Heartless

Cath returns home and finds the King waiting to take her to the theater. Mary Ann accompanies Cath, and Jest attends the King. Cath longs to trade words or even a glance with Jest, but he treats her detachedly. At the theater, Lady Peter accosts Cath; she pulls out a napkin filled with crumbs from Cath’s spiced pumpkin cake and begs Cath for more. Lady Peter is distraught when she learns there is none and demands to know where Cath got the pumpkin for the recipe. Cath confesses that she got it from Peter’s patch; Lady Peter is incredulous because Peter claimed to have “destroyed them all” (283). Peter interrupts and drags Lady Peter away, leaving Cath stunned. In the box seats with the King, Cath tries to surreptitiously communicate with Jest but is unsuccessful. To Cath’s despair, Jest exits the box, leaving Cath holding the sweaty, repulsive hand of the King.

Cath sneaks out of the performance and observes Jest speaking to Margaret Mearle, encouraging her to embrace the Duke of Tuskany’s virtues and accept his affections for her. After Margaret leaves, Jest apologizes to Cath for his coldness toward her; despite himself, he can’t help but feel jealous when he sees Cath with the King. However, Jest urges Cath to accept the King’s marriage proposal. Cath is confused by Jest’s seemingly conflicting intentions, but before he can explain himself, the Jabberwock attacks the theater.

Jest and Raven fend off the Jabberwock while Cath tries to escape, but she falls and breaks her ankle. Raven brings Jest’s bell-tipped joker hat to Cath and she pulls the Vorpal Sword out of it, to her wonder. Cath recalls that in the legends, the Jabberwock is defeated by decapitation with the Vorpal Sword. Cath raises the Vorpal Sword, repeating “off with its head” to herself to cement her courage as the Jabberwock advances. But before Cath has the chance to attack, the Jabberwock suddenly flees into the night.

No one knows how to react to the attack; the other theatergoers stand around uncertainly, waiting for leadership. The King, who cowered in the background during the attack, profusely praises Cath for her bravery, but Cath reprimands the King for his inaction. Jest volunteers to take Cath to the Sturgeons to have her ankle healed but teleports her to the treacle well instead. Cath is stunned that the mythical well actually exists, and Jest explains that the Three Sisters, denizens of the treacle well, provide healing treacle in exchange for “things we have no need of” (310). Cath hears their voices from the bottom of the well and witnesses a hand emerge to accept Jest’s payment for the treacle. Jest explains that only the desperate can find their way to the treacle well—Hatta found it because he was desperate to escape his family’s curse, and Jest because just now he was desperate to heal Cath. Jest reveals the true nature of the treacle well: It is a place between times and lands, and the portal to Chess.

Jest discloses his true mission. Jest was sent to Hearts to retrieve the only hope of ending the perpetual war in Chess: the heart of the Queen of Hearts, a ruler reputed to be brave, passionate, and fierce. Jest is certain it’s Cath’s heart that he seeks. Cath is horrified to learn that all his actions toward her have had the objective of attaining her heart—for something that is given willingly will always be easier to steal. Despite himself, Jest fell in love with Cath, and now his loyalty to his country wars with his affections for her. Cath is adamant that she will never be Queen and will open a bakery instead. His fears sufficiently assuaged, Jest professes his desire for Cath; if she wants him, he is even willing to abandon his duty as a Rook. Cath tells him that he has her heart, and Jest, relieved, makes her promise to reject the King’s proposal no matter what. Cath promises, and she and Jest kiss.

Jest returns Cath to Rock Turtle Cove; waiting there are the King and his armed guards, the Marquess and Marchioness, and Mary Ann. When Cath and Jest couldn’t be found at the Sturgeons’ beach, a worried Mary Ann confessed to Cath’s parents about Cath’s relationship with Jest. Now, everyone suspects Jest of kidnapping and worse, and he is immediately arrested. Although Cath insists on Jest’s innocence before all those gathered, Jest claims he’s been charming Cath and reveals his mission from the White Queen before transforming into a raven and escaping. Jest’s “confession” has saved Cath’s reputation, although it leaves Cath in despair. To Cath’s astonishment, the King and the Marchioness suggest that they throw a masquerade to forget all the unpleasantness of the night’s events.