A confrontation erupts in the manor when a slave openly opposes a noble; the noble orders him seized, broken and fed to the dogs. Anna intervenes—she praises the slave, raises his favorability and temporarily frees him. Later the household erupts in fury, convinced two women will have a child with the slave and steal a title. With the Countess of the North due in two days they plan to catch the women and the Eastern slave 'red-handed,' deciding to lure him out and punish him if he resists, leaving his fate in doubt.