Will You Love Me in September

I began to wonder whether he had married me for my money. He must have been fond of Elvira Vernon-but he had not intended to marry her. Why not? Presumably she did not have a fortune. This was not fair. He had explained to me about Elvira, and I was not now the simpleton I had been at the time of that discovery. I knew that men had love affairs before they settled down, and at least I had no cause to suspect Lance of infidelity ... as yet.

Finally I dozed, and slept so late that he was gone from beside me when I awakened.

I had made up my mind. I was going to show him that I was an individual and had no intention of allowing anyone to manage my affairs-even the most charming of husbands.

I took a sedan to Grendall’s in Cornhill, where I was shown into Mr. Grendall's office immediately.

He greeted me warmly and I told him the purpose of my visit. My husband had wrongfully assumed that I wanted to invest in the South Sea Company. This was not the case.

I wished to cancel the order he had given.

Mr. Grendall looked dismayed. "But, Lady Clavering," he said, "the shares have already been bought. In these transactions it is always necessary to act with the maximum speed. They were bought two days ago.”

Two days ago! So he had not told me immediately. I felt my anger rising.

"Then I wish them to be sold without delay," I said. "You look astonished. Is that impossible?”

"By no means. People are clamoring for these shares. But, Lady Clavering, the prospects are excellent.”

"So I have heard, and there will be immense dividends. I am not interested. I want these shares sold at once.”

"At whatever the market price?”

"At whatever the market price," I repeated.

"Your orders shall be carried out. I will let you know what price we obtained as soon as the transaction is through.”

"Thank you, Mr. Grendall," I said. "And I should be glad in future if you will take orders for such transactions only from me in person. That is what Sir Lance and I both wish.”

"I understand, Lady Clavering.”

I was bowed out to my chair.

Lance was in when I returned. He was clearly waiting for me.

"Clarissa, I was worried about you. Where have you been?”

"I have been to Cornhill to see Mr. Grendall," I said.

"Ah." He was smiling at me.

"I have told him to sell the shares you bought with my money-”

"To sell! But the market is rising.”

"I have told him to sell and that all such transactions will in future come through me and me only.”

I suppose any other man but Lance would have been furious with me. Not so Lance.

He looked at me in astonishment for a moment and then laughed. There was no doubting the admiration in his eyes.

"Clarissa," he said, "my splendid Clarissa. I am forgiven, am I not?”

I could not resist him so I said I supposed he was.

"It was arrogant of me. It was wrong. It was foolish. But, believe me, I was only thinking of the pleasure I should have in confronting you with the fact that you had become a richer woman.”

"I am quite content with what I have.”

"The world's phenomenon," he said, "a contented woman!”

"Oh, Lance," I pleaded, "give up all this gambling. What is the purpose of it? We have enough. Why take risks in the hope of getting more?”

"It's not exactly money," he said seriously. "It's the fun of !t ? . . the excitement.

I'll never get you to understand. However, my sweet Clarissa, you have taught me a lesson. I promise I will never be so foolish again. But I am forgiven my sins now.

That's so, isn't it?”

"Of course, and I know you were trying to do what you thought was best for me.”

We were lovers again.

It was the following day when Mr. Grendall sent a messenger to me. He had sold my shares in the South Sea Company. They had been bought at a hundred pounds and sold for a thousand. Thus my five thousand had become fifty thousand, I had become a very rich woman overnight.

I shall never forget the months that followed. There was tension and excitement in the streets of London as the price of South Sea stock rose. Lance never said "I told you so" exactly, but he did point out how wealthy I might have been if I had not sold out.

He himself had put all the money he could raise into the company. Sometimes he was on the verge of selling, but he could never bring himself to do so. He always felt there would be another rise the following day.

Everyone was talking about the South Sea wonder. Sir Robert Walpole condemned the scheme from the start and warned the public about overinvesting. It turned out, however, that he himself had bought a number of shares, but, as I had, he had sold out at a big profit. The Prince of Wales had also invested and sold advantageously. There was euphoria throughout the country. Everyone who could scrape together a few pounds was clamoring for shares.

"Think how much you would have to pay for those shares which you bought at a hundred,”

Lance reminded me.

"I don't need to think, as I have no intention of buying more.”

"You're throwing away a fortune.”

"On the contrary, I have made one.”