In The Kitchen House, a widower initially asks Lavinia to marry him. She agrees, but he attempts to take advantage of her, which results in the end of their relationship.

Thus, she ends up marrying Marshall Pyke, the man who has inherited the farm at Tall Oaks. Unfortunately for Lavinia, this relationship is also less than what she had hoped it would be; Marshall has an alcohol problem and he turns violent. He also creates impossible expectations for Lavinia to fulfill. He is constantly unfaithful to her, engaging in a sexual relationship with one of his slaves, Beattie, who he also impregnates repeatedly. 

As a result, Lavinia becomes severely depressed and develops a laudanum addiction. However, she finds her chance to escape when Marshall has to sell off his slaves to pay off his gambling debts, at which point Lavinia helps the slaves to escape and runs off with them.