A mudlarking venture (hunting along the River Thames banks for buried treasure unearthed by the tides) leads her to an old vial with markings that could be an address. Once an aspiring historian, a heartbroken Caroline finds balm in digging, literally, into the past. Right before leaving she finds out that her husband had been unfaithful. In present day London, Caroline is on an anniversary trip from Ohio-alone.

One is daughterless and the other, motherless. Nella is at first resistant to bring an innocent child into her business, but soon the two have bonded. Eliza is a 12-year-old ladies’ maid who comes to the hidden shop at the behest of her mistress. We may not condone her methods, but we understand her motives. Sounds awful, but somehow the reader comes to understand and even root for Nella and her shattered customers.

She is using the healing potion mixing skills learned at her mother’s knee to help abused women get rid of their abusers. We meet Nella, a broken woman once betrayed in the worst possible way by a man. I carried those images and smells with me into The Lost Apothecary, the story of three women, past and present, who are bound together by a 1791 secret apothecary with a dark mission. It was the perfect “pre-game” experience for me to wander the mysterious aisles of vials and bottles, lightly scented still with herbs and potions. Right before I plunged into this immersive novel, I visited the Museum of the Drug Store in Guthrie, Oklahoma.

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