Yellow Wife

Pheby feels disconnected from herself and her values. She still loves Essex, and being with Rubin feels like a betrayal. However, she feels that this is what she must do to survive. After their encounter, Rubin commands that Monroe be taken away from Pheby to stay with the other enslaved workers. Pheby is given a new bedroom across from Rubin’s room. In her room, she finds copies of books. She knows that she should return the books to Rubin. It is illegal for an enslaved woman to read or write, but the books help her to fall asleep at night.

Rubin makes Pheby prepare another girl for sale, but then calls Pheby to come in to watch as he whips the girl. The girl is pregnant, and Rubin beats her until the baby leaves her body and dies. Rubin tells Pheby that this is what he will do to her if she continues to read behind his back. The books had been a trap, and she had fallen for it.

After a few months, Pheby is pregnant once more, this time with Rubin’s child. Rubin is overjoyed and showers Pheby with gifts. Pheby is concerned about what the new baby means for her son. Rubin mostly ignores Monroe, but a new baby might further his dislike of her son.

One day, as Pheby prepares four girls for auction, the girls confront Pheby and tell her that what she is doing is wrong. Pheby tells them that she does it for her son, but one of the girls is unconvinced: “You do it for you” (133). Pheby asks Rubin if she may attend church with some of the workers, and he grants permission. However, she must leave Monroe behind each time to ensure she does not try to escape.

Rubin tells Pheby that he wants her to play piano to entertain enslavers. He assures her that no one will touch her as she is his property. As Pheby plays, she listens to the traders talk about the most recent news in the North and the Fugitive Slave Act. Rubin brings in young Black girls for the men to sleep with, and one girl sits on his lap. Pheby wonders if he has mistresses aside from herself. She feels confused by her anger: “I had no cause to be jealous. I did not love him” (142).

Pheby delivers Rubin’s child, a girl. Pheby’s daughter has skin as white as Rubin’s, and she hopes to name the baby after her mother. However, Lapier insists that her name will be Hester. Pheby loves her daughter and hopes to teach her how to read and write.

Rubin dotes on Hester while continuing to ignore Monroe. When Hester is three months old, Rubin throws a large party in her honor. He invites other jail owners and their enslaved mistresses to join them. Pheby is pleased to be able to talk to other women in her situation and learn how they navigate this lifestyle. One woman tells Pheby that they are lucky to be in their position: “If we were on a plantation, the best we could hope for was a position working in the big house. Here we are running our own homes” (150). As the evening progresses, the women share their fears, worries, and the stories of those they left behind.

At the end of the night, Rubin brings in girls to entertain the gentleman, and Pheby is outraged. After the guests leave, she confronts Rubin, but he laughs off her concern and grabs her arm. That night, Pheby hears Rubin with another woman in his room.

Pheby learns that Monroe has taken an enslaved sex worker named Sissy. Pheby’s new friends assure her that this is normal and that her status is secured through the child they share. While at church, a preacher approaches Pheby and treats her kindly, hinting that he may want to help her escape. Pheby is suspicious and evades him. That evening, Rubin reconnects with Pheby and tells her he has missed her. Pheby decides not to bring up Sissy. She pretends to want to sleep with Rubin, knowing that her false desire will end the encounter quicker. Rubin tells Pheby that he loves her.