“Because the last time I used those—the very last time—it wasn’t to make the powder for Irving. The very last time, what happened was worse—much, much worse than a lost romance. The very last time I used that mortar, it was a matter of life and death.” “What happened?” Jackie whispered. Augusta lowered her gaze. “I tried to make Esther well,” she said. “I was convinced that I could help her. I thought that I knew everything, Jackie. But I didn’t. And I failed.”
