Hang the Moon

People who once relied on the Duke, now uncertain about the new heir, gather at the Emporium. Sallie addresses the crowd, acknowledging Mary’s recent passing. She describes herself as a resilient “mountain gal” (208) and assures them of her commitment to fight for their interests. Her words resonate with the crowd, and they respond positively. In the Duke’s office, she recalls a childhood conversation with him, in which he explained the challenges of being in charge, emphasizing the need for resilience, kindness, and a thick skin. She admits that being in charge means she is now responsible for everyone.

Later, Mattie and Sheriff Earl stop at the Big House. Mattie returns the family jewels to Sallie, who allows Mattie to keep them. Sallie observes her transformation since Eddie’s death and extends an offer for Mattie and her daughter to work at the Emporium.

As Sallie contemplates her job in the community, she recalls the Duke’s advice to forgive but not forget. She realizes she needs someone free of old grudges to work for her and decides to hire someone who is not from Claiborne County.

In Roanoke, Sallie observes the bustling city with fascination and a touch of unease. Sallie seeks out Rawley and offers him a job as her wheelman, but Rawley sees potential in expanding their whiskey operation into Roanoke. He assures Sallie that he can help her navigate the city and make their business more profitable. Sallie agrees to hire him.

Sallie and Rawley, along with a group of men, prepare for their first blockade run, involving six cars loaded with whiskey. Sallie’s Lizzie, serving as the pilot, leads the group and ensures their safety. The operation was meticulously planned by Rawley, and Sheriff Earl managed to secure around 400 gallons from the whiskey-makers of Claiborne County. Sallie is fully aware of the illegal nature of their operation, “but legal and illegal and right and wrong don’t always line up” (219). As they embark on their journey to Roanoke, Sallie notices a car tailing them and signals to other cars. In an attempt to shake off the tail, she executes a risky maneuver, causing a collision with the pursuing car. The driver of the other car reveals himself as a federal agent and questions Sallie, who plays the role of an inexperienced driver to divert suspicion.

The operation proves to be a success. Over the next three months, they make weekly trips to Roanoke, where demand for their liquor is high. The people of Claiborne County, after years of hardship, now have financial security. They have started calling Sallie and her crew “the Kincaid Rumrunners” (222). Meanwhile, romantic tension is developing between Sallie and Rawley.

Sallie visits Aunt Faye for a haircut. While Aunt Faye works, she asks if Sallie is interested in Rawley. Sallie lies and replies no. Aunt Faye urges her to consider marriage, claiming that life gets “harder—and lonelier” (225) for unmarried women. Sallie, however, brings up the painful marital histories of her mother, Mary, and Kat. Determined to find out what happened in her mother’s marriage, Sallie presses Aunt Faye for answers.

Aunt Faye explains that the Duke’s first wife, Belle, was from a prestigious family. When Arthur, the Duke’s brother, married Belle and died tragically on their honeymoon, the Duke was pressured into marrying her. Aunt Faye also reveals she had an affair with the Duke; Belle knew but looked the other way. Annie, who initially worked as a maid in Richmond, became Belle’s seamstress. Annie was not content with being the Duke’s mistress and made a bold promise to the Duke that if he divorced Belle and married her, she would give him a son and heir, which Belle had not. However, after Annie and the Duke married, she had Sallie, then lost a baby and discovered she couldn’t bear any more children. Fueled by alcohol and resentment, the Duke eventually shot Annie. Judge Barrow, who was related to the Duke through his mother, declared it self-defense, and the Duke did not face punishment.

After all these revelations, Sallie looks at herself in the mirror, finally understanding the complicated history of her parents’ marriage and Annie’s role in it. She thanks Aunt Faye for sharing the painful story.

Sallie keeps herself busy to avoid thinking about Aunt Faye’s revelations. She reflects on the “decades of bad blood” (233) between the Kincaids and Bonds, which has been reignited by the recent robbery of George Bailey, Sheriff Earl’s deputy. The robbers were suspected to be affiliated with the Bonds, and Sallie decides to talk to them. Rawley disagrees, fearing it may make them appear weak. Nevertheless, they arrive at Long Shade, the Bond brothers’ new base, and Sallie waves “a white kerchief” (234) to signal their peaceful intentions. They enter the cabin, greeted by Billy Bond and his armed cousins. The room is like a bunker, stocked with firearms, ammunition, and supplies. Sallie tries to appeal to Billy’s practical side, suggesting that they can peacefully coexist and share whiskey buyers and roads. Billy, however, remains unyielding and mocks Sallie. Knowing he won’t cooperate, she decides that it is time to retaliate.

Sallie puts an advertisement in the Gazette, reassuring citizens and offering herself as a point of contact for their fears related to the feud. The Bonds and Kincaids continue their clashes, leading to injuries and destruction in Caywood. The situation escalates further when the Bonds unveil “an armored vehicle” (239). Although it doesn’t engage in combat, it intimidates the townsfolk. Sallie and her allies decide to build their own tank, which heartens the people of Claiborne county.

A journalist named Willard Smith probes Sallie about the feud between the Kincaids and Bonds, portraying it as a “gang war” and Sallie as the “Queen of the Kincaid Rumrunners” (242). Sallie emphasizes their self-defense stance and downplays the illegal aspects of their operations. Smith presses on the topic of Prohibition, but Sallie dismisses it as “an ugly term” (243) used to prevent people from doing what is necessary for their families’ survival. Smith proposes taking a photo of Sallie with her armed Kincaid supporters, aiming to showcase their protective role in Claiborne County. Three days later, an article headlined, “SPECTER OF FEAR AND VIOLENCE STALKS COUNTY AGAIN” (243), portrays Sallie as a mountain girl and leader of the Kincaid Rumrunners, but also highlights her resilience. Cecil expresses his displeasure with the newspaper article, feeling that it exposes their illegal activities and portrays them as unsophisticated. Rawley defends Sallie’s actions, highlighting the power of the press.

Senator Wendell Cooke from Virginia comes to Claiborne county. After his speech, he greets Sallie warmly. A glamorous woman named Georgette Rheims approaches Sallie, expressing her desire to join one of Sallie’s “blockade runs” (247). She offers to pay for the adventure. After consulting with Rawley, Sallie agrees to take her along. When Georgette accompanies Sallie on a blockade run, they discover another car tailing them. Sallie takes evasive action, causing a collision and escaping the situation. Georgette finds the experience thrilling. Sallie doesn’t reveal that the driver of the other car was Rawley, who orchestrated the encounter to give the “rich-lady passenger the thrills she paid for” (249).

Sallie wakes up to a call informing her about a bombing at the Emporium, carried out by the Bond Brothers. Sallie rushes to assess the damage, accompanied by Rawley and Sheriff Earl. Rawley suggests moving into the Big House to provide protection, raising the stakes in this dangerous game. To deal with the Bond Brothers, he reveals a plan which involves using an airplane to send a message to the Bonds. Rawley becomes the pilot and Sallie becomes “the bombardier” (252), carrying homemade bombs made of dynamite and nitroglycerin. When they reach Long Shade, Sallie drops the bombs in the front yard. The first two bombs prove to be duds, but the third bomb works, bursting a car into flames. The men at the clubhouse start shooting at the plane, but Rawley skillfully evades their bullets. Upon landing safely, Sallie and Rawley are filled with exhilaration. They share laughter and a kiss. Back at the Big House, they secretly have sex in the carriage house.

As Sallie and Rawley observe carpenters repairing the Emporium, their secret relationship becomes harder to conceal, with others beginning to suspect them. Later, in the library, Rawley makes a surprising marriage proposal, which makes Sallie feel trapped and triggers memories of her mother’s death. In a fit of anger, she takes the Colonel’s sword from the mantel and swings it at Rawley. She soon calms down and apologizes. Rawley presses her about marriage, but Sallie hesitates and feels overwhelmed. She asks Rawley to give her time.

Sallie and Rawley are dressed up for Georgette Rheims’s New Year’s Eve party. Rawley is unusually clean, wearing a “black bow tie and a black jacket” (259). Sallie, in a tight silver satin gown, feels a bit overdressed. Upon arriving at Georgette’s grand house in Richmond, they meet Georgette and her husband, Gustav, who is a lawyer. Sallie, who considered herself rich back in Claiborne County, is awed by the grandeur of Georgette’s home.

During dinner, Sallie is seated next to Gus and Barclay Farmington, an eligible bachelor. Barclay, clearly intoxicated, makes references to Sallie’s involvement with the Kincaid Rumrunners, which she downplays. Their conversation takes an awkward turn when Barclay insults her and the Kincaids. Gus intervenes, and the conversation shifts to their shared experiences of growing up in meager circumstances. Georgette tries to provoke Rawley discreetly during dinner, but he handles the situation with humor. After dinner, Georgette takes Sallie aside and tells her that she should leave Rawley for someone of a higher social class. She also warns Sallie of repeating the same mistakes as her mother. Sallie is taken aback by Georgette’s knowledge of her mother but follows her back to the New Year’s Eve party. Georgette’s daring dive into the pool captures everyone’s attention and kicks off the celebration. Gus and other guests join her. Sallie remains at the edge of the pool, hesitant to join in, but Barclay pushes her into the pool. Weighed down by her dress and high-heeled shoes, Sallie begins to drown, but Rawley jumps in to rescue her.

Sallie emphasizes that she and Rawley are “partners” (267), and she decides to marry him. During the New Year’s Eve party at Georgette’s, Sallie loses her mother’s necklace in the pool and refuses to go back to retrieve it. Four weeks later, she finally decides to call Georgette to inquire about the necklace. Georgette responds warmly and promises to look for it.

Sallie is contemplating bathroom tile options when Aunt Faye and Nell enter the room to announce that Nell is pregnant with Rawley’s child. This revelation infuriates Sallie, and she reacts aggressively towards Nell. Faye intervenes, explaining that Rawley made advances on Nell and that Nell is not just Sallie’s cousin but her half-sister, born of a previous relationship between Faye and the Duke. Feeling physically ill, Sallie decides to confront Rawley. Before heading out, she reflects on the Duke and Rawley, realizing that both men use people for their own desires and then leave them.

Sallie confronts Rawley about Nell’s pregnancy and demands that he marry her to give the child a father. Rawley, however, dismisses the idea, arguing that he didn’t come to Caywood and involve himself in the blockade-running business just to marry Sallie’s maid. When Sallie reveals that Nell is also the Duke’s daughter, he suggests that they send Nell away to have the baby and continue with their own plans just like the Duke did with Aunt Faye. As Sallie refuses to accept this solution, Rawley drives away.

Sallie confides in Tom about Nell’s pregnancy and Rawley’s refusal to marry her, and he expresses his sympathy. Sallie also tells Tom about her engagement to Rawley, explaining that she was not ready for marriage and feels like she dodged a bullet with Rawley’s departure. She advises Tom not to end his marriage with Amy for her sake. Tom accepts Sallie’s honesty and decides to catch a train to Washington, with a renewed commitment to make things work with Amy.