The narrative briefly switches to Melusine’s perspective, as she recounts her continued work as a nanny. She dutifully attends to a ruling-class child but notes that she would “almost rather be doing anything else” (225). Her own son is Theo, though he was taken from her when he was a baby. She expresses her conflicting feelings on the matter: “I am glad most nights they robbed him from me, when they saw he was white as a lamb and could pass” (229).

In a routine meeting during the care of a child, Melusine worries over Aster and asks Theo what’s become of her, but Theo is in the dark. Looking for books for Aster to read in the library, Melusine discovers a missing book called Theoretical Models of Distortion Systems for Light-Speed Travel and sees that it was checked out by a person named Seamus Ludnecki on the day Aster was born.

Aster meets with Lieutenant in his office, where he responds to her leaving Flick’s foot with threats and derogations. He demands that Aster stay away from Theo and implies that the nature of their relationship is sexual, then makes his disgust clear: “More than anything, I pity you.