“It seems you are your father’s child after all,” Sudhakar said sadly. “Did you know that your father married his first wife in order to save her soul? He had had no success converting the villagers to Christianity, so he married poor little Bala, knowing he could command her religion as her husband.”

“I did know that,” Gabby said. “But—”

“It didn’t work.” Sudhakar’s voice was meditative. “When Bala’s child, your half-brother, died, she killed herself rather than live without him. That was when your father turned to exporting goods rather than saving souls.”

The words pierced Gabby’s heart, but she kept her voice steady. “The story casts a poor light on my father’s judgment. But I am as much your child as my father’s, Sudhakar. If I know how to love Quill, it is because you and Johore loved me. When Johore was suffering, you tried every possible remedy, regardless of his opinion. I am acting in your shadow, Sudhakar. You are doing me an injustice.”

A heavy silence fell over the room.

“Perhaps you are right,” Sudhakar admitted. “It is true that your motives are always charitable. Ever since you were a child, you have loved too deeply and too quickly for comfort.” He handed her the bottle. “This bottle contains two doses calibrated for a grown man. You must measure exactly half the bottle. The medicine has no ill effects at the right dose, but at an incorrect dose, it may well kill the patient. Try the second dose forty-eight hours after the first, only if it is absolutely clear that the medicine did not work.”

“I give the second dose only if the first doesn’t work,” Gabby repeated. “How will I know when the dose has worn off?”

“In general, a patient will become extremely lethargic shortly after taking this medicine and remain so for twelve to twenty-four hours. There is no danger as long as the patient does not fall asleep in the first two to three hours. I have tried this cure only twice, Gabrielle. On one occasion it was effective, and on the other it was not. The patient must engage in the activity that leads to headaches while under the drug’s influence.” He looked her straight in the eyes. “Do you understand, Gabrielle?”

She nodded, looking at the small bottle. “What is in it?”

Sudhakar shrugged. “As I said, it is a poison. This particular poison is created by a tree frog, who puts his victims into a deep sleep. For some reason, in a very small dose it seems to put injured parts of a human brain to sleep, and certain movements become tolerable once again. I gave it to a young man who had fallen from a tree. After the injury, he could not bend his head lower than his waist without bringing on a severe headache. In that case, the medicine worked.”