When Isabel hears of this, she begins visiting him, bringing him food and warm clothes. He is captured by the Loyalist Army and held as a prisoner of war in horrendous winter conditions. She reaches out to the Loyalist leaders but is once again rebuked.Īt the same time, Isabel's friend Curzon enlists in the army in the stead of his master, hoping that his bravery, should he live through the battle, will earn him his freedom. If she is free, Isabel may be able to find her sister and reunite her family. As punishment for her insolence, Madam Lockton brands Isabel's cheek with the letter 'I.' Isabel fears all hope is lost until she learns that the British, if they remain control of the colonies, will seek to free all slaves. The Patriot general that promised to save Isabel turns his back on her once she shares what she knows, and Isabel is returned to the abusive hands of Madam Lockton. She gathers the most useful information for the Patriot Army, a list of soldiers seeking to assassinate General Washington, and runs to the Patriot barracks. It is only when Madam Lockton begins beating Ruth and eventually sells her to the highest bidder, that Isabel gets serious about her spying duties. It is easy for Isabel to gather condemning information but she knows that if she is caught consorting with a Patriot soldier, she will be beaten, sold, or worse, killed. They talk about intensely private affairs in her presence because as a slave, she is invisible to them. Isabel quickly realizes that the Locktons view her and all other slaves as not human beings. He promises that his master will ensure Isabel's freedom in exchange for her help. He knows that messages from the Loyalist army may pass through the Locktons' home, and he hopes Isabel will share that information with the Patriot Army.

On her first day in New York, Isabel is confronted by a Patriot officer's slave, a boy named Curzon, who asks Isabel to spy on her new masters to help the Patriot cause.

They are minorities in the divided city as most in the colonies support General Washington and his desire to free America from British rule. The girls' new owners, the Locktons, are devout Loyalists living in New York. Before Miss Finch died, she ensured that both girls would be given their freedom in her will, but an evil relative of Miss Finch sells the two girls back into slavery for a profit. Miss Mary Finch was the owner of Isabel and her little sister, Ruth. The novel opens on the day of Miss Mary Finch's funeral. 'Chains' is the story of thirteen-year-old slave Isabel's journey to discover her inner strength and fight for her freedom amidst the depravity of slavery and the upheaval of the Revolutionary War that divided America.

Chains anderson