Summary

In Chapter 7, Isabel helped Serafina sort peas and then dry dishes. Serafina asked Isabel about the scar on her cheek in the shape of an “I.” Isabel explained that after she learned Missus Lockton had Ruth taken to Charlestonm Isabel had attacked Missus Lockton. The judge had ruled against Isabel and ordered her branded as a punishment. Isabel told Serafina about all the troubles she and Curzon had faced on the journey to find Ruth. She began crying when she told Serafina she never dreamed that Ruth would forget her. Serafina recognized that Isabel had not cried in a while because she had been trying to be so strong. She warned Isabel not to get so strong that she forgot how to be gentle.

Serafina agreed with Isabel that Ruth needed to be with her biological family. She also told Isabel not to...