After the death of their mother, Mistress Trippett tells Amanda that “[t]ime and work” will help her forget (20). Amanda worries about what to do next, and she struggles with taking on her new role as a mother figure rather than just a big sister. When she gets angry at Jemmy for leaving a rake out, she apologizes to him through a story about the three of them.

She decides the family will go to Jamestown to be with their father. The next day, she asks Cook for permission to visit the Virginia Company so she can find out when the next ships are leaving. Cook refuses to let her go, but in the afternoon, she sneaks away when Cook sends her to fetch water.

Amanda sneaks away to the House on Philpot Lane, where the Virginia Company is housed. She knocks on the door, but no one answers. However, she finds that the door is unlocked, so she enters.

Inside is a large room with tables where men are writing. She goes up to one of the men and explains her situation. The man looks up her father’s name, James Freebold, and finds that he is in America.