Margaret did not at once get out her luggage basket, for she was thinking. Then she said:

‘Hannah, who brought me up, when she heard I was being sent to an orphanage, made three of everything for underneath.’

‘Because that’s what you came with when you were found in a basket?’

‘That’s right, but she made one petticoat and one pair of drawers with lace on for Sundays as well. I never wore my own clothes in that awful orphanage, although each Sunday while I was with the Fortescues I did. But tomorrow isn’t a Sunday. Do you think Hannah would mind?’

Sarah put herself in Hannah’s place. ‘I think if we could ask her she would say there must be an exception to every rule.’

Margaret was charmed. ‘That’s exactly what Hannah would think. She was always saying things like “A stitch in time saves nine”.’

‘If she made the lace underwear for Sundays,’ Sarah suggested, ‘why not wear your plain ones next Sunday to pay back?’

Margaret thought that splendid. ‘You do have good ideas, Sarah. But I’ll tell you one you haven’t had. I don’t mind going to bed now if that’s what you want, but I’m not going to sleep until I know the end of the play. I simply couldn’t.’

Margaret went to bed on her mattress and rolled over so the script of the play was on her pillow. Then she read her favourite speech once more. ‘Oh, I do hope I am Anastasia,’ she thought. ‘I can hear me saying that.’

In the play there was, of course, a shocked pause after Anastasia’s outburst, then her father said to all the ladies and gentlemen:

‘Leave us, please. I wish to speak to my daughter alone.’

The next scene Margaret thought rather mushy. She did not like the way Anastasia gave in to her father. If it had been her she would have had a lot more to say. Anastasia’s father talked about her duty. He told her she was called to a high position, so must behave always with that in mind. The situation in Parthenia was difficult, there were still many people, particularly the peasants, who did not want their royal family back, so it was up to all of them to behave beautifully at all times so that the country could learn to be proud of them. Then he told her all the ladies and gentlemen who had greeted them were their loyal friends and it would have shocked them that she could behave so badly, so he was now calling them back so that she could apologize.

There was a lot of description then which Margaret skipped, but all the ladies and gentlemen came back, and Anastasia stood at the bottom of the staircase facing them, and said she was sorry but she had been brought up in England where everybody said what they thought. When that was over the ladies and gentlemen drew back and the King and Queen, followed by Anastasia, started to climb the stairs. Then there was a pistol shot and the King fell. The Queen flung herself on him and said he was dead. Anastasia clung to the banister frozen (so the script said) with terror, and then a man called out, ‘Long live the Queen’ and this was taken up by all. Anastasia suddenly realized that it was her they were calling Queen. With tears pouring down her face she managed to bow to the kneeling ladies and gentlemen, then the curtain fell. But that was as far as Margaret got for her head had rolled on to the script and she was fast asleep.