Novels2023-The Frozen River
by Ariel Lawhon
Contents
Part 5: The Grief That Does Not Speak — Ballard’s Mill (Chapter 39)
Overview
Martha and Ephraim discover that Joseph North used Ephraim's old survey to strip the Ballards of their legal claim to their land and transfer it to Joshua Burgess, putting the family's home and livelihood in jeopardy. When Martha matches the date of North's letter to the day Rebecca Foster accused him of rape, she forms a crucial new theory that North was paying for Burgess's silence. The chapter also ends on a smaller but revealing domestic crisis, as an attack on Percy's mews exposes Ephraim's worry and uncertainty.
Summary
On Monday, March 1, Martha finishes recording Eliza Robbins's difficult but successful delivery while Ephraim reads the letters she found in Joshua Burgess's saddlebag. The documents reveal that Ephraim's old survey of the Ballard property was used to support Joseph North's claim that the Ballards had failed to satisfy the terms for owning their land. Based on North's affidavit, the Kennebec Proprietors canceled the Ballards' lease and reassigned the property to Captain Joshua Burgess.
Ephraim protests that North's claim is false, but Martha points out that the technical wording of the third condition could still have left them vulnerable long enough for an eviction. The letters make clear that Burgess stood to take everything the Ballards had built, which raises a new question: why would North arrange the transfer only for Burgess to end up dead? Martha argues that North is still the likeliest suspect because North is the one who benefits most from Burgess's death.
When Martha checks the date of North's letter against her journal, she discovers it was written on October 1, the same day Rebecca Foster publicly accused Joseph North and others of rape. That coincidence leads Martha to a new theory: Joseph North may have been using the Ballard property to buy Joshua Burgess's silence about the assault. Ephraim then turns back to Martha's conduct, pressing her about being trapped in the Pollard shed and about bringing home Burgess's saddlebag. Martha admits that Moses helped her escape after waiting for Amos Pollard to fall asleep, but neither she nor Ephraim has a plan for explaining her possession of the bag once the letters become public.
The conversation is interrupted when Jonathan bursts in with news that something has killed Percy. Martha and Ephraim go to the mews and find blood, feathers, and broken slats. Jonathan suspects a wolf, but Ephraim studies the tracks and identifies a large coyote instead. After following the signs, Ephraim concludes that the predator did not kill Percy at the mews; he believes Percy fought back, escaped, and may still return if Ephraim's training holds.
Who Appears
- Martha BallardReads Burgess's letters, links North's scheme to Rebecca Foster's accusation, and debates the danger with Ephraim.
- Ephraim BallardReads the eviction documents, reacts to the threat against the family property, and investigates the attack on Percy.
- Joseph NorthNamed in the letters as the man who falsely challenged the Ballards' claim and reassigned their land to Burgess.
- Joshua BurgessDead man whose saddlebag contains the papers transferring Ballard property to him.
- Jonathan BallardAlerts Martha and Ephraim that something has attacked Percy and joins them at the mews.
- Rebecca FosterHer October rape accusation helps Martha identify North's likely motive for the land transfer.
- PercyEphraim's falcon, attacked at the mews; Ephraim believes he escaped alive.
- Moses PollardPreviously freed Martha from the shed after realizing where she had gone.