Mattie dislikes work and
cleaning, though she has to do a great deal of work in her mother's coffeehouse. She
particularly dislikes working in the heat and getting up early, and she longs for
winter.
One place she loves is the waterfront in Philadelphia, and she
enjoys escaping from the coffee shop where she has to work to see the docks. Mattie is
particularly fond of Eliza, the freeborn African who cooks at the coffee shop that Mattie's
family runs, and she is secretly fond of Nathaniel Benson, the young man who flirts with her.
She also likes the idea of being an entrepreneur and owning an entire block of stores, including
a dry goods store where she can sell imported French goods such as combs and jewelry to the
ladies of Philadelphia. She enjoys thinking about working for herself, and she does not
particularly like the idea of her mother marrying her off to a rich eligible suitor such as
Edward Ogilvie. She instead likes to make her own choices.
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