Violet is reeling in the aftermath of Frederick's departure, often choosing to stay in her room alone.
Graham overhears the nanny call Violet lovesick and shows his frustration over her seeming infatuation with Frederick.
Violet receives a note from Graham comparing her to their father, who is pining for his recently lost "lapdog."
Struggling with traumatic memories of Frederick assaulting her in the woods, Violet recoils at the remembrance of his bodily fluids.
Her thoughts on Frederick’s residue evoke the scientific term "spermatophore," but she desperately tries to avoid considering its implications and hides related materials under her mattress.
Suffering from physical malaise and recurring nightmares, Violet feels a strong urge to cleanse herself and is noticeably upset by everyday sounds.
Violet finds no solace in her mother's keepsakes and begins to question the stories about her mother’s madness and confinement.
She contemplates her mother's unknown gravesite, feeling detached and without direction.
Dwelling on her own mortality and the process of biological decomposition, Violet plans her suicide to escape the torment Frederick has caused.
She prepares to jump from her window at dusk but is interrupted by the presence of a damselfly and then by her brother Graham bursting into her room.
Graham misunderstands Violet’s actions and complains about his missing biology textbook, which Violet lies about having lost.
Violet stashes her suicide note into a Brothers Grimm book and falls asleep, only to be haunted by nightmares of Frederick and decay.
The chapter ends with Violet waking to nausea and vomiting after trying to eat breakfast, leading Nanny Metcalfe to suggest calling a doctor.