The Twin with the Purple Heart

One of the girls had unblemished skin,

One had a purple mark,

But for the stain on her shoulder there

You couldn't tell them apart.

While Jane was born at quarter to three

Joan was at ten to four,

Jane was destined for wealth and fame,

While Joan would be always poor!

 

As Joan had cried, the mother died,

The bombers were over the town,

The hospital where the daughters lay

Was hit, came tumbling down.

An aunt took Jane, and headed north,

A nurse took Joan due west,

So one was raised in a simple home,

The other had only the best.

 

The Marchioness of Huntingdon,

The title was left to Jane,

Along with a hundred thousand pounds,

A manor with moat, and game,

She'd heard that she had a twin out there

But lost in the war at the start,

She'd looked in vain, but the daughter Jane

Was the twin with the purple heart.

 

Her aunt had said, it marked her out,

The first born, and the heir,

To claim the entire inheritance,

Her sister had no share,

So Jane had put Joan out of her mind,

Grew arrogant, and vain,

If Joan turned up on her doorstep she

Would say that she had no claim!

 

She fell in love with a nobleman,

Impoverished though he was,

And he had envied the fortune that

His forebears long had lost,

He'd been betrothed to a simple girl

But said to return the ring,

A Baron wed to a Marchioness

Was a more exciting thing!

 

They wed in the Spring in a stately home,

His spurned ex-love had cried,

She kept the newspaper cuttings of

The bridegroom and the bride,

She swore she'd get her revenge one day,

That this was not the end,

And then the Baron had called on her,

Asked her to be his friend!

 

It seemed that Jane had worn him down,

Had cut him to the quick,

By keeping the Baron penniless,

She ruled, she held the stick!

He said that he wished that he'd stuck with her,

Had kept her for his own,

'The likeness is quite remarkable!'

He said to the grieving Joan.

 

They schemed, and then they hatched a plot,

She bought some purple dye,

Tried it out on her shoulder, drew

A heart, and he told her why:

'For you could pass for the Baroness,

I can't tell you apart,

To me it's plain, you could take her name

As the twin with the purple heart!'

 

So Joan turned up on the doorstep then,

And Jane was taken aback!

'If I didn't know much better, I

Would swear you're the twin I lack.'

They talked and compared the lives they'd led,

And Jane became afraid,

'Of course, there is no inheritance,

But we need a downstairs maid!'

 

So Joan moved in, and lived downstairs,

The kitchen became her home,

The Baron, he ignored her, played

The game that he'd planned with Joan.

While Jane was autocratic,

Treated Joan as the family shame,

With nothing of sister love to spare

While the plotters played their game.

 

While Joan was inking her shoulder, Jane

Came marching into her room,

'You want to look like your sister, well,

That's sweet,' and laughed in the gloom.

'Let's see how much we can fool him,

Wear my clothes and wait outside,

He's taking me on an outing,

Over there, by the riverside!

 

Joan dressed herself as Jane and went,

She thought it a joke supreme,

She'd be able to spend some time with him

While Jane thought it a scream,

The purple heart by her halter top

Reflected the summer sun,

While the Baron drove, not saying a word

As his world became undone.

 

He left her there in the water, drove

Back home, and he strode right in,

'My God, but you should have seen her!'

He began, as she walked to him.

He wet his finger and rubbed the heart,

Then paled, as she started to laugh,

'You can rub and rub 'til eternity,

I'm the twin with the purple heart!'

 

David Lewis Paget

Reviews

[Mark]

You are so adept at pointing out the dark impulses of humanity, David, but you never fail to see that the maldoers get their comeuppance. Unfortunate that all three of your protagonists were evil--first, avarice and pride, then sloth and avarice, then greed and lust--so one evil had to be the victor!

[Doreen]

I love the story, grabs you in from the start and holds you captive. Very nice. I love the wickedness and the twist. Very original and a great piece.

[Tomás Ó C..]

Its been a while since I read your work, and what a joy to read again your words. A fantastic tale and a great twist at the end,

[Phibby Venable]

david, this is a wonderful piece..holds the reader captive. sure, i am
pouting a little for a happy ending, but reality will have her way.
wonderful beat here. excellent.

[Valentine]

Wow David, this one is superb..one of your best and as always a twist at the end..You are so lucky to have been born with such talent..lol and God bless you and Lyn..Kathie

[Lena M. P.]

What an unusual and delightful twist at the end. Usually your stories have good overcoming evil but in this case both Joan and Jane were evil. Nicely done!

[Ferg]

oh the reverse switcheroo and karma biting once again in the arse........loved it!

[Ellen Hammond]

A wonderful irony! I love the twist at the end. A delightful read as always, my friend.

[emmajoy]

Superb poetry, great story, wonderfully surprising finish.

There are too many phrases and stanzas to select a preference so, I won't even try!