“Perhaps we should let her be,” Isaac mused.

Tom and I helped him up the stairs and, in his quarters, told him everything that had happened.

He shook his head in regret. “Too much to hope the Raven was gone, I suppose. At least you all survived.”

“Have you found anything in Master Benedict’s journals?” I asked.

“I’m sorry, no. Not that I’ve got very far. That’s something I need to talk to you about.” He sighed. “It won’t come as any secret to you that I’m not well.”

My blood went cold. Isaac saw the look on my face and patted my arm.

“I’m not ill,” he said, “in the ‘my time is drawing near’ sense. But I am in pain. It’s arthritis. I’ve had it for years. Since the plague, it’s been worse than ever.”

“I can help with that,” I said, and he nodded.

“Benedict used to make me a potion. It would be a great kindness if you could find his recipe.”

I stood. “I’ll go look for it right now.”

“Wait.” He bade me sit again. “I need to ask something of you. I told you before I locked myself away that I’d made a terrible mistake. In my desire to keep the underground library a secret, I never took on an apprentice. It’s clear, now, that I must. I need help.”

“Of course,” I said. “I’ll do what I can—”

“We both will—” Tom said.

“No.” Isaac waved us off. “Christopher, you would have made a wonderful librarian. But to care for such a collection takes an immense amount of time. You already have two masters. I doubt, especially after this week’s events, that the king will willingly let you go.

“And to stop you from pursuing life as an apothecary? Never. I know how much it means to you, and how much it meant to Benedict, too. He didn’t just leave you the shop because he loved you. He knew you would carry on his legacy with pride.

“As for you, Tom,” Isaac continued, “I trust you as I do Christopher. But do you really want a lifetime of nothing but books?”

Tom shook his head.

“So there you are. Nonetheless, I must have help. I believe God has provided, through you. What do you think about Sally?”

Tom and I looked at each other, surprised. I could hear her downstairs, singing. “To take over the library?” I said. “I think it’s a brilliant idea.”

“Are you certain? She’d have to learn many languages. She knows no Greek, and her Latin is nearly nonexistent.”

“They don’t teach such things to the girls at Cripplegate. But her French is excellent, better than mine. She’ll learn, I’m sure of it.”

“But will she want to do it?” Isaac worried. “It’s a tremendous amount of work, and responsibility. As the king’s ward, she has a life of leisure ahead of her.”

“She doesn’t want that. See the way she speaks to us walking wounded? She wants to be useful. I’m telling you, ask her.”