The Wonder

Content Warning: This chapter contains depictions of an eating disorder.

Wright wakes after dreaming of soldiers crying out for tobacco during the Crimean War. She opens her copy of Nightingale’s Notes on Nursing and sees a random passage about women being more observant and careful than men. Wright vows to be even more exacting in her watch.

When she arrives at the O’Donnells’ house, the kitchen is empty. Wright observes a dozen chickens with freshly laid eggs locked in the kitchen, and wonders if Anna has been eating the eggs and shells. She also observes a saucer filled with milk; when Wright confronts Rosaleen and the maid, Kitty, they explain that the saucer is an offer for little people (fairies) who would otherwise disrupt the household.

When Anna wakes up, Rosaleen runs in to greet her daughter and pray with her while Malachy speaks to Wright about the walls of the house. Wright is immediately suspicious, wondering if Malachy is creating a distraction while his wife sneaks food to their daughter. Wright chastises Rosaleen and insists that she and Malachy are not allowed to be alone with Anna during the course of the nurses’ watch. Rosaleen is visibly disturbed. Wright asks Anna about her sleep, and Anna responds by quoting the Bible.