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She knows he does not mean his words unkindly, but they scorch her heart. She pictures Sarah’s inert body lying on the floor of Quenêke’s wetu. She thinks of the terrible cries Bess Parker uttered when her son was taken from her. She hears again the eerie keening of Indian women when their babes died. None of these seem to have any purpose except sorrow.
he says there is good news—the Mathers are expecting yet another babe. A cord of envy tightens Mary’s womb.
He reaches for her again, and draws her head into his lap. He places one hand on the back of her neck and pulls her face against his loins. He moans and Mary has the terrible thought that he wants her to perform an unnatural act. With a shudder, she wrenches away and stumbles to her feet.
she finds Joseph in an unusually buoyant mood.
She becomes abruptly aware of how her clothes restrict her and promote her submission.
Mary can feel disagreement emanating from him like viscous smoke.
she feels as if a bolt of lightning has struck the top of her head. Her hair feels set afire; her scalp pulses.
The words rush from his lips like a hiss. It is as if they have been filling his mouth for weeks, pressing against his teeth.
She spits the words out, as if each one sears her tongue.
A broken whisper.
When she says the word friend, she sees something break in his face; the stoniness dissolves like a clay mask in the rain.
It seems that the ghosts of her captivity are determined to haunt her wherever she goes.
He rises and takes her hand and leads her to bed, where he joins with her for the first time since her redemption. Afterward, she weeps in wonder and relief.
Her words flow out like a swarm of bees,
a gray afternoon
Is it possible for a woman to marry for love? Could it be that a shared sense of humor is more important than wifely obedience?
all quickly mended once she came to know Samuel Talcott.
Saved by a different man...
“I have sometimes wished I carried some mark of my captivity upon me as you do. It is an emblem of your courage, your fortitude.”
We have both sold our souls to gain acceptance in this new and terrible world.”
How strange that venturing away from accepted wisdom was the very path by which she found herself.
While we draw breath, there is always some way we can show mercy and kindness.
And the people raise their arms to the sky, their faces lit with a terrible, wild joy.
