As customers arrive at the coffee house later that day, they gossip about the rising number of fever cases in Philadelphia and speculate about what could be causing them. Mattie is very angry that she will not be allowed to attend the funeral of her friend. As Mattie tries to process this loss, her mother frets about her health and makes it clear that she does not want Mattie to go anywhere near the Logan house in case she also falls ill. Mattie begrudgingly begins the household chores, only to learn shocking news from her mother: Polly Logan has not arrived because she fell ill with fever, and died suddenly. Eliza was born a slave and her husband saved up for years to purchase her freedom. Mattie's mother and Eliza have a close bond because Eliza also lost her husband several years ago. Cook has had to adapt to life as a widowed mother, and business owner. Her own family disowned her when she married Mattie's father because he was not a wealthy man. Cook has proved to be a very competent woman even though she grew up in a more privileged family.
His father moved in and has lived there ever since, helping Mrs. However, Mattie's father died in an accident shortly after the business opened.
Between 17, Philadelphia served as the temporary capital of the United States, so at this point in time, President George Washington is living in the city, not far from the coffeehouse. When the coffeehouse was first opened in 1783, business was slow, but it has improved as Philadelphia has become a more important city. Mattie's father was a carpenter who established the coffeehouse business when Mattie was a very young child. Mattie's family runs the Cook Coffeehouse, and the household consists of Mattie, her mother, her paternal grandfather, and Eliza, their employee. Mattie goes downstairs to the kitchen where her mother continues to scold her for being lazy. Mattie continues to muse on her desire to escape from her day-to-day life and thinks to herself that the only person who seems to understand her is a young man named Nathaniel Benson. Mattie suspects that Polly is late because she is flirting with her sweetheart, Matthew. She knows her mother is annoyed because Polly, the household serving girl, has not arrived yet. As Mattie gets dressed, she hears the sounds of the bustling city of Philadelphia all around her.
She dreams of travel and new experiences. Mattie is growing older, and becoming more impatient with her mundane life. Cook grew up in a wealthy family during the American Revolutionary War (1775-1783) and learned to work very hard. Cook often compares her daughter to herself. There is tension between Mattie and her mother because Mrs. The narrator, Mattie, is woken by her mother, who is annoyed that her daughter is still sleeping. The novel begins on a hot August morning in 1793.
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