Elinora’s Bargains with Authority

Elinora’s claimed vocation, secret romance, and appetite for influence expose both her defiance and her vulnerability.

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The Bishop’s Favorite

The Bishop’s Favorite A Protected Passenger Elinora travels under the protection of Jean Baptiste Lamy, who has arranged for her safe delivery to the school. Her wishes often take priority during the journey, reinforcing her sense of importance. Lizzy resents the special treatment, especially while Mama is sick and the caravan must keep moving. Their rivalry is formed before either girl reaches the convent. An Inherited Position Elinora invokes her uncle’s status and stories as a source of authority. Yet her importance depends on family connection, not simply on her own judgment. That dependence later complicates her bids for independence. The girl who expects protection also resents the rules imposed by the person protecting her.

A Claimed Calling

A Claimed Calling Seeking Confirmation Elinora asks Dolores la Penca to determine whether her desire to become a nun is a genuine calling. She presents the question as a spiritual uncertainty requiring an outside verdict. Dolores confirms the calling, giving Elinora a powerful story to take back to the convent. Lizzy remains unsure whether the pronouncement reflects conviction or Elinora’s need for attention and influence. A Convenient Identity Elinora later uses the claimed vocation to argue that Saint Joseph will not appear while the carpenter works. The calling becomes entangled with her attempt to control the staircase dispute. Her religious language is not wholly separable from her ambitions. The story leaves open how much she believes her own claim and how much she uses it strategically.

A Secret Romance

A Secret Romance Meetings at the Wall Elinora admits that she has secretly met Abeyta, a student at the boys’ school. Their meetings and her private confidence in him contradict the obedient image she presents to adults. Abeyta describes his love as enduring and imagines marriage and escape. Elinora’s romantic life offers her a possibility beyond the future arranged by her family. The Note’s Consequence Abeyta entrusts Lizzy with a note asking Elinora to meet him beneath the Comanche moon. Worried about the danger and the deception surrounding the convent, Lizzy gives the note to Mother Magdalena. The disclosure prevents the planned meeting and brings Elinora’s conduct before her uncle. It creates a lasting breach between the girls, even as it may have kept Elinora from a risky elopement.

The Hunger Protest

The Hunger Protest Turning Faith into Leverage After Jean Baptiste Lamy pauses the staircase work, Elinora rallies the girls to fast and demand that the carpenter stop completely. She frames their protest as loyalty to Saint Joseph and her own calling. Her leadership appeals to the girls’ desire for a shared cause. It also lets Elinora direct attention toward herself while challenging the authority of both the bishop and Mother Magdalena. A Costly Victory Jean Baptiste Lamy accepts the petition because students are fainting and some depend on school meals. Elinora’s campaign appears successful, but it also brings scrutiny and consequences from her uncle. Her influence is real but not unlimited. The episode reveals how readily she can turn a communal belief into a tool, and how easily that tool can harm others.

Defiance at the Window

Defiance at the Window An Intended Elopement Elinora packs her belongings and prepares to leave through the bedroom window, believing Abeyta has come for her. She threatens Lizzy against interfering, still pursuing a future beyond convent discipline. The visitor is instead Ramon Baca, who has broken into the room searching for his child. Elinora’s private escape becomes an immediate physical crisis. A Changed Alliance When Baca raises his knife, Lizzy strikes him with a broken statue of the Virgin. Elinora survives and later acknowledges Lizzy’s courage, beginning a reconciliation neither girl would have expected. Elinora’s choices remain complicated, but her vulnerability is no longer hidden behind performance. The attack brings the girls together through shared danger rather than social maneuvering.

During the journey to Santa Fe

The eighth night of the staircase novena

The first weeks at the Santa Fe convent

The week after Delvina’s death

The night of Violate Lacey’s death