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That ave him a pathetic nod "Six, then"

He reached out and took hold of the big one by its leafy green crown "Do you have a basket?"

She looked down at her hands What an idiot she was She hadn’t thought "Never mind," she said She didn’t need six Not with one the size of Colossus "I’ll pay you for six," she told him, "but I only need the one"

Mr Hopchurch looked at her as if she were right crazy, but he was far too sensible to argue He took her iant berry into her hands "Fresh froarden Be sure to come back and tell me how you like it"

Cecilia was quite certain he would not like it if she did, but she nodded nonetheless, thanking hi her way to a quiet spot around the corner

Dear God, now she had to eat it

She wondered if this was how Shakespeare’s Juliet felt, right before she took her wicked brew The body rebelled against ingesting so it knew to be poisonous And her body knew quite well that this strawberry was just two shades short of he for support, she lifted the red berry and held it near her face And then, against the protests of her stomach, her nose, and honestly, every last part of her body, she took a bite

By seven that night, Cecilia wanted to die

Edward knew this because she said quite clearly: "I want to die"

"No, you don’t," he said with ically, he knew that she would be fine, that this was probably a case of bad fish at supper--although he’d eaten what she’d eaten, and he was fine

But it was hell to watch her suffer She’d already retched so many times all she had left was so to rise with thick red welts

"I think we should get a doctor," he said

"No," she o"

He shook his head "You’re too ill"

She grabbed his hand with enough strength to startle him "I don’t need a doctor"

"Yes," he said, "you do"

"No" She shook her head, then moaned

"What?"

She closed her eyes and lay very still "It made me dizzy," she whispered "Can’t shake o? "Cecilia, I really think--"

"It was so I ate," she cut in weakly "I’ht the sa worse by the second "Did you have the fish at supper?"

"Aaaahhh!" She threw her arh as far he could tell they were still closed "Don’t say that word!"

"Fish?"

"Stop!"

"What?"

"Don’t ht about this Maybe it was so she ate He watched for a bit,utterly still atop the bedclothes, her ar the pink frock she’d had on earlier, although he supposed they were going to have to get it cleaned He didn’t think she’d got any bile on it, but she’d been sweating rather viciously Come to think of it, he should probably loosen her stays or unfasten her buttons or so to make her more comfortable

"Cecilia?"

She did not move

"Cecilia?"

"I’ not to s very still," she said

And she was doing an admirable job of it He could barely see her lipsout slightly singsongy, "it al to"

"Vo to say die," she said "I’ to vomit"

He had the chaht now," she went on, reaching blindly out to push it away "But soon"

"When I least expect it?"

"No" She let out a tired exhale "More likely when I least expect it"