Chapter Six

 

 

“Well, that was a bombshell and no mistake,” Adrienne smiled encouragingly. The girls pushed together on the settee, blonde hair intermingled. Annie felt Tammy was half asleep, felt her twin’s eyes closing. Around them the party debris glasses, half eaten food, curling sandwiches, overflowing ashtrays despite Adrienne’s injunction that:-

‘Those who care to smoke use the garden - please!’ The fact there was party remains still around them betrayed eloquently their parents’ agitation. Adrienne had normally had a perfect Interior Homes lounge.

“We didn’t intend you to find out like that,” Martin’s hand reached out to touch his wife, voice weak even to Annie’s ears. She despised her father, even more so now.

Annie wasn’t sure how Tammy could even think of sleeping! She was burning up. An old lady spoiling the party. She had looked forward to it for weeks, planning what to say at her birthday speech, who to ask so there would be some talent around - only to have everyone disappear like mercury out of a test tube as the words left the old lady’s mouth.

Rage consumed hatred, burned a hollow core so hot it was a wonder Tammy couldn’t feel it.

“Well, it was like this.” Adrienne smiled at Martin, smiled at the girls, took a visible hold of her emotions. “We - couldn’t have children, your father and I, and we so wanted children. So we applied for adoption. There was this very poor family, oh my dears you would never know how poor! Rough house, almost a slum! And there this poor woman was having twins! And she already had four children! No way could she cope with twins! So, the moment you were born you became ours.”

“We have loved you as if you were out own,” added Martin, reddening under Annie’s steady gaze. “And believe me, we were going to tell you, weren’t we, Adrienne?”

“Of course! Do you think we would have gone through life not telling you? Of course we were going to tell you, but in our own way and at our own time.”

Like hell you were, thought Annie viciously. Tammy stirred, put a restraining hand on her arm. There was a time and a place, and this wasn’t it.

“Just tell us who we really are and where we came from,” said quietly, convincingly calm. Adrienne smiled.

“I knew you’d understand! And just think what awful names you had too! Oh, we haven’t told you. Your mother, your real mother, named you Mary and Audrey. She had to put something in the register at the hospital. You’re Mary, Tammy, and Annie you’re really Audrey, or you were. We changed your names legally by deed poll, from Mary and Audrey Gibling to Anastasia and Tamasine Webster.”

A quiet fell over the room profound as the one which had descended earlier. Tammy all but stopped breathing. Annie panicked until she felt her twin’s heart pumping like mad. Tammy was controlling her emotions. Annie had never gotten hold of the meditation bit, just let her emotions boil over.

“We gave you a proper home,” Martin offered feebly. “You’d have grown up on the streets otherwise, rough, talking slang, probably getting into drugs and all sorts of problems. I mean, London is one hell of a rough place.”

“Instead you live here with us in this good home,” added Adrienne. “Your own rooms, good friends, food, family to support and care for you. And never so much as a hint of scandal or problems round either of you - you’ve been such good girls! Such perfect daughters!”

Tammy smothered a giggle, Annie felt her shudder with the effort. If only they knew! Their parents were so obviously unhappy and embarrassed Annie knew she had to end the conversation. There would be other times, other opportunities to pursue the things she wanted to know.

“It’s been one hell of a party.” Annie moved Tammy gently off her shoulder, stood up gestured almost unseen to her twin. “Whatever happened, it was a good party, and we thank you for that and for the gifts, don’t we, Tam? Listen, it doesn’t matter about the news, we can talk about it another time, can’t we?”

Tammy struggled bleary eyed went to kiss her parents goodnight.

“Thanks for everything.”

“We’re only sorry it got spoiled,” Martin hugged Tammy and held out an arm to Annie who went instead to her mother. As always.

“Don’t worry about it, we learned a lot, things we didn’t know and it gave them something to talk about for weeks! After all, we’re still one family, aren’t we?”

Adrienne nodded.

“Of course we are, Annie, thank you for saying so. I knew you’d understand. I said to your father, my girls will understand. Goodnight, darlings. Oh, we might be going out again Friday.”

“That’s all right. Coming, Tam?”

“Sure.”

They climbed the broad staircase in silence, thinking their individual thoughts yet reaching out to one another as always. Silently Annie thought.

‘Come and see me later,’ picked up Tammy’s equally silent response.

‘Sure.’

Annie closed her door, crossed the expanse of dove grey carpet and stood at the window looking out at near darkness, band of light bordering the horizon, a tree standing black and sentinel silent on the boundary, hoot of an owl, protesting cow in the field, dog barking somewhere far across the other side of town.

Annie gripped the window-sill with both hands, knuckles threatening to pierce the skin.

Adopted. It solved a million mysteries, it had been hard to see any trace of domination in either of them, or their immediate family, so where had it come from? And they weren’t smart enough to have been able to pass on psychic ability, the link with her twin, the trick of conjuring things - she turned, pictured a giant spider in the middle of her bed, watched as it formed its hairy legs saw the heaving body concentrated on holding it there until Tammy came in, heard her start of revulsion and let the vision go.

“Getting my own back.”

“No you’re not, you did that to scare me!” Tammy walked over to the chair suspended from the ceiling, flopped into it.

“Well?” Annie sat at the dressing table, drew the brush down her gleaming hair.

“Well what?” Tammy stared at the spot where the vision had been. Annie knew she hated, detested and was revulsed by them.

“What did Gran Webster have to say for herself?”

“Oh, Gran. An - we missed out on something there. The old lady sees a lot, knows a lot, has our family just about sized up.”

“I’m sure she does, but she damn well spoiled my party!”

“Hey, hold on, it was mine too!”

“I know, I know, don’t get yourself in a state, kiddo.” Annie clamped down her temper. “Tell me.”

“Well, she said she told Father the day he brought Mother home for the first time that that woman will drain him keeping up appearances, and she’s so right, An! Look how we all match, our house, or lifestyle, even us!”

“I’ve know that for years.”

“I guess I have too, but didn’t want to say it.”

Annie crossed over to the bed, laid down, put her hands under her head. “What do you think, kiddo?”

“What about?”

“For starters what do you think about going out of here right now, walking down the road accosting the first man you see, saying to him.

“Sir, I am in dire need of a good spanking, would you do me the honour of putting me across your knee and spanking my bottom until I cry, until I am so red it looks as if I will be bruised for a week. And if he refuses going on to the next one and asking him.” Tammy’s breath came faster , she shut her eyes tight went red her fingers restless sliding on her own long shapely legs. Annie continued -

“And not coming back until you find one to spank you so hard you’ll be bruised for a week come Tuesday. Well, are you going to do it?”

“Annie -”

“No, I won’t make you, not tonight.” Annie sat up, stared at her sister with all the force of her personality blazing out of her eyes. “What you do instead is go dig up a worm and eat it.”

“Annie!”

“Go!”

“Annie - please! You already did the spider -”

“And tomorrow we’ll talk about what we do about this adoption thing. I’m too angry, too tired and too wound up to think of it right now.”

“Annie!” pleading begging longing to be let off this task. Annie was immovable.

“Go, I said.”

Slowly and reluctantly Tammy trailed across the bedroom floor, eyes down, loathing and love mixed trailing back to Annie who took in the emotions wrapped them around her own hates and smiled evilly.

“I’ll know you’ve done it when I hear you being sick.”

And fell back on the bed, waiting.