Libertie

Libertie travels east with Louisa and Experience. They reach Philadelphia and stay with Elizabeth. They talk about Emmanuel, and Elizabeth assures Libertie that he is not competing for her mother’s affections. Libertie also talks to Elizabeth’s son, Lucien, whom she remembers from the night Ben Daisy arrived in her home. They talk about Ben and Daisy until Libertie tires of Lucien’s jokes and departs for bed. The bedroom she shares with Louisa and Experience is locked. When Libertie looks through the keyhole, she catches the women in an intimate moment and returns downstairs. She falls asleep thinking of the relationship between Louisa and Experience, longing to understand the love they feel for one another. She also realizes that her bond with them will never be the same as the one they share with each other, and she worries what to do about her future.

The next day, Elizabeth and Lucien accompany the young women on the train to New York. Louisa and Experience do not mention the previous night, while Lucien seems awkward. Cathy and Emmanuel meet them at the station. Libertie is shocked by how much her mother has aged in their time apart. Libertie shakes Emmanuel’s hand and notices that he is “most nearly white” except for his full lips (127), which he deliberately sucks in.