Contents
Chapter 7
Overview
Natalie discovers the eldest girl is named Mary—the name she and Caleb chose for their unborn daughter—deepening her dread that this homestead mirrors her life. She attempts a nighttime escape, triggers a steel trap, and is recaptured. Old Caleb frees her, and Mary prepares to stitch her mangled ankle, sealing Natalie's dependence.
Summary
As sunset stains the cabin, Natalie watches the eldest girl tend potatoes and learns her name is Mary. The revelation jolts Natalie, since Mary is the name she and Caleb chose for their unborn child, intensifying her fear that this household eerily mirrors her own life.
A flashback to an ultrasound visit recalls the moment they learned the baby was a girl and chose the name Mary, underscoring Natalie’s disorientation and grief in the present.
Back in the cabin, reeling and suspicious of a conspiracy, Natalie is ordered to fetch wood. Outside, the approaching dark suggests cover for escape. She drops the logs and sprints toward the woods despite the children calling “Mama.”
In the trees, Natalie steps into a steel trap that crushes her ankle. Old Caleb rushes in, springs the trap, and hauls her back. In the kitchen, Mary applies greasy ointment and prepares a large needle and thick thread to stitch the wounds while the boys sit silently and Maeve sobs behind a door, leaving Natalie in pain and at their mercy.
Who Appears
- NatalieProtagonist; recognizes the girl Mary’s name, attempts escape, is trapped, recaptured, and faces crude medical care.
- MaryEldest girl; cooks, keeps household records, tends Natalie’s wounds, prepares to stitch her injured ankle.
- Old CalebHarsh frontier counterpart of Caleb; pursues Natalie, frees her from the steel trap, carries her back.
- MaeveYounger daughter; earlier disappointed, now sobs behind a door as Natalie is treated.
- The boysTwo sons; sit quietly at the table, witness Natalie’s treatment without intervening.
- CalebNatalie’s husband in memories; helped choose the unborn daughter’s name, Mary.
- Ultrasound technicianReveals the baby is a girl during the flashback appointment.