46

Aunt Lydia contemplates the dual nature of her secret record—justice or gossip—and the stifling calm of Gilead. She watches a Particicution with Commander Judd, who fortifies himself with coffee and rum while professing squeamishness.

Two men are condemned: an Angel publicly for smuggling lemons but truly for aiding Mayday and fleeing Handmaids, and Dr. Grove, a dentist. Following Lydia’s plan, Aunt Elizabeth staged a false assault, supported by planted surveillance leverage and corroborated by Mr. William’s embellished testimony. Grove’s real crimes—pedophilia and ruining girls for marriage—remain hidden.

At the stadium, Handmaids first kill the Angel; then Aunt Elizabeth oversees Grove’s death. The Pearls, newly arrived, witness the violence; Aunt Immortelle faints, burdened by Grove’s symbolic link to her father. Lydia notes the presence of the “Pearl of the greatest price,” intending to place her strategically afterward.

Judd regrets losing a skilled dentist but defers to Lydia’s judgment. Lydia reveals that Baby Nicole has been brought into Gilead under the name Jade by Pearl Girls Beatrice and Dove, who were instructed to look for a specific tattoo. Lydia withholds Nicole’s identity from the young Aunts hosting her, seeking to mold Nicole’s beliefs before a public reveal.

Lydia and Judd agree to proceed cautiously to ensure Nicole’s sincere conversion and manage optics about her purity and presentation. They toast to their efforts, each masking ulterior aims.

After the events, Aunt Elizabeth suffers a nervous collapse. Lydia visits with Aunts Vidala and Helena, reassures Elizabeth of her sanctified status, and quietly tightens her hold over Elizabeth, whose perjury now binds her to Lydia.