The Frozen River

On a Sunday morning in January, Ellen Parker arrives at the mill and asks Martha to borrow a horse. Ellen does not want her husband to know that she is going to see Doctor, a Black woman who comes to town every so often and practices medicine covertly. Martha believes Doctor to be a better doctor than herself and agrees to lend Ellen a horse without letting her husband know. In her journal, Martha makes note of Doctor’s return.

Martha rides to Burnt Hill, where Doctor provides medical treatment for local women in a remote cabin. She sees a Wabanaki family leaving the cabin before entering herself. Doctor beckons Martha in and explains that the Wabanaki mother has not been producing enough milk to breastfeed her baby. Martha asks Doctor for advice regarding Rebecca Foster’s use of savine. Doctor confirms that the herb is used for abortive purposes, and can be deadly to the mother, but assures Martha that if Rebecca has not yet experienced adverse effects from the herb, she will not in the future. After telling Martha not to worry too much, she says she is expecting her next patient—Sam and May Dawin. Martha doesn’t ask questions, but notes that Sam looks very displeased to see her.

Martha and Ephraim are flirting in the mill when Barnabas Lambard arrives to see them. Barnabas formally meets Ephraim and informs the couple that an official inquiry has been opened into the cause of Burgess’s death. He also indicates his interest in courting Dolly. Ephraim is disgruntled by this development, but Martha encourages Barnabas and Dolly to spend chaperoned time together.

Martha brings her freshly-made candles and her copy of Emmeline to Coleman, hoping to trade them for other goods in the store. Coleman mentions that he needs a shop boy to help keep the store’s ledgers and offers to trade Martha’s book for another one. He also reveals that Mr. Sewell has deposited some money into her store account in return for saving his wife’s life during labor.

Martha goes to the tavern and finds Cyrus there, reviewing the mill’s recent lumber orders. Sarah White arrives and asks to sit with them, before offering money to Martha to repay some debts—when Sarah was found guilty of fornication and forced to pay a court fee, Martha stepped in and covered the cost. Cyrus writes Sarah a note calling her a “good woman.” Martha notices that Cyrus has a crush on Sarah, but that such flirtation is made impossible by Cyrus’s inability to speak and Sarah’s inability to read. Martha shares a plan she has to set Cyrus and Sarah up, solving each of their difficulties in finding a spouse. First, she plans to help Sarah learn to read and get the job as Coleman’s store assistant. Ephraim warns Martha not to meddle.

At Dawin’s Wharf, Martha brings the newly-married couple a quilt as a wedding gift. At first, Sam seems unhappy to see Martha, assuming that she is going to pry about why they were visiting Doctor. When he realizes that this assumption was wrong, he invites Martha in, and she quickly realizes that May is pregnant. The baby was conceived out of wedlock, and both May and Sam begin to cry in shame. Martha tries to provide comfort by informing them that “four in ten” of the babies born in town every year are conceived before their parents’ marriage (192).

Martha and Ephraim host a dance in the mill. They are surprised to learn that Barnabas plays the fiddle, and he provides music for many of the dances. He takes a break from playing to ask Dolly to dance. The Ballards reflect on how none of their sons seem intent on marrying, even though Jonathan has danced several dances with Sally Pierce. Cyrus is the only son who wants a family, but no girl will dance with him because of his disability. Martha is therefore dismayed to find that Sarah White has decided not to come to the dance; her plans to orchestrate a marriage for Sarah with her son have hit another road block. Ephraim once again reminds Martha that Sarah may not be interested in Cyrus at all, but Martha resists to this notion.

Towards the end of the evening, Martha notices Sam and Jonathan having a serious conversation with one another. Before she can investigate, however, Cyrus asks Martha to dance, and Jonathan leaves.

On her way home, Martha discovers Jonathan and Sally in the middle of a sexual encounter on Mill Creek Bridge. She is astonished by the public nature of the location and makes herself known to the couple. Jonathan makes the weak excuse that he was simply escorting Sally home, which Martha does not humor, telling him that he’d better actually take the girl home. She promises Jonathan that they will discuss Sally later. During that conversation, Jonathan informs Martha that he has no intention of marrying Sally, and Martha admonishes him for raising Sally’s hopes of commitment.

The Court of Common Pleas assembles to decide what charges, if any, will be issued against North. Martha is in attendance, along with most of the town. Before the proceedings begin, Ephraim notes that a blizzard is fast approaching. Martha reiterates that Burgess was hanged, despite the absence of a rope from the crime scene. Page testifies after her and once again asserts that Burgess drowned, but the judges find his explanation questionable. Defiantly, Page then reveals that he knows Cyrus to have fought with Burgess beforehand, making Cyrus a suspect in the murder. Martha is forced to admit to having known about the fight but maintains that Cyrus is not guilty. Cyrus is called to testify, and the judges are baffled to discover that he is mute. They order Cyrus to provide a written deposition.

Next, the judges call Sally Pierce to the stand to provide her account of Rebecca Foster’s conversation with Martha. Once again, Sally claims to have heard Rebecca admitting that her husband killed Burgess, and once again, Martha refutes this narrative. Finally, Rebecca is called to give testimony. She provides a detailed, emotional account of the rape, citing Martha as her only witness. North claims that his wife can disprove Rebecca’s accusations by confirming his alibi. Finding North’s reasoning flimsy, but unable to find a witness who saw the crime as it was happening, the judges decide to charge him with attempted rape. North flees the tavern and disappears.

Martha and Ephraim wake up the next morning to a blizzard. They go outside and feel the snow, remembering a blizzard in 1755 during the earliest days of their marriage. Rekindling romantic memories, the couple heads back to bed.

During the blizzard in 1755, Martha and Ephraim lay in bed, having finally consummated their marriage. Reminiscing about the prior night, Martha remembers Ephraim whispering lines from the Song of Solomon in her ear.