year old, obviously from a good home, no wonder you wanted her, she would have been a cut above that bunch of ragged orphans!’ Lord Beresford snarled.
‘How dare you speak to my wife that way!’ Colonel Black snapped at the same time as Mrs Black said ‘It wasn’t like that! She had been at Coram’s for a month, no one knew who she was and they were about to send her to the poorhouse. Do you know how few children survive such an experience? We had to take her!’
‘Please…’ Annabel whispered, she had never witnessed her parents in conflict with others before and she felt torn apart, but although she was the very thing they were arguing about, no one seemed to hear her. ‘Please…’
‘Excuse me,’ it was Mr Denham. ‘I wouldn’t otherwise intrude, but, Lord Beresford, you asked me to stay. Miss Black is becoming very distressed to find herself being discussed like this. Could you please consider her feelings and calm yourselves?’ They all turned to look at him and Annabel felt profoundly grateful for his intercession.
‘Hannah,’ Lady Beresford said, stepping into the brief silence and taking Annabel’s unprotesting hands in her own. ‘Hannah, you must remember me, I am your mother!’
Annabel looked at the commanding woman before her, society to the hilt, and not the sort of person likely to be numbered among her mother’s close friends, although most of the committees Mrs Black sat on seemed to be presided over by someone of her ilk. She desperately wanted to say No, you’re not my real mother, I don’t remember you at all , but she suddenly realised that that would not be entirely truthful. ‘You do…’ she glanced at Mrs Black, feeling as if she were betraying her mother in the most reprehensible way. ‘You do look a little familiar.’ It was true, although she couldn’t possible claim to recognise Lady Beresford, neither could she shake the certainty that they had met before.’
‘There you have it!’ Lord Beresford said triumphantly.
‘It means nothing!’ Colonel Black snapped back. ‘She’s still our daughter!’
‘I don’t understand!’ Justine cried out over the top of them.
Lady Beresford kept her hold on Annabel’s hands but drew her other daughter closer with a look. ‘Hannah is your twin,’ she said. ‘She was lost when we were in Bath for the summer. The whole town was searched and we thought she had been kidnapped.’
‘But we never received a ransom note,’ Lord Beresford took up the tale. ‘We sent away the nurse who had charge of you both of course, dismissed her without a character, but it was too late, the damage was done and we never laid eyes on Hannah again.’
‘Until tonight,’ said Lady Beresford. She smiled at Annabel and suddenly there were tears in her eyes and Annabel found herself liking her all the better for them.
‘The question is, what is Miss Black to do now?’ Mr Denham said quietly, but everybody heard him.
Annabel suddenly found she was dreadfully tired and she couldn’t possibly imagine wanting to dance any more tonight. ‘I should like to go home,’ she said softly.
‘Of course,’ Mrs Black said, moving to put her arm around her. ‘Thomas, would you please send for the carriage?’
‘Home!’ Lady Beresford exclaimed, ‘Of course you’re coming home, with us, to your true home in St James’ Square!’
‘Quite right,’ Lord Beresford said. ‘We’ve just found you, we’re not about to risk losing you again!’
‘Really, sir!’ Colonel Black’s face was red with anger. ‘I cannot possibly allow you to spirit away my daughter in such a fashion. I won’t hear of it!’
‘Hannah is my daughter and she is under my protection,’ Lord Beresford said heavily, but Annabel was pleased to see that Colonel Black did not seem impressed.
‘Annabel is my daughter,’ he countered. ‘We adopted her sixteen years ago, if you were so careless as to lose her once, you can hardly expect us to entrust her to you
‘How dare you speak to my wife that way!’ Colonel Black snapped at the same time as Mrs Black said ‘It wasn’t like that! She had been at Coram’s for a month, no one knew who she was and they were about to send her to the poorhouse. Do you know how few children survive such an experience? We had to take her!’
‘Please…’ Annabel whispered, she had never witnessed her parents in conflict with others before and she felt torn apart, but although she was the very thing they were arguing about, no one seemed to hear her. ‘Please…’
‘Excuse me,’ it was Mr Denham. ‘I wouldn’t otherwise intrude, but, Lord Beresford, you asked me to stay. Miss Black is becoming very distressed to find herself being discussed like this. Could you please consider her feelings and calm yourselves?’ They all turned to look at him and Annabel felt profoundly grateful for his intercession.
‘Hannah,’ Lady Beresford said, stepping into the brief silence and taking Annabel’s unprotesting hands in her own. ‘Hannah, you must remember me, I am your mother!’
Annabel looked at the commanding woman before her, society to the hilt, and not the sort of person likely to be numbered among her mother’s close friends, although most of the committees Mrs Black sat on seemed to be presided over by someone of her ilk. She desperately wanted to say No, you’re not my real mother, I don’t remember you at all , but she suddenly realised that that would not be entirely truthful. ‘You do…’ she glanced at Mrs Black, feeling as if she were betraying her mother in the most reprehensible way. ‘You do look a little familiar.’ It was true, although she couldn’t possible claim to recognise Lady Beresford, neither could she shake the certainty that they had met before.’
‘There you have it!’ Lord Beresford said triumphantly.
‘It means nothing!’ Colonel Black snapped back. ‘She’s still our daughter!’
‘I don’t understand!’ Justine cried out over the top of them.
Lady Beresford kept her hold on Annabel’s hands but drew her other daughter closer with a look. ‘Hannah is your twin,’ she said. ‘She was lost when we were in Bath for the summer. The whole town was searched and we thought she had been kidnapped.’
‘But we never received a ransom note,’ Lord Beresford took up the tale. ‘We sent away the nurse who had charge of you both of course, dismissed her without a character, but it was too late, the damage was done and we never laid eyes on Hannah again.’
‘Until tonight,’ said Lady Beresford. She smiled at Annabel and suddenly there were tears in her eyes and Annabel found herself liking her all the better for them.
‘The question is, what is Miss Black to do now?’ Mr Denham said quietly, but everybody heard him.
Annabel suddenly found she was dreadfully tired and she couldn’t possibly imagine wanting to dance any more tonight. ‘I should like to go home,’ she said softly.
‘Of course,’ Mrs Black said, moving to put her arm around her. ‘Thomas, would you please send for the carriage?’
‘Home!’ Lady Beresford exclaimed, ‘Of course you’re coming home, with us, to your true home in St James’ Square!’
‘Quite right,’ Lord Beresford said. ‘We’ve just found you, we’re not about to risk losing you again!’
‘Really, sir!’ Colonel Black’s face was red with anger. ‘I cannot possibly allow you to spirit away my daughter in such a fashion. I won’t hear of it!’
‘Hannah is my daughter and she is under my protection,’ Lord Beresford said heavily, but Annabel was pleased to see that Colonel Black did not seem impressed.
‘Annabel is my daughter,’ he countered. ‘We adopted her sixteen years ago, if you were so careless as to lose her once, you can hardly expect us to entrust her to you
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