On Wednesday, January 6, Martha rides to the abandoned logger's camp at Burnt Hill, where the elusive healer called Doctor is staying for the winter. On the way in, Martha sees a young Wabanaki family leaving Doctor's cabin with their infant, which reinforces that people come to Doctor only when they need private help. Inside, Martha notices Doctor's skill, independence, and distance, and Doctor explains that the Wabanaki mother has lost her milk and must feed the baby boiled walnuts, cornmeal, and water until spring.

Doctor quickly realizes Martha is not sick and presses her to explain her visit. Martha says Ellen Parker recently borrowed her horse to see Doctor, but Martha insists she has not come to pry into Ellen's secrets. Instead, after briefly asking about Hitty, Martha asks what Doctor knows about tansy and savine. Doctor immediately identifies both as herbs used to stop a pregnancy, one by bringing bleeding and the other by causing cramping.

Martha explains that Rebecca Foster took a large quantity of both herbs after being raped, but the pregnancy remained. Martha wants to know whether the failed attempt could leave the child harmed. Doctor says the herbs should not damage the baby any more than they damage the mother, though savine is dangerous enough to kill a woman. When Martha says Rebecca may never recover in mind or spirit, Doctor asks whether Martha fears for Rebecca or the baby, then tells Martha to focus on the care she can give rather than carrying every possible future harm as her own burden.

As another visitor approaches, Martha asks who likely gave Rebecca the herbs if Doctor did not. Doctor suspects the Wabanaki and says their herbal knowledge is usually exact, so the reason the pregnancy continued lies beyond her knowledge. Martha leaves with some reassurance about the child and a sharper sense of her own limits. At the door, Martha meets May Dawin arriving for a private visit with Doctor, exchanges a few kind words about Sam, and then notices Sam waiting outside by the wagon, clearly unhappy to see Martha there.