“Maybe that’s because she had to give her babies away, or someone took them from her. You could be Senator Beresford’s granddaughter. If that’s the case, you’re loaded, the senator is a billionaire.”
“Let’s not jump to any conclusions,” Luke interrupted. “It’s worth investigating but I wouldn’t be counting Molly’s money yet.”
“I agree,” said Molly. “There is a reason our birth mother gave us away and I don’t think whoever she is will welcome Stephanie and me back into her life. Especially if the woman is running for office, her opponent would have a field day with that information.”
“You two go out and have a wonderful time. I won’t tell anybody about your wealthy grandfather,” Brooke said with a sly smile.
Luke and Molly walked out the front door not noticing the girl sitting on the sofa in the lobby. Candace gritted her teeth as she watched Luke open the door while resting his hand on the small of Molly’s back.
“Avery, where is Candace? I told her to come for dinner tonight. I want to talk to her before your father arrives this weekend.”
“Mother, I have no idea where the girl disappears to lately, she is eighteen and I don’t control her.”
“Nonsense, she’s Hamilton Beresford’s granddaughter and there are consequences for improper behavior.”
“I know that all too well, Mother,” Avery replied.
“Avery, it’s been twenty-five years since that unfortunate incident, it’s time you got over it.”
“Tell me, Mother, how does one get over having one’s babies ripped from one’s arms?”
“I refuse to discuss this with you, Avery. Tell Candace to call me the minute she gets home. I hope she isn’t cavorting with a boy.”
“With that child’s looks, she would be lucky if a boy looked in her direction. Goodbye, Mother.”
Avery’s head throbbed. Talking to her mother always gave her a headache. She hated the woman for taking her babies away but she also knew her father would never have forgiven her if he knew she’d given herself to a boy.
“Hello, Candace,” said Grayson when he saw her sitting in the lobby of the Balsam Lake Apartments. “You’re looking stylish this evening.”
“Grayson, what are you doing here, did you follow me? Get out of here, you’ll ruin everything.”
“I know what you’re up to. I read Mother’s diary and I know you have found our sisters or at least.”
“How dare you snoop in my room? You know nothing, now leave me alone.”
“I’ll leave you alone now only because Grandmother has called all over town for you. She’s on the warpath so you’d better see what the old bat wants.”
“Rats, I forgot I was supposed to have dinner at the mansion tonight. She wants me to meet one of her friend’s geeky grandson or nephew. She wants to marry me off because she doesn’t think I can get a man on my own.”
“She’s right,” he laughed as he walked out the door.
“Grandmother, I’m sorry I’m late, I was studying and lost track of time,” Candace said when she arrived at her grandparent’s home.
“You are a deceitful child, Candace, I don’t believe you but I need your help so I will not chastise you tonight. I want you to talk to your mother about her relationship with your father.”
“Grandmother, what about their relationship? They hate each other.”
“Hate is such a strong word; they dislike each other. However, they will need to ignore their feelings if your mother is to win a seat in Congress. Your father is a weakling but he will do what is necessary to assure the Beresford name continues into the next generation. Your grandfather has decided Grayson will be a future President of the United States. That is the reason he wants your mother to win the congressional seat, he wants to keep the Beresford family in the spotlight.”
“He thinks Grayson will be president someday? Is the old man senile?” Candace laughed.
“Candace Conway, you will show respect to your grandfather, he is not senile and I don’t want you to say those words again. Grayson is only sixteen now but he will be groomed for the next thirty years and he will be president.”
“Why him? Why not me? I’m smarter than Grayson; is it because I’m not a man?”
“Candace, don’t be silly, you don’t have the look of a president. Unfortunately, you aren’t pretty enough to run for dog catcher,” Alexis laughed at her cruel joke.
“Grandmother, I will not lift a finger to help you or my mother. I hate you both and I know your secret. You disposed of my mother’s bastard babies twenty-five years ago. What do you think would happen to the Beresford name if the public found out what you did? Grandfather would divorce you and disown Mother. I’m leaving and I won’t be back.”
Alexis Beresford didn’t bother to ring for the maid, she walked to the bar and poured herself a snifter of brandy, sat on the Queen Anne chair and stared into space. She felt her world crumbling; how does the spiteful little horror know about the twins?
I shouldn’t have told Grandmother I know about the twins. She compared me to a dog, I know that’s what she meant. I hate her, I hate mother, I hate Grayson and I truly hate those twins. I could do the world a favor and kill them all. I’d have Grandfather all to myself. I’ll move to Washington and live with him. Grandmother never wanted to leave Hillsboro but I will gladly get out of this town.
Candace could barely see the road through her tears. She couldn’t face going home so she went back to Lucy’s apartment, threw herself on the sheet covered bed and cried herself to sleep.
Chapter Ten
Luke knew if he wasn’t careful he would fall for Molly and knew she wasn’t ready for anything more than friendship. She had too many things happening in her life all at one time. She was new to Hillsboro; starting a new job and found a sister she never knew she had. He didn’t want to overwhelm her by confessing his feelings to her.
He’d given her a kiss on the cheek when they parted at her door after an enjoyable dinner. They didn’t talk about Avery Conway although Luke intended to find out all he could about the woman running for office.
He started his day with his contact at the Motor Vehicle Department. The contact found five red Porsches in the Hillsboro area. Luke thought it curious that one car was registered to Charles Conway. It made sense that Mr. Conway would attend a kick-off party for his wife’s campaign. Did the man have one too many before driving and didn’t realize he’d run Elizabeth off the road? Avery and Charles Conway have two teenaged children. Did one of them drive the car that night? Luke knew he should contact the police, however, he wanted information quickly and the police wouldn’t have any reason to question the Conway family members without cause. He drove to the Conway house parking behind the mansion where the family automobiles were in garages.
An elderly gentleman who Luke assumed was the gardener was busy pruning bushes near the back of the house.
“Hello young fella, do you have a delivery for the family?”
“No, sir, I’m interested in the Porsche, it’s a fine-looking car, I wonder if Mr. Conway would sell it to me?”
“I don’t think Miss Candace would allow that, young man, that little sports car is her pride and joy. Mr. Conway left about thirty minutes ago, I think you can catch him at his wife’s campaign headquarters. He told me that’s where he was headed. Mr. Conway is a nice fella, the only one in the family that speaks to any of us. They are a strange bunch, they are. I’m talking out of turn, forgive an old man.”
“No problem, sir, I won’t say a word, thank you for your help. The bushes look great, have a good day.”
“Thanks, young man,” he said smiling at the praise.
Luke drove directly to the campaign headquarters. He was pleased the gardener had loose lips. The old guy would be fired if the family knew he’d said as much as he did to a stranger. It’s obvious Charles is not the primary driver of the Porsche because he is driving another vehicle today. Tim Hobart said Avery’s daughter was the one who
invited him to the rally that night. Did she take a liking to the guy and watched when he and Elizabeth met and caught up on old times? Did she think there was something romantic in their meeting and did she follow Elizabeth? I’ll see what I can find out about the girl from the other workers.
Luke parked across the street from the campaign headquarters. When he walked into the office, he was greeted by a larger-than-life photo of Avery Beresford Conway. The resemblance to Molly was amazing, her eyes lacked the luster he saw in Molly’s eyes but the features were close.
“Welcome to Avery Conway’s campaign headquarters,” said an attractive woman in her early fifties. “I’m Ellen Baker, are you here for information or may we add your name to our list of volunteers?”
“Hello Ms. Baker, my name is Luke Sullivan, I’m here out of curiosity, I’m not affiliated with any political party. I was driving by and saw the sign on your door. My curiosity got the better of me.”
“We’re glad to have you no matter what the reason. As you can see, our volunteers are busy on the phone or folding flyers. Are you familiar with our illustrious Senator Hamilton Beresford? He is the pride of Hillsboro as this is his hometown.”
“Yes, I know of Senator Beresford, he is known throughout the country, I assume Mrs. Conway is his daughter.”
“That’s correct,” Ellen said when she handed Luke a pamphlet. “This is Avery, her husband Charles, and their two children. Inside the pamphlet is a list of her policies. I think you will find them interesting.”
Luke glanced at the photo, the younger woman looked familiar to him, he was sure he’d seen her before although he couldn’t place her. It was obvious she was wearing make-up and still with it, she was plain looking. She and her mother were both smiling although there was no sincerity in their smiles.
“The young woman in the picture looks familiar. I wonder where I’ve met her before?” said Luke.
“That’s Candace Conway, the senator’s granddaughter. Candace comes here often, but you’ve never been before so that can’t be where you have seen her. Between you and me, Candace is nothing like her grandfather, she was a brooding child and her teen years haven’t improved her disposition.”
“What’s her mother like? I see she is smiling in the photo but there isn’t any warmth in her eyes.”
“You’re observant, Luke Sullivan. Avery Conway is a troubled woman; I don’t think her marriage is a happy one and she barely tolerates her children. I’m afraid she is running for Congress only because it pleases her father. I don’t think her heart is in it. Oh, dear, I’m afraid I’ve said too much, what is it about you that made me go on like that? Do strangers always speak out of turn with you?”
“I am a reporter, for the Hillsboro Tribune, Ellen,” Luke replied.
Ellen closed her eyes and covered her face with her hands. “The senator will have my head; I will deny whatever you print in the paper. You aren’t wearing a wire, are you?”
“Relax, Ellen, I’m here in an unofficial capacity. Whatever you say is off the record and will stay that way. Tell me, why are you working for a woman who is only running for office to please her father?”
“I have the highest regard for Senator Beresford, I know Avery will vote the way her father tells her to. What she lacks in personality, she makes up for in loyalty.”
“You are loyal to the senator, aren’t you Ellen?”
“Yes, I’ve worked for him for over thirty-five years. I’m here because he asked me to oversee Avery’s campaign.”
“Did you know Avery during the early years?”
“Oh, yes, Avery was a sweet, happy child. I’ve never seen such a drastic change in a person. It was during her teen years. I’d heard of teenage angst and I thought that’s what it was but she never outgrew that attitude. It makes me wonder if something terrible happened to her to change her personality.”
Was it giving birth to twins and giving them away? Luke thought to himself. She didn’t give them away, though, she abandoned them. They were left alone when they were only a few days old. Luke’s heart ached for those infant girls and what could have happened to them.
“Ellen, I’ll ask you a question about Avery, I can assure you I will not print your answer or in any way implicate you in a cover-up. Do you have knowledge of Avery Beresford’s pregnancy when she was a teen?”
“Oh my, who are you, Luke? Why are you asking me a question like that? Are you trying to stir up trouble for the senator?”
“No, I’m asking because Avery Beresford Conway looks like Molly Ryan. Molly was abandoned as an infant and her twin sister was left at a fire station twenty-five years ago. They were lucky to be adopted by loving families but the fact remains that someone left those babies to die.”
Ellen’s face turned pale, “I suspected Avery was in a family way when she came to visit her father in Washington. Her mother, Alexis, is a self-absorbed woman. If she knew about her daughter’s pregnancy, she didn’t let on. Months went by and the senator never said a word about Avery’s condition. If she was pregnant, she either lost the baby or had an abortion. Now you tell me Avery gave birth and left her babies for someone to find. If that’s true, I understand why she became the dark soul she is.”
“I don’t know if it’s true, the only thing I know is that Molly and her sister, Stephanie Anderson, look like the woman on this pamphlet.”
“If it is true, Candace will have a fit. She adores her grandfather and will not be happy to share him with two others. Are the young women looking for money? Is that their interest in Avery Conway?”
“No, not at all, they met recently at a wedding and were stunned by their resemblance to each other. They were both abandoned miles apart and grew up never knowing they were sisters.”
“If that’s true Senator Beresford will be devastated. He has confided in me he has little fondness for Candace. He sees potential in his grandson, Grayson and sees him entering politics someday. It’s important to the senator that the Beresford offspring make him proud after he’s gone. Tell me, Luke, why the interest in this matter if you aren’t acting as a reporter? Could it have something to do with Molly Ryan? I can see your eyes brighten when you talk about her.”
“And you call me observant, Ellen. I’ll admit, I like Molly, however, we are friends and nothing more.”
“Not yet but you will be more than friends before too long.”
After leaving the campaign headquarters, Luke’s phone buzzed. He was happy to see Molly’s name showing on the screen.
“Hi, Molly, what’s up?”
“Adam Sloan called Stephanie a few minutes ago. His father told him the name of the nurse that took care of the girl who we think is our birth mother. She is living in Springwood, about an hour from here. She’s willing to talk to us about Dr. Sloan’s patient, I thought you’d like to go with us.”
“Yes, I would like to go with you, I’ll meet you at the flower shop in five minutes.”
Molly experienced a feeling of anticipation and didn’t know whether it was because she was close to finding her birth mother or the thought of being with Luke.
“Molly,” Elizabeth called excitedly from the back room, “there’s a Bruce Landers on the phone for you. He says he has your lab results.”
“Hello Bruce,” she answered, “what’s the verdict? Is Stephanie Anderson my sister?”
“The answer is yes; you and Stephanie are sisters. I’ll mail you a copy of the findings I knew you were eager to know the truth, so I thought I’d call first.”
“Thanks, Bruce, you are the greatest.”
A few minutes later, Adam opened the door of the shop and he and Stephanie walked in.
“What’s wrong, Molly, why are you crying?” asked Stephanie.
“Nothing is wrong, everything is right. Bruce called with the results of our test, it’s official, Stephanie, we are sisters.”
The two girls hugged and cried. Elizabeth’s eyes filled with tears and Adam could feel a lump in his throat.
&n
bsp; Luke walked through the door and stopped short when he saw the tears.
“What’s going on?” he asked.
“The lab test results are in, it’s no surprise that the girls are officially sisters,” answered Adam.
Adam drove the foursome to Springwood to talk with Janice Packard, the elder Doctor Sloan’s nurse.
Springwood is a suburban village west of Hillsboro. There is a general store on Main Street but no other shops or businesses in town. It is almost entirely residential with houses built in the early twentieth century. All the streets are lined with large maple and elm trees. Red roses cling to the white picket fence surrounding the front yard of the Packard home.
Janice opened the front door and met the group on her porch. She smiled when she saw Molly and Stephanie. “Please come in, I’m sorry to stare but you two look so much alike, I thought I was seeing double.”
“Thank you for seeing us, Miss Janice, my father sends his best.”
“I would know you anywhere Adam, I remember the days you came to your grandfather’s office. You were a handsome devil back then too.”
Adam chuckled, he remembered Miss Janice made him laugh when he was a kid. “Some things never change, Miss Janice, you could always make me laugh.” Adam introduced her to the others.
“Come in, and let’s sit for a while. I’m getting on in years and hope I can remember something that will help answer questions for you.
“I remember that July was the warmest I’d ever known in all my years living in this area. My brother, Robert, chose that month to marry his sweetheart after fifteen years of courting. I’d planned to leave early that day to help my mother with preparations for the rehearsal dinner that evening. She roasted a turkey; you can imagine how hot the kitchen was in this old house without air conditioning. I remember a girl walking through the door with an older woman holding her arm. The girl had been crying, I could see the puffiness in her eyes. She called the woman Nanny; it was odd she would have a nanny at her age but assumed nanny translated to nana. The woman was gentle and tried her best to comfort the girl. Her mother grumbled at her and the poor thing became upset. Dr. Sloan called her Mary Smith, I doubted that was her name.
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