malevolent. Like in
The Birds
.â
âRobins are territorial and aggressive. They mark out their living space and will attack trespassers.â
Lucyâs vision settled, and she peered at her brother. She noticed the flecks of white in his stubble. âYou look dreadful.â
âMy mother died, and Iâve been on an aeroplane for twenty-six hours.â
âDonât startââ
âThe springs on my old bed are completely useless. Should have known youâd grab the only decent mattress in the house.â
He sat on the edge of her bed and swung his legs beneath him. Lucy knew he was controlling an urge to suck his thumb.
âI wish Cordelia and the kids were here,â he said.
Lucy, by contrast, did not wish Richard and the boys were there at all. She had always wanted to keep them as far away from all this as she possibly could. George stared out the window for a moment. Lucy followed his gaze, wondering if he was thinking the same thing as her, remembering the weekends they roamed the park behind the house together while Mother lay in bed.
âThereâs something I want to run by you. Obviously, Mum has left the house to the two of us.â
He paused. Lucy looked at him, curious.
âIâll get it valued before I leave, and then . . .â He hesitated. A brown moth fluttered against the glass, futilely crashing against it. Lucy reached for a magazine, rolled it into a baton, and raised her arm, but George opened the top window and tenderly guided the disorientated insect outside. As it flew away, he continued, carefully, as if he had been practicing. âCordelia and I would like to buy your share. Whatever the estate agent says, weâll give you. In fact, we can get a few valuations and then average them.â
âOkay.â
âNo, I want you to talk it over with Richardââ
âRichard wonât have a problem.â
âItâs just Cordelia knows a brother and sister who did this, and then ten years later when the house had tripled in value one of them came back for more money, and we couldnât have that; it would be a once-off thing.â
(
Gosh,
thought Lucy,
maybe it is true that thereâs no such thing as the perfect family?
)
âI said itâs okay.â Lucy suppressed her urge to pat him on the head and moved the conversation on. âWhat will you do with the house?â
George looked at her, surprised.
âWeâre going to come back and live here. Weâve been thinking about it for a while, and now . . . I love this house. I had happy times here. I canât think of anywhere better to bring up my kids.â
Lucy did not know what to say. It seemed unspeakably inappropriate to start listing reasons why they had had a terrible childhood. So instead she replied, âThatâs cool.â
âCordelia knew youâd be fine with it. She sees auras round people, and sheâs says yours is yellow.â
âIs yellow good?â
George nodded. Lucy decided to peel the smiley-face sticker off the royal wedding commemorative plate. Cordelia could have it if she really wanted it.
âGeorge. Itâs only seven oâclock. You must be exhausted. Why donât you lie down in here and Iâll bring you some breakfast? Itâs going to be a horrid day.â
âThank you, Lucy.â
âAnd George . . . Iâm sorryââ
âFor what?â
That I could not sacrifice myself to save you
,
she thought, but she said, âFor everything. Everything that happened. Everything you went through that I didnât.â
Lucy pulled an old school sweatshirt she had found in the bottom of her wardrobe over her nightshirt and headed for the door.
âDid I tell you Cordeliaâs training to be a therapist?â said George.
Lucy turned, unsure what she felt about this piece of news.
âAnyway, the first thing they said to her
Mariah Dietz
Christine Brae
Karin Slaughter
S Mazhar
authors_sort
Margaret S. Haycraft
Laura Landon
Elizabeth Haydon
Patti Shenberger
Carlotte Ashwood