Necessary Lies

Ivy and Mary Ella walk to the Gardiners’ store for flour. Ivy is terrified of facing Mrs. Gardiner and tries to convince Mary Ella to go inside without her. Mrs. Gardiner rushes out and yells at Ivy for her involvement with Henry Allen. She speaks of plans to replace the Harts with other tenants, which worries Ivy.

As they walk home, they spot Mr. Gardiner’s truck coming toward them. Suddenly, Mary Ella throws herself in the path of the truck.

Jane is alone at the office with the receptionist when Ivy bursts in, crying and angry. She tries to attack Jane, but Jane pulls her off. Ivy tells her of Mary Ella’s suicide, blaming Jane as she had William placed in foster care. Ivy asks Jane to promise that she will not be sterilized, and Jane agrees.

Jane tries to attend Mary Ella’s funeral, but Eli forces her to leave. He is angered by her attempts to empathize with their poverty. Eli suggests that Mr. Gardiner is William’s father and that the food he supplied Mary Ella was payment for sex.

Jane leaves and goes to the Gardiner home, waiting for Mr. Gardiner to return from the funeral. She confronts him about being William’s father, but he denies it.