Chains

It seems like Becky shakes Isabel awake as soon as Isabel falls asleep. All day, Isabel hurries through her work. Madam is in a mood, too, so she tells Isabel to do things like air the sheets—and then yells at her for airing the sheets on a rainy day. Isabel is relieved that Madam doesn’t want Ruth. Ruth hums as she scrubs the steps, which reminds Isabel of the sound bees make. Isabel keeps an eye out for the rebels—soon, she and Ruth will be sleeping like ladies on a ship bound for Rhode Island. Becky, though, interrupts Isabel’s daydreaming: they have to prepare the drawing room.

The second-floor drawing room is just a big parlor, not an art studio like Isabel thought at first. As she rips sheets off the furniture, Becky mutters that it’s ridiculous that Madam wants the drawing room prepped when there’s no real staff and the city is about to explode. Just then, there’s a beating at the door. Becky leaves Isabel to finish and goes downstairs—and when she opens the door, Isabel’s heart sings. It’s Master Bellingham and patriot soldiers.

Madam races downstairs, enraged, as Bellingham’s men start to remove the windows with metal bars. As Master Lockton appears, Bellingham explains that everyone must make sacrifices: the patriots need the lead to make bullets, and it should be an honor for a patriot like Lockton to support the cause. Lockton insists this is an outrage as the soldiers head upstairs, without putting the first-floor windows back. From upstairs, a soldier shouts that they found “it.”

Isabel follows everyone upstairs to the Locktons’ bedchamber, where Madam is again sitting on the walnut chest and refusing to let the soldiers open it. Lockton tells his wife that there’s nothing to worry about—and she relaxes and gets up. Isabel watches Lockton smile as a soldier digs through dirty underclothes and nothing else. Isabel knows there’s a false bottom to the chest, but she can’t say anything. Is Bellingham going to blow Isabel’s cover now that it looks like she lied? Bellingham instead arrests Lockton for suspicion of aiding the enemy. He and the soldiers escort him out. Madam watches blankly, tells Isabel to get on with washing the linens, and faints.