The Book of Night Women

Quinn drives Lilith to Coulibre. A few days prior, Isobel came into Homer’s room and told Lilith she would take her to Coulibre, where no overseer can advocate for her and Isobel will turn her into a decent enslaved person.

She arrives at Coulibre and Isobel’s stepmother yells at and threatens all the enslaved people. She meets Dulcimena (Dulcey), who tells her the names of the seven enslaved people at Coulibre. They do not have a plantation, so they just work for a family. In the night the mistress tells Dulcimena to do a task and then the master Roget calls for Dulcey to come to him. When Dulcey hesitates, he whips her brutally as she begs for him to stop.

Dulcey wakes Lilith up laughing and dancing and singing, which confuses Lilith because of what happened the night before. She brings Lilith to a barn and asks her to milk the cow. Lilith doesn’t know how to do it and Dulcey just laughs at her. Eventually they both sing as Lilith milks.

At breakfast, Roget eats with one hand and touches Dulcey’s body with the other. Dulcey makes noises that please the master but looks out the window the entire time.