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Margaret looked up at him and rolled her eyes. “How silly do you think we are? I knew it from the moment I saw you; you’re practically the spitting image of Papa. I told the others of my suspicion, and then we confronted Mama and Papa, and they told us the truth. They made us promise to go along with the lie for the time being, though. So ... what do you think? Did we keep it up well enough?”
Robert chuckled and took Margaret’s chin in his palm. “You did it so well that even I didn’t know you knew the truth. I am so very, very sorry to all of you for having to lie to you. I never wanted to do that.”
He saw Amelie nod out of the corner of his eye, so he turned his attention to her. “We know you didn’t, Uncle Robert. You’re far too good for that!”
Robert hugged them all a little tighter and then said, “And how on earth did you think to devise such a beautiful song for me?”
Andre looked up at him. “We wish that we could take the credit for that, Uncle Robert, but I’m afraid that Miss Annie actually wrote that song. You should thank her instead.”
Robert stared at his nephew, unable to process what he had just said. But when Andre saw the look on his face, he detached himself and his siblings from him and said, “Well? Are you going to go and do it, or shall we?”
He laughed and then smiled at his relations once more before looking up in Anne’s direction. She was still standing on stage watching Robert and the children with such a happy, proud look on her face that he almost didn’t want to break the moment.
But then, the crowd began rising from their seats, and many of them were soon distracted with talking to the children. Robert seized his moment and ran up the aisle to see Anne.
When he got to the front of the stage, he held out his hand and helped her down onto the floor. “Good evening, Miss Watkins. Might I say that you look positively stunning this evening and that the concert, as well as the special song, moved me more than I can say. Could I pray a word with you?”
Anne bit her lower lip and smiled at him, nodding her head. “Nothing would make me happier.”
With that, Robert led her out of the room, and the two of them disappeared to take a moment to themselves.
