Chapter Three: The Family’s Mandate

The compound where Rukayya lived with her father, Alhaji Uba, her mother, and her siblings, was a place that valued industry and appearance. Alhaji Uba was not a farmer like Malam Isa; he was a successful merchant who dealt in dried pepper and cotton, his wealth measured not just in grain but in the fine lacquer of his furniture and the bright, expensive fabrics his family wore.

In the weeks following the harvest, Rukayya lived in a state of quiet, agonizing anticipation. She knew Balarabe was ready. She had seen the promise in his. . .