Will You Love Me in September

She thought she remembered. She would ask her mother, for she was sure she would know. She believed it was a well-known remedy in France for morning sickness.

Madame Legrand was only too delighted to make the tisane. She wasn't sure that it was the same as Jeanne's, but there was a recipe in her family which had been handed down for generations, and if she could lay her hands on the right herbs she would make it for me.

She did, and I felt worse after it. I thought it didn't agree with me.

"That can't be," said Aimee. "It often makes you worse for a time and then it cures you. You see.”

Madame Legrand was disappointed. She had believed it to be a certain remedy. She immediately prepared another, and I felt considerably better after taking it.

"I think we have hit on the right thing," said Madame Legrand. "The first one was too strong.”

Lance was deeply concerned. "You'll have to rest more, Clarissa," he said. "There's no help for it.”

I did not ride, but I did like walking. Lance said we should go to the country, which would be so much better for me. I supposed it would be, but I missed my walks through the teeming streets of London.

However, we went to the country, and Lance said he thought I should stay there until the child was born. He would have to be in London some of the time, of course, but he would accompany me and stay with me for a few weeks.

So we went to the country. Madame Legrand declared herself delighted with Clavering Hall.

"It is beautiful," she said. "The old English country house! Never would I wish to leave it.”

"You're welcome to stay as long as you like," Lance told her in his generous way.

"Your husband is reckless man," she told me with a smile. "Listen to what he say to me! Why, you might be hating me in a few months' time.”

"I am sure, Madame Legrand, I could never hate you, however much I tried," said Lance.

"Oh, he is a charmer," she replied.

I did not feel any better in the country in spite of the tisanes which Madame Legrand continued to make for me.

I remember one occasion when Sabrina was with me. She used to come and sit on my bed when I felt it necessary to be there.

"You see what a lot of trouble this baby is causing," she said. "You have to rest in bed because of it. You never had to rest in bed because of me.”

"Oh, dear, Sabrina," I replied, "don't be jealous of this little baby. You're going to love it as much as I do when it comes.”

"I am going to hate it," she told me cheerfully.

One of the servants brought in the tisane on a tray, and as soon as we were alone Sabrina picked it up and sipped it.

"Ooo, it's nasty. Why are things to do you good always nasty?”

"Perhaps we imagine they're nasty.”

Sabrina pondered that. "Nice things do you good sometimes. You're wearing your ring.

That's the one Jeanne stole. It's rather a funny ring. It belonged to a queen.”

"That's right.”

"Granny Priscilla told me about it. Kings and queens had them because people were trying to poison them, and if you put the ring in the drink the poison goes into the ring.”

"Something like that.”

She had the ring from my finger and with a laugh dropped it into the tisane.

"Let's see what happens," she said.

"Nothing will happen. That was not poison.”

Sabrina's eyes grew round. "Suppose it was. Then we'd see it go into the ring.”

She held it up to the light. "I can't see anything," she said.

Nanny Curlew came in. "Time for bed, Miss Sabrina. What are you doing?”

"She's testing my ring, Nanny. My bezoar ring.”

"Whatever next!”

"I can see it going in!" cried Sabrina.

"What nonsense! You can't see anything.”

"I can. I can.”

I took it from her. The ring and the liquid were quite unchanged. I picked out the ring. "Now it's wet," I said, "and I really don't fancy drinking that now.”

"I'll get another one made for you, my lady," said Nanny Curlew.”

Sabrina put her arms round my neck. "Don't get killed," she begged.

I laughed. "Dear Sabrina, I have no intention of doing so.”

Nanny Curlew brought a towel and wiped the ring, which I slipped onto my finger, and Sabrina went off with her.

A little while later Madame Legrand came into the room with another tisane.

"Nanny Curlew explained," she said. "She tells me Mademoiselle Sabrina have too much imagination. She look for poison with your ring in the tisane.”

I laughed. "Sabrina likes drama.”

"And to be the center of it, eh? I know that one.”