Before Lucas could answer, Laurel said with a chuckle, “I’ll leave you two to discuss your remedies while I take care of some accounts. I’ll come back to collect you, Lucas. If you finish your discussion sooner, feel free to explore the building.”

“Her ladyship knows when to leave others to it,” Mrs. Simmons said with amusement. “Would you like to look at the recipes for my salves?”

“I would. I’ve also just realized that I should write down recipes for compounds that Frère Emmanuel and I used before I forget them,” Lucas said as the apothecary produced a large notebook with carefully written recipes on occasionally stained pages. “Of course, for fever and general pain there is nothing better than willow bark tea, but that’s well known in England.”

“I dispense a great deal of it,” Mrs. Simmons agreed. “Now take a seat and we’ll look over the ingredients in my various salves.”

The two of them pulled up chairs and studied the recipes, discussing various ingredients. Lucas recognized that he and Mrs. Simmons could hardly have been more different, or enjoyed discussing their shared interests more avidly.

When they came to the end of Mrs. Simmons’s salve recipes, she closed the notebook. “I do hope you choose to work here regularly. I think you’d fit in well.”

“If Lady Kirkland will have me, I’ll be happy to volunteer here,” Lucas said, realizing how much he wanted to work with these dedicated people.

“Have you ever found anything that works well with arthritis? It’s so common, especially with old folks, and it can be crippling.” Mrs. Simmons flexed her right hand, where some of the joints were visibly enlarged. “There are days when I need my daughter to do the grinding and measuring, I have such trouble doing it.”

Lucas hesitated. “Frère Emmanuel had a traditional remedy that often seemed to help with the pain, but if you haven’t heard of it, you’ll laugh.”

The apothecary’s brows arched. “I don’t laugh at anything until I’ve at least tested it enough to decide it doesn’t work.”

“Soak raisins made from white grapes in gin for a fortnight,” Lucas said. “Use good strong gin with juniper. The raisins will plump up with the gin. After a fortnight or so, eat nine raisins a day. I’m not sure the exact number matters, but that was what Frère Emmanuel recommended. The drunken raisins were surprisingly effective for a number of our patients.”