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Page 69
and there were noticeable differences when they stood close together. Donald's lips were fuller and had a petulant droop; his chin was weak, too, where Rose-Anne's was almost too firm.
That the tiny, bird-like creature between them was their mother almost seemed impossible. Rose-Anne and Donald were dressed with stylish flair. Mrs. Sotheby's hat was crooked, her hemline drooped, and her grey hair clearly hadn't seen a hairdresser's touch in many years. As she came forward to acknowledge Mrs. Bates's introduction, her hands fluttered and she twittered at her, "So pleased to meet you," in a voice that reinforced the bird-like quality.
Linda took the hand extended so uncertainly to her and shook it gently. She was aware that neither Donald nor Rose-Anne had offered to shake hands, but she was not sure whether this indicated contempt or disapproval or merely that their manners were more modern than their mother's. The sarcastic remark about "this paragon" could have pointed to an incipient enmity, but Linda could see that the rather fulsome praise she had been receiving might have drawn out the cynical description. And in the next moment, she had evidence that the twins did not intend to ignore her. When Mrs. Bates was drawn back into conversation with the general and her sister-in-law, Rose-Anne moved forward to join Linda and Peter.
"You're American, aren't you?" she asked quite pleasantly. "Why in the world did you

 
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