The Bloodlines Genealogical Archives

The Aunts' secret archives hold the true lineages and secrets of Gilead's elite, used as a tool of power.

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The Heart of Ardua Hall

A Repository of Secrets The Forbidden Knowledge The Bloodlines Genealogical Archives are kept in a locked room at Ardua Hall. They contain records of all Handmaids, their children, and the biological fathers. This knowledge is used to prevent incest and to maintain the power of the Aunts. Only the most trusted Aunts have access. The Power of Information Aunt Lydia knows that the archives are the real power base. She has used them to blackmail Commanders and Wives. The archives are also the source of the crime files she has been collecting for years. Without them, the elite would be untouchable. The Weakness of the System Despite the secrecy, the archives are vulnerable. Agnes is able to access her own file because someone leaves it on her desk. The files are also being photographed by Aunt Lydia for her microdot cache. The archives are both a fortress and a weapon waiting to be turned.

Agnes Discovers Her Mother

A Reunion in Paper The Blue Folder Agnes finds a file on her desk that contains her Bloodlines record. She sees her biological mother's picture and learns that she is a Handmaid who escaped to Canada and works for Mayday. The father's name is redacted. The Half-Sister Revealed Further down, she reads that her mother had another child, a girl named Nicole. Baby Nicole is her half-sister. The file notes that Nicole is now in Gilead. Agnes is stunned. She has been praying for Baby Nicole all her life, and now she knows they are blood. The Theft Agnes tears the pages from the file and hides them. She later shows them to Nicole after they are reunited. The pages are eventually flushed down the toilet to avoid detection. But the knowledge bonds the sisters together.

throughout the years of Gilead's existence

a few years into her time at Ardua Hall