"All right, tell her. But make her swear not to tell anyone else."
"Leave it to me," I said.
I went to Janine. "Will you swear not to divulge it to a soul if I tell you something?"
Her eyes glistened at the prospect of sharing a secret. "I promise," she said.
"Lavinia is in deep trouble."
I must say I did not like the light of pleasure that came into Janine's eyes.
"Yes ... yes ..." she urged.
"The Comte has gone."
"I always knew he was false. All that talk about the title and the estates ... at the first meeting. Go on."
"She is going to have a baby."
"What?"
"I'm afraid so."
"My goodness. What a story! Well, well. It serves her right. She was anybody's for the taking. All that attraction she is supposed to have for the opposite sex. What is it? Just ... I'm easy. Smile at me and I'm willing."
"What are we going to do?"
"We?"
"We've got to help her."
"Why should we? She has never been particularly pleasant to us."
"It's just her way. She's different now."
"Of course she is." Janine was thoughtful. "What could we do? We can't have the baby for her."
"There'll be a terrible scandal. You can't imagine what her mother is like. There is already a mad aunt in the house who believes peacocks' feathers are unlucky."
"What's that got to do with it?"
"It just means it will be awful for her if she has to go home and tell them she is with child."
"Being biblical about it may sound very fine, but it doesn't alter anything."
"I persuaded her to let me tell you because I thought you might help."
I could see that that had flattered Janine.
She began to laugh. "I'm just thinking of the fuss there'd be. It just serves Madame Lavinia right. When you think how arrogant she has always been, lording it over us all ... and now this. 'Pride goeth before a fall.' I reckon this will put an end to that grand marriage her mama has in mind for her. Wealthy gentlemen do like to think they are getting a virgin."
"Janine ... please ... try to help."
"What can I do?"
I used the tactics Lavinia employed with me. "You're clever. You know something about the world. You might think of something."
"Well," she said grudgingly, "I might."
Janine did give her mind to the matter. She talked with Lavinia, discovered when the baby was likely to appear, and when Lavinia calculated that it might be in August, Janine said with an air of wisdom: "Well, it will be in the holidays. That's something to be thankful for."
We looked at her eagerly.
"You see," she explained, "it gives you a chance to have the child and no one know."
"How?" pleaded the newly humble Lavinia.
"If you could leave here at the beginning of July when the terms ends ... My goodness, it will be eight months. Can we hide it so long?"
"We'll have to," I said.
"I will. I will," said Lavinia, like a drowning woman clutching a life belt which has just been handed to her.
"There is my Aunt Emily," went on Janine.
I turned excitedly to Lavinia. "Janine's aunt runs a clinic where people go to have babies ... among other things."
Lavinia clasped her hands as though in prayer.
"Aunt Emily is very discreet," said Janine.
"Where is it?" asked Lavinia.
"Near the New Forest." Janine's eyes were sparkling. "Listen. We'll go there. You must tell your people that you have been invited to stay ... you might say at the Princess's place."
"That would please Lady Harriet," I said.
"And you are to go there from Lamason when the term breaks up."
Lavinia nodded excitedly.
"I will write to my aunt and see if she will have you. If she will, you must write to your people and tell them that you will be staying at the Princess's mansion in ... wherever it is. It is very remote, I know. I had never heard of the place. When we leave here we will go together to my aunt's clinic, and there you will have your baby."
"It is wonderful," cried Lavinia. "Thank you, Janine."
I said, "And when the baby is born?"
Lavinia's face fell.
"Adoptions are arranged," said Janine. "You might have to pay ..."
"I would manage," said Lavinia. I knew she was already compiling a letter for her mother. She was going to stay with a noble Princess; she needed new clothes—French clothes—and they were rather expensive. Lady Harriet would be delighted at the thought of her daughter's visiting royalty, however remote.
It seemed that we were getting somewhere with the help of Janine. That took us up one step. But perhaps what was more important was what we were going to do with the baby afterwards.
Then I had a brilliant idea. My thoughts went back to that tall house opposite the common. I saw Polly and Eff with the "nippers." Polly would do anything to help me; she had always said so. But she would not be so ready to do anything for Lavinia, whom she had always disliked; and I fancied that she might not be displeased to see Lavinia in that spot of trouble which she had prophecied for her. But if / asked her she would surely help.
I mentioned this. Lavinia was overcome with relief. She said what good friends we were to her and she did not know what she would have done without us.
It was amazing to see her in this humble mood.
And from then on we became the three conspirators.
I must say that Lavinia played her part well, which could not have been easy. There was a certain anxiety about her health, but fortunately the true state of affairs had not occurred to anyone in authority.
I was on tenterhooks lest they should guess. We bought a voluminous skirt in the marketplace. It was very concealing. Spring came; we were all three deeply involved in the enterprise and Lavinia was able to sit outside the patisserie without being overcome by bitter memories.
We were to leave at the end of that term, having completed our allotted span. The three of us could scarcely wait, so eager were we to put our plan into action.
Janine had had a reply from her Aunt Emily, who said that it was not the first time this sort of thing had overtaken an unwary girl like Lavinia, and we could rely on her.
Polly wrote back. She and Eff would, of course, take in the little baby when it was born. Eff was really good with little babies and ought to have had some of her own, but there had been Him to look after. It seemed that He, being sometime dead, had lost a good deal of that sanctity which had descended on him when he was recently expired. However, the news was good. Polly and Eff would take the child in. It was only later that it occurred to me that the reason Polly was so quick to offer help was because she thought the child was mine.
So the plans were laid. It was pathetic to see the way in which Lavinia relied on us. Both Janine and I enjoyed that.
The weeks were passing. In a short time we should be on our way to put the first part of our venture into practice. The full skirt was becoming inadequate. Several of the girls told Lavinia she was putting on weight. Sometimes I wondered whether Madame was aware. It seemed to me that she discreetly shielded Lavinia from exposure. She would want no scandal attached to the most impeccable of institutions.
I was relieved when the day came to say goodbye to our fellow students. We exchanged addresses and promised to write and to see each other if we ever found ourselves in close vicinity.
We travelled with Miss Ellmore to England. I did see her glance once or twice at Lavinia, and we held our breath in case she had noticed, but, like Madame, Miss Ellmore wanted no complications while we were in her care.