The Handmaid's Tale, #2
The Testaments
by Margaret Atwood
Contents
68
Overview
Aunt Lydia manages the fallout after Nicole and Agnes escape disguised as Pearl Girls, planting red herrings and urging a cover-up of Immortelle’s death. Commander Judd orders a lethal recapture of Baby Nicole. When Aunt Vidala awakens and accuses Lydia, Lydia manipulates Aunt Elizabeth toward eliminating Vidala, buying time for the evidence to reach Canada.
Summary
Aunt Lydia learns Aunt Vidala has regained consciousness and fears exposure of the staged Pearl Girls ruse involving Nicole (Jade). With Elizabeth and Helena guarding Vidala, Lydia cannot isolate her. Lydia notes rumors that Vidala’s stroke resulted from an attack and that the elopement note has stirred speculation, though she praises Nicole’s convincing details.
Pressed by Aunts to search for the “eloped” girl, Lydia consents to a token sweep that yields nothing. Commander Judd summons Lydia, furious that Baby Nicole has vanished; she claims only they and Nicole know her identity and suggests Mayday involvement to buy time while her couriers carry incriminating files out of Gilead.
Two Pearl Girls backpacks and dresses are found near a Vermont trail—red herrings planted to mislead. Then Works discovers Aunt Immortelle’s body in a cistern. Rumors blame the foreign recruit Jade, but Lydia orders a dignified funeral and a narrative of accidental death in selfless service, aiming to protect Ardua Hall.
As questions arise about missing Aunt Victoria and the identity of the two Pearl Girls, a sighting in Portsmouth triggers Judd’s order: the imposters must be seized and, if necessary, killed. He declares a dead Baby Nicole safer than a living one who could expose them. Lydia flatters him, recalling her role in Grove’s downfall, and maintains her guise of compliance.
Lydia visits Vidala. After Elizabeth briefly leaves, Vidala opens her eyes and whispers an accusation that Lydia attacked her. When Elizabeth returns, Lydia lies that Vidala accused Elizabeth, warning that Commanders might accept Vidala’s story to scapegoat her. Hinting at Vidala’s “allergies” and a misfortune in sleep, Lydia nudges Elizabeth toward silencing Vidala, creating a diversion and extending Lydia’s runway while she awaits news of Nicole and Agnes delivering the evidence in Canada.
Who Appears
- Aunt LydiaMaster manipulator; covers Immortelle’s death, misleads Judd, and maneuvers Elizabeth to neutralize Vidala while awaiting her couriers’ success.
- Commander JuddEnraged by Baby Nicole’s escape; orders capture with shoot-to-kill and prioritizes a dead Nicole to protect his power.
- Aunt ElizabethGuarding Vidala; is deceived by Lydia into believing Vidala accused her and is steered to silence Vidala.
- Aunt VidalaAwakens and directly accuses Lydia; becomes a liability targeted for quiet elimination.
- Aunt ImmortelleFound dead in a cistern; her death is reframed by Lydia as an accidental, selfless act to protect Ardua Hall.
- Aunt HelenaHelps watch over Vidala; part of Ardua Hall’s tense, suspicious vigil.
- Aunt VictoriaMissing Pearl Girl; her absence fuels speculation about complicity in the escape.