Chapter 20 Summary, Analysis, and Key Themes
⚠️ 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
In December 1594, Alison sits alone in her snowbound Kirkwall dungeon, the cold seeping through the walls as she wrestles with the questions that keep her from sleep. The Triskele book has appeared to her again, and she cannot decide whether it is taunting her, reminding her she cannot escape its pull, or whether God sent it to show her she still has a choice. She recalls the vision of a woman in a bed and the sense of a mother nearby, but the meaning escapes her. Her mother once taught her that the book shows only what is needed, yet Alison now suspects it teases and mocks at will, refusing to show her a way out of her cell or any advantage for her trial.
Her thoughts turn to her faith. She feels the absence of God keenly in the dungeon and in the courtroom, and she no longer believes Father Colville is serving God when he speaks. She remembers the night the others claimed to see a hare in the shadows—a familiar—but she saw no hare. Instead, she saw a tall man made of shadow striding through the window and into the night. She believes this was the Devil, and she wonders why God has allowed her to be caught in this nightmare.
The next morning, Mr. Addis bangs on the bars and announces a visitor. When Alison sees William behind him, she tries to rush forward, but Addis demands payment first. She does not remind him of the potion she once made for his ailment; instead, she pulls off her stockings and hands them over. Addis grunts and lets William through.
William kneels by the bars with a basket of food: roasted plovers, raisins, a quail, and a cup of sack. Alison eats everything in one sitting, having gone days without a proper meal. He then passes her gifts—a brown wool hat from Agnes, which she pulls over her coif and feels immediate warmth from, and a shell from Beatrice. On the shell, Beatrice has drawn a Triskele symbol: a hawk with outstretched wings and a double arrow beneath. Alison recognizes the meaning at once—the hawk signifies bravery, the outstretched wings hope, and the double arrow unrestrained, constant love between two people. She understands that Beatrice is calling on the gods of the Triskele to set her free. When William asks what the drawing means, Alison lies by omission, saying she does not know, because she has never confessed that her mother taught their daughter the Triskele symbols.
William reports that Beatrice is well, but Edward is not himself. He is staying away from the cottage for long stretches, sometimes all night. Alison wonders privately whether Edward is meeting with the Triskele, but she dares not mention this to William. When William offers to bring Edward to see her, she is torn—desperate to see her son, yet aware of the danger of bringing him into such a place.
Alison then urges William to leave the islands entirely, taking the children and her mother. He resists, recounting his long journey from Gunn and noting that his ship does not leave until the next morning. She suggests Edinburgh, but he objects—the cost of living is higher, and the king is burning witches on every hill. Alison counters that Orkney is no better. William mentions that the plague is rampant in Edinburgh, with plague pits burning constantly and a fifteen-day lockdown on pain of death. Alison then suggests the Highlands, perhaps his cousin in Inverness, but William says they cannot go there.
Alison finally reveals the truth she has been holding back. She tells William that John Stewart approached her the past summer, that day at the cathedral, and asked her for a charm to take a life. She believes he wanted that charm for the earl. She refused to make it, but she now understands that the earl likely suspects his brother of plotting against him, and John is eager to shift the blame. John has already killed Thomas Paplay, and now, because Alison is accused of aiding Thomas through witchcraft, John will also kill her.
William asks if she has told Father Colville. She has, but Colville insists she is guilty. She believes he wants her found guilty instead of John Stewart. William promises to procure a lawyer—Andrew Couper, the young, bright son of the clerk at St. Magnus Cathedral. When Alison wonders how they can afford such a thing, William explains that he asked Isaac and Duncan to approach Couper, and someone has anonymously volunteered to cover the fee. Alison is moved to tears by this kindness from a friend she thought she had lost.
William speaks with renewed conviction, saying that things are changing and that the day is coming when they will pull the islands back from the lion's jaw. He declares that Orkney will not be defeated. Alison does not share his confidence, but she sees the fight has returned to him, and his words hearten her.
Key Events
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Alison reflects on the Triskele book's appearance and questions whether it mocks her or offers a choice.
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She recalls seeing a shadowy figure the night others claimed to see a hare, and she believes it was the Devil.
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Mr. Addis demands payment for William's visit; Alison gives him her stockings.
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William brings food and gifts: a wool hat from Agnes and a Triskele-marked shell from Beatrice.
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Alison recognizes the shell's symbols—bravery, hope, and constant love—but hides their meaning from William.
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William reports Edward's strange absences from the cottage; Alison suspects Triskele involvement.
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Alison urges William to flee Orkney with the children and her mother; he resists, citing plague and cost.
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Alison reveals John Stewart's request for a life-taking charm and his murder of Thomas Paplay.
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Father Colville refuses to believe Alison's account, insisting on her guilt.
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William arranges for Andrew Couper to defend Alison, with an anonymous benefactor covering the fee.
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William declares that Orkney will not be defeated, and Alison sees his fighting spirit return.
Character Development
Alison is at her lowest point in this chapter—physically starving, spiritually bereft, and emotionally raw. Yet she also shows resilience: she refuses to lie outright to William about the shell, even if she withholds the truth, and she thinks strategically about her family's safety. Her crisis of faith deepens as she questions God's role in her suffering, but her love for her children remains her anchor.
William undergoes a visible transformation. He arrives as a worried husband bearing food and gifts, but by the chapter's end he has become a man of action, securing a lawyer and speaking of resistance. His declaration that Orkney will not be defeated marks a turning point in his character—from passive concern to active defiance.
Mr. Addis continues to embody the petty cruelty of the prison system, exploiting Alison's desperation for his own gain. His demand for payment despite her earlier help shows the moral decay of those who profit from her imprisonment.
Beatrice, though absent, emerges as a quietly powerful presence. Her Triskele drawing demonstrates that she has absorbed her grandmother's teachings and is using them to send her mother a coded message of hope and love—an act of quiet rebellion.
Themes, Symbols, or Motifs
Crisis of faith: Alison's internal struggle is central here. She feels God's absence in the dungeon and courtroom, and she questions whether the book's appearance is divine or mocking. Her belief that she saw the Devil complicates her faith further, as she wonders why God would allow such evil to surround her.
Corruption of religious authority: Father Colville's refusal to believe Alison's account—despite her telling him the truth about John Stewart—shows the church's role in her persecution. Alison explicitly states she no longer believes he is serving God, marking a rupture between institutional religion and genuine justice.
Witchcraft as political weapon: Alison's revelation about John Stewart makes the political stakes explicit. He asked her for a life-taking charm, she refused, and now he is using her accusation as cover for his own crimes. The witchcraft charge is not about actual magic but about silencing inconvenient witnesses.
Triskele symbolism: The shell from Beatrice carries layered meaning—the hawk for bravery, outstretched wings for hope, and the double arrow for constant love. This is a private language between mother and daughter, a form of resistance that the authorities cannot read. It also connects Alison to her heritage and the book's power.
Family loyalty: Alison's insistence that William flee with the children and her mother shows her prioritizing family survival over her own fate. William's gifts from Agnes and Beatrice demonstrate the family's collective support, even from a distance.
Imprisonment conditions: The cold, the hunger, the exploitation by Mr. Addis—all paint a vivid picture of the dungeon's brutality. Alison's willingness to trade her stockings for a visit underscores her desperation.
Resistance against oppression: William's closing words about pulling the islands back from the lion's jaw and his refusal to accept defeat introduce a note of political resistance that extends beyond Alison's personal case.
Why This Chapter Matters
This chapter is a turning point in the narrative for several reasons. First, it finally gives Alison a chance to articulate the political conspiracy against her—John Stewart's request for a charm, his murder of Thomas Paplay, and Father Colville's complicity in shielding him. This reframes her imprisonment from a simple witchcraft accusation to a calculated act of scapegoating.
Second, the introduction of Andrew Couper as her lawyer, funded by an anonymous benefactor, signals that Alison is not as isolated as she feared. The existence of friends willing to act secretly on her behalf opens the possibility of a defense and, with it, hope.
Third, the chapter deepens the Triskele's role in the story. Beatrice's shell drawing shows that the book's influence and symbolism have passed to the next generation, and Alison's private recognition of it—while hiding it from William—creates a new layer of secrecy within her own family.
Finally, William's transformation from a worried husband to a man of defiance sets up the political resistance that will likely shape the chapters to come. His declaration that Orkney will not be defeated is both a personal vow and a broader statement about the community's struggle against oppression.
Study Questions and Answers
1. Why does Alison hide the meaning of Beatrice's shell drawing from William?
Alison has never confessed to William that her mother taught their daughter the Triskele symbols. Admitting she understands the drawing would reveal this secret and potentially expose the family's connection to the Triskele, which could be dangerous given Alison's current imprisonment on witchcraft charges. She chooses to lie by omission to protect both William and Beatrice.
2. What does Alison's revelation about John Stewart reveal about the true nature of her accusation?
It reveals that her imprisonment is politically motivated. John Stewart asked her for a life-taking charm, which she refused, and he subsequently killed Thomas Paplay. By accusing Alison of aiding Thomas through witchcraft, John shifts suspicion away from himself and onto a convenient scapegoat. Father Colville's insistence on her guilt despite her testimony suggests he is complicit in protecting John.
3. How does William's character change over the course of this chapter?
William arrives as a concerned husband, focused on delivering food and news. But after hearing Alison's account of John Stewart's plot, he shifts into action: he secures Andrew Couper as her lawyer, arranges for an anonymous benefactor to cover the fee, and speaks with renewed conviction about resisting the forces arrayed against them. Alison observes that the fight in him has returned, marking a clear transformation from passive worry to active defiance.