Yellow Wife

Pheby returns to church with three of her daughters. Rubin insists she leave one child behind. Pheby sits next to a woman that assists enslaved people to escape to the North. The woman tells Pheby to meet her at the bakery where she works.

Later that week, Pheby visits the bakery on her trip to the market. She asks for assistance for her son and Essex. The woman tells Pheby that Rubin’s reputation will make it impossible for Essex to escape, but Pheby is insistent. The woman promises to do what she can, but later tells Pheby that she can only secure passage for Monroe.

Rubin is suspicious of Pheby and continually threatens her. Pheby sends a message with one of the household staff to the woman at the bakery. When Pheby sees Monroe working back at the jail, she speaks to him and notices that he has changed. Monroe is more submissive and quieter and has lost his childlike liveliness. Monroe confesses that he is worried he is about to be sold.

Pheby learns that Essex’s living conditions are worse than ever. As Pheby entertains Rubin’s guests by playing the piano, she overhears them talking about buying a planter.