Island Beneath the Sea

Arriving in New Orleans, Valmorain and Sancho emphasize their nobility in an attempt to make strong impressions on the other wealthy landowners. They purchase a house in the city and plan to start a plantation in the countryside. Valmorain resolves to offer a more humane life to enslaved people here than he did in Saint-Domingue. He hires Owen Murphy, an idealistic Irishman, as manager. Meanwhile, Sancho wins the good graces of the city’s social elite through his charm and charisma. Tété continues her role as housekeeper, while Maurice and Rosette take music and dance lessons to help them participate socially.

Valmorain’s plantation begins to operate within two years. Although Murphy’s system is more relaxed than was Cambray’s, the enslaved workers are more productive. Valmorain promises Maurice that the plantation will someday belong to him, but Maurice shows little interest. Instead, he expresses concern for the enslaved people.

Tété describes her early days in New Orleans. Using food, she bribes Maurice’s tutor, himself an abolitionist refugee from Saint-Domingue, to allow Rosette to join their lessons. On Sundays, she attends religious dances, though these are hosted by Catholics, even as Voodoo begins to blend with Catholicism. Over time, she learns the local customs.