- The next few years suck—so much so that Octavian doesn't even like talking about it.
- Mr. Gitney's a shadow of his old self. Yeah, sure, he's still doing his experiments, but it's clear that he answers to Mr. Sharpe, the real head honcho of the house.
- Or to be exact—Mr. Sharpe may be the head honcho of the house, but he actually represents a bunch of other men, who let Mr. Sharpe be Mr. Sharpe.
- Some of these men are actually Gitneys too, but in the past, they weren't really relevant to the College.
- Now, though—now they're around all the time, getting into College business.
- Most of the investors are absent though.
- Cassiopeia has changed too. She's quiet a lot and mostly hangs out in her room; she's still pretty, but she doesn't show it that much.
- She also sews for the entire house.
- At church (which is also new, since Mr. Sharpe thought their old church was too Anglican and therefore too close to Catholicism), Cassiopeia sits with the other slaves.
- She's no longer all sunshine and giggles (not that she was ever totally that)—and this is especially true after she finds out about the Somerset decision, which basically allows any American slave on the British Isles to sue the government for freedom, which the slave will get as long as he or she stayed on British land.
- She really regrets not going to London with Lord Cheldthorpe, especially because she feels she owed it to Octavian.
- She starts crying, rocking, and apologizing to Octavian about saying no to Lord Cheldthorpe, only she can't even say the verb that would describe what Lord Cheldthorpe wanted from her…