Forge

Curzon and Isabel regard one another wordlessly. Curzon remarks to himself how much she’s grown; she seems more a woman now, and no longer the girl Curzon remembered. He feigns a foggy memory of her to Bellingham, intent on keeping his fondness for her a secret. Members of the Continental Congress arrive, and regard Curzon in his shabbiness. Bellingham orders Curzon to bathe and dress appropriately to serve them, and insists he refer to him as “master.” The word weighs heavily on Curzon – he imagines murdering Bellingham again – but resolves to be patient for Isabel’s sake. He bows and calls Bellingham, “Master” (179).

Curzon meets a fellow servant in the kitchens, an old white woman with no teeth. She informs him that Bellingham hires Isabel out to the other gentlemen and men of means nearby. She infers from his asking that Curzon has feelings for Isabel, but promises not to say anything. Over the following days, Isabel ignores Curzon. Meanwhile, Gideon continues to be dismissive and critical of Curzon. Curzon weighs fleeing on his own and staying to save Isabel, until one day he hears that a ball will be thrown for George Washington, and hatches a plan. He finally corners Isabel, who allows him to speak, and says he’s able to help them both escape.

Curzon intends for them both to flee on the night of the ball, but Isabel refuses. She tells him how upset she was to learn that he’d lied to her before about heading to Albany, and admits that after she’d stolen their money, she’d headed back out of guilt, only to be captured and abused. It’s heavily implied that the man who captured her abused her both physically and sexually, but Curzon doesn’t press the issue. It haunts him to realize how wounded Isabel had been by her ordeal. Isabel finally admits why she cannot run: to prevent her from running again, Bellingham had an iron collar affixed around her neck, the key for which he keeps around his neck. Whenever she leaves the house, Gideon affixes bells to the collar, so she can be heard. 

Curzon begins his “mutiny” in earnest – finding small ways to irritate and inconvenience Bellingham and the congressmen: spilling tea, leaving things half-cleaned, and rooms cold and uncomfortable. On the night of Washington’s ball, Bellingham asks Curzon to lead his horse. Along the way, he confronts Curzon about his plans to escape. He tells him that his punishments will be meted out upon Isabel – if he’s to be hit, it’s Isabel who will receive the strike. If he runs, Isabel will suffer. Curzon leads Bellingham’s horse to the stable, and recalls a story Edwards used to tell: the myth of Prometheus, who stole fire from the gods and was tormented by being chained to a rock while an eagle tore at his liver. Curzon admits that were he Prometheus, he’d fight the eagle to his last breath.

Curzon listens to the congressmen in the following weeks as they describe the dire straits of the Continental Army. One night, over dinner, he hears them discussing an idea put forth by John Laurens to compensate slave owners for freeing and enlisting their slaves. The men at the table mock the idea. Gideon has no reaction to this at all. Curzon decides to pay attention to Gideon as well – an attempt to understand the workings of his mind. He examines Gideon’s things, hoping to find some clue, and discovers very little – only a letter in his pocket, which neither can read. As time passes, Curzon continues to try and put distance between Isabel and Bellingham – at one point, after Gideon sends him upstairs to fetch Bellingham for a letter that needs responding, he finds Isabel shaving Bellingham in anticipation of a general’s arrival. Noting how Bellingham leers at Isabel, Curzon convinces Bellingham to let him do the shaving.