmy and Capone come to an uneasy truce at the end of the episode when Al reveals how shattered he is over his son’s deafness.