June enters the back garden of the Commander’s house, a large, tidy space tended by the Commander’s Wife. The garden is described in vivid detail—lawn, willow, fading daffodils, and crimson tulips. The Wife directs the digging, while a Guardian does the heavy work. June reflects on her own lost garden and the Wife’s activities, noting the Wife’s habit of knitting scarves for the frontline Angels, though the scarves are elaborate and likely never reach their intended recipients.

June recalls their first encounter five weeks earlier when a Martha in a powder‑blue robe blocked the doorway, forcing June to wait for the Guardian to hand her a red vinyl bag. The Wife finally opens the door, examining June’s appearance with a mocking smile before ordering her inside. Aunt Lydia’s advice to speak only when spoken to echoes in June’s mind.

Inside the sitting room, the Wife sits in her chair with a footstool, a basket of roses, and a cigarette clenched between thin lips. She lights it with an ivory lighter, revealing the presence of a black‑market cigarette—a rare, forbidden treat for Handmaids. The Wife smokes and offers a sarcastic comment about a man named “old what’s‑his‑face,” then asks June if this is her second visit, confirming the interaction as a “business transaction.” She demands June not call her “Ma’am,” insists she is not a Martha, and repeatedly stresses the formality of their relationship.

June observes the Wife’s physical details: blonde hair under a veil, plucked eyebrows, diamond‑set ring finger, and a harsh blue gaze. The Wife declares she has read June’s file, emphasizes the transactional nature of their meeting, and asserts that any trouble June causes will be returned. She mentions her husband, calling him “my husband,” and stresses the finality of their marriage. The Wife’s demeanor shifts to a cold, authoritative tone, reminding June of Scriptural precedent for hand‑only punishment.

The chapter culminates with the Wife’s realization that she recognizes her own younger self from a childhood TV program—Serena Joy, the lead soprano of the Growing Souls Gospel Hour. June realizes she is sitting before the actual Serena Joy, the Commander’s Wife, confirming her identity and deepening June’s sense of oppression and disappointment.