Chapter Twenty-Five Summary and Analysis
⚠️ Spoiler Warning: This guide contains detailed spoilers for the entire novel. Proceed only if you've finished reading or are comfortable knowing the plot.
Summary
After Nat's visit, Isobel is shattered. She cannot recall his exact words—whether he said he would never return or only needed time—but she remembers one accusation: “You bewitched me.” The accusation cuts deeply because it weaponizes the very synesthetic colors that have always been both a gift and a burden to her. In her despair, she decides that if there is no child, she can undo the entanglement. She hacks young pennyroyal from her garden and brews a strong abortifacient tea.
The next morning, before the town is fully awake, she visits an apothecary on Washington Street. She asks for black cohosh, juniper berry, and a pinch of savin powder, claiming lower-back pain. The elderly apothecary recognizes her as Edward Gamble's wife and mentions he invested in Edward's voyage. He gives her the herbs but asks her to tell Edward that Theodore Bartholomew is eager to see him. Isobel returns home, bars the door, and mixes the herbs according to instructions in Edward's herbal book. She drinks the bitter mixture, vomits, drinks again, and then lies down, indifferent to whether it kills her.
The chapter shifts into a feverish, hallucinatory state. Isobel sees the dead rose speak, Nat banging at the window, her great-aunt's sampler, Adam and Eve, and a red star. She is curled on the floor, soaked in blood and waste, when Mercy's voice breaks through. Mercy has come because Captain Darling's ship has arrived and he is asking for Isobel. Mercy forces the door open, sees the vial, and immediately understands what Isobel has done. She is furious and frightened, telling Isobel she once saw a woman die from such a mixture. Mercy administers a counteracting brew and nurses Isobel through the worst of it, all the while insisting that the baby does not want to be shaken out and that she will not let Isobel die.
Over the following days, Mercy tends to Isobel, cleaning the cottage, washing the linens, and bringing nettle broth. She tells Isobel that people fail you even when they love you, but you must be strong. Isobel confesses that Nat called her a witch, and Mercy responds that men say that when they want to be free of you or when they are afraid. Mercy then reveals that Ingo, Captain Darling's first mate, is her partner. She also shares news about Edward: he bought up a large quantity of poppy and other herbs, used them on himself, became wild, and refused to board the ship. Captain Darling has already repaid Edward's investors in Salem.
While Mercy is outside speaking with Ingo, Isobel opens Mercy's black sack and finds three shawls. In each one, she sees the word FREE stitched in overlapping threads of the same color—visible only because of her synesthesia. She realizes that Mercy, and likely Zeke, are involved in helping enslaved people escape, perhaps using the sugar house near the sycamore as a waypoint. When Mercy returns, Isobel confronts her with what she has seen. Mercy warns her to forget anything that doesn't make sense and then delivers a final, decisive statement: Nat Hathorne will never be a father to this child. When Isobel protests that it is his, Mercy insists, “This is your child. Your mam's grandbaby.” Isobel hears the words but does not want to accept them, and she sees them in hard yellow, like a winter sun.
Key Events
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Isobel, distraught after Nat's visit, decides to terminate her pregnancy.
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She brews pennyroyal and purchases black cohosh, juniper berry, and savin powder from an apothecary who recognizes her as Edward Gamble's wife.
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She drinks the abortifacient mixture and collapses, experiencing vivid hallucinations.
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Mercy arrives because Captain Darling's ship has come in and finds Isobel gravely ill.
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Mercy administers a counteracting brew and nurses Isobel through recovery.
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Mercy reveals that Ingo is her partner and that Edward used poppy and other herbs on himself, refused to board the ship, and that Captain Darling repaid Edward's investors.
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Isobel discovers the word FREE stitched into Mercy's shawls and suspects Mercy is involved in helping enslaved people escape.
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Mercy tells Isobel that Nat will never be a father to this child and that the child is Isobel's own.
Character Development
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Isobel: This chapter marks a low point in Isobel's arc. Her attempt to abort the child shows her desperation and her belief that the pregnancy ties her to Nat in a way she cannot bear. Her synesthesia becomes both a curse (when Nat uses it against her) and a tool of revelation (when she sees the hidden word FREE). By the end, she is physically weakened but emotionally more aware of Mercy's secret life and of her own need to claim the child as hers.
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Mercy: Mercy emerges as a protector and a woman of hidden depths. She is not merely a seamstress but a partner to Ingo and likely a participant in the Underground Railroad. Her fierce nursing of Isobel and her insistence that the child belongs to Isobel alone reveal her loyalty and her belief in female self-determination.
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Nat: Though not physically present, Nat's accusation of witchcraft and his abandonment drive the chapter's emotional core. His words expose his fear and his inability to accept Isobel's difference.
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Edward: Though absent, Edward's fate is clarified: he has succumbed to addiction and abandoned his voyage, leaving Isobel to face the consequences alone.
Themes, Symbols, or Motifs
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Abortion and bodily autonomy: Isobel's attempt to end her pregnancy is a desperate act of control over her own body, but it also shows the limits of that control in a society where women have few options.
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Witchcraft accusation: Nat's accusation of bewitchment echoes the historical Salem witch trials and underscores how women's unusual abilities or behaviors are often demonized.
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Female solidarity: Mercy's care for Isobel, despite the risk, highlights the bonds that form between women in times of crisis.
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Secrecy and freedom: The hidden word FREE in Mercy's shawls symbolizes the clandestine work of the Underground Railroad and the idea that freedom must be stitched into the fabric of daily life.
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Color symbolism and synesthesia: Isobel's ability to see words and emotions as colors is central to her identity. It allows her to perceive truths others miss, but it also makes her vulnerable to accusations of witchcraft.
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Motherhood and identity: Mercy's declaration that the child is Isobel's own reframes the pregnancy not as a tie to Nat but as a continuation of Isobel's maternal lineage.
Why This Chapter Matters
This chapter is a turning point in Isobel's journey. It forces her to confront the consequences of her relationship with Nat and to make a life-altering decision about her pregnancy. The failed abortion attempt and Mercy's intervention shift the narrative from romantic entanglement to survival and self-definition. The revelation of Mercy's involvement in the Underground Railroad expands the novel's scope, connecting Isobel's personal struggles to broader themes of freedom and resistance. Mercy's final words—that the child is Isobel's own—redefine motherhood as an act of will rather than a consequence of a man's actions. This chapter also deepens the novel's engagement with historical issues: herbal abortion, the stigma of witchcraft, and the covert networks that aided enslaved people.
Study Questions and Answers
- Why does Isobel attempt to abort the child, and what does this reveal about her state of mind?
Isobel attempts the abortion because she believes the child ties her to Nat, who has accused her of bewitching him and has left her in a state of uncertainty. She is desperate to undo the connection and to regain control over her life. The attempt reveals her profound despair and her willingness to risk her own life, as she says, “If it kills me, too, it is no matter.” It also shows that she feels isolated and without support, believing that only by eliminating the pregnancy can she escape the pain.
- How does Mercy's revelation about Ingo and Edward change Isobel's understanding of the people around her?
Mercy's revelation that Ingo is her partner and that Edward has succumbed to addiction and abandoned his voyage forces Isobel to reassess her assumptions. She had no idea about Mercy and Ingo, and she learns that Edward is not the man she once admired. This knowledge deepens her sense of abandonment and also reveals that Mercy has a private life and a network of connections that Isobel never suspected. It also explains why Mercy is so protective and why she knows about the ship's arrival.
- What does the word FREE stitched into Mercy's shawls signify, and how does Isobel's synesthesia allow her to see it?
The word FREE is hidden in the embroidery, visible only because Isobel's synesthesia lets her perceive the overlapping threads as distinct colors. It signifies Mercy's involvement in the Underground Railroad, helping enslaved people escape to freedom. Isobel's ability to see it is both a gift and a risk: it reveals a dangerous secret, but it also aligns her with Mercy's cause. The discovery deepens the novel's exploration of freedom—both the literal freedom of enslaved people and Isobel's own quest for personal autonomy.