After berating Tom for his behavior, John goes to Dulverton and sees Ruth. His tempestuous horse, Kickums, bites her. He sucks the “poison” out of her arm to prevent infection. While she is bandaged, John tells her of his troubles with Lorna. Ruth tells him not to think himself beneath her and advises him to follow and court her if he wants to keep her. John returns home and makes up with his mother, but he still longs for Lorna.

Stickles has been recalled back to London with his men. Eliza continues to help Serjeant Bloxham, who has taken over for Stickles, to write his reports. The Doones have surprisingly not attacked Plover’s Barrow again, as they are more concerned about fending off the King’s men, who they believe may attack at any moment. King Charles II dies. The news comes from over-eager townsperson who interrupts the Parson at Sunday service, telling him not to pray for the king, as they are not supposed to pray for the dead.

John is now the churchwarden, but he is discouraged that Lorna has not written to him since uprooting to London. There are wild rumors about fighting and about King James attending mass, then torturing Protestants.