This Other Eden

Bridget Carney is an Irish maid at Thomas Hale’s estate. Hale instructs Bridget to prepare the barn on his property for Ethan, where he will stay until he attends art college in the fall. Bridget enjoys being alone with Hale and does not like when Hale’s son and his family come and stay at the house; she is wary of Ethan.

Bridget shows Ethan to his quarters, where he promptly falls asleep. She is intrigued by him and asks if she can watch him paint. He nearly faints in the heat while he paints in front her. She leads him to the shade and goes to fetch them water. While she is away, he falls asleep and dreams of home.

When she returns, Bridget offers him lemonade. Ethan, who has never seen a lemon, reflects on his own disorientation in a new world. He recognizes that he can pass as white in his new setting, unlike in Foxden, where his lineage was known. Later, Ethan hears Bridget singing the same Irish lullaby he grew up hearing Esther sing and joins in. They bond over their island identities and separation from their families.