The Lost Apothecary

In the wake of the revelation of her mistake, Eliza watches Nella fix up the shop. Nella would rather “[strain] under the effort” (201) of tidying up on her own rather than allow Eliza to help. To Eliza, it seems that Nella is cleaning up the store as though she means to leave temporarily or permanently. Eliza is afflicted with guilt at the thought that “[her] mistake with the canister might expose countless women in the book” (202). As Nella cleans up, Eliza reads the book of magic that Tom Pepper gave her. She finds a spell recipe titled Tincture to Reverse Bad Fortune and believes that it could potentially aid her and Nella’s situation.

As she reviews the ingredients for this mixture, there is a knock at the shop door. It is Lady Clarence, “covered in loose black fabric [… and] a hood” (204). She has brought the incriminating jar, which she returns to Nella. Lady Clarence tells them that her maid left her post without first notifying her. As she leaves, she says that she is seeking a replacement for her departed maid and that the position is available to Eliza, should she want it. Nella lets Eliza stay the night but encourages her to visit Lady Clarence in the morning.