Carolina Isle by Jude Deveraux Read Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Jude Deveraux
wasnât much light, but the moon gave a bit of a glow so they could see each other. âAriel said that you were â¦â He didnât finish his sentence, but she knew what he was thinking.
âAriel said I was fat, didnât she?â
He smiled. âActually, yes. But youâre the same size she is.â
âI lost the weight Iâd gained in college after about four months of working for R.J. Walking in New York while carrying R.J.âs dry cleaning and his steak lunches firmed me up.â
âWhatever you did, you look great.â
Sara could feel her face turn as rosy as the sweater and she was glad it was dark so he couldnât see her clearly.
She took a deep breath. This was it. Meeting Arielâs mother was the true test of her acting ability. It was her own private audition for a part that only she could play. âShall we go?â she said, then followed David to the house. She waited on the big, deep porch with its lovely white-painted wicker chairs and flowered cushions as he hauled four of Arielâs suitcases up the stairs.
Sara wasnât surprised when David inserted a key in the lock of Arielâs house.
The house was as grand and as beautiful as Ariel had told her it was. It had been built in 1832, on top of the foundations of a much older house built by one of Arielâs ancestors. TheWeatherly family was even richer then than they were now, so the house was big and lavish. Every surface seemed to have been decorated with a piece of white-painted wood. Every corner had little turned pieces of wood that were fitted into other little turned pieces of wood. Sara was sure that the house was a perfect example of some type of architecture, but it wasnât to her taste.
Standing at the top of the stairs was an older woman, her shoulders back, her stomach pulled in. She had gray hair piled neatly and intricately on top of her head and she was wearing a lavender chiffon bathrobe over a lavender chiffon nightgown. She looked beautiful and formidable at the same time.
âAriel,â she said in a voice that wasnât quite a shout; still Sara knew that if they were in a theater and the microphones broke, this woman could carry on without them. âYou are very late.â
âHello, Miss Pommy,â David said from behind her.
Sara saw the womanâs face change from stern to sweet in an instant. She gazed at David with love in her eyes. Did Ariel tell me about this? she wondered. If so, she didnât remember it. Or hadshe heard it and dismissed it, thinking that of course everyone loved David?
âGood morning, David,â Mrs. Weatherly said, her voice lowering somewhat. âAnd how are you on this very early morning?â
âVery well. And you?â
She didnât answer, but looked at Sara. âAriel, you have a crease in your trousers. And have you been using that face cream I gave you? Your complexion looks like a teenagerâs. Iâll make an appointment for the dermatologist for tomorrow.â
Sara could only gape at her. One of her great vanities was her skin. In spite of too much sun and nothing to put on it but soap and water, her skin was one of her best features. Yet this woman â¦
Sara forced herself to smile. âIs that a new gown, Mother? You look beautiful in it.â
âDonât be impertinent,â Mrs. Weatherly snapped, then turned and started back up the stairs. âDavid, see that she gets into her room. Ariel, I will see you in the morning and you will be given a chance to explain your unpardonable bad behavior.â
Sara stood there, her mouth agape, as shewatched her walk up the stairs, then enter a room and close the door. She looked back at David, speechless.
âTranslation: She missed you, was worried about you, and she wants to see you first thing in the morning to hear all about your trip.â
Chapter Five
T HE NEXT MORNING, SARA WAS WAITING on the street corner
âAriel said I was fat, didnât she?â
He smiled. âActually, yes. But youâre the same size she is.â
âI lost the weight Iâd gained in college after about four months of working for R.J. Walking in New York while carrying R.J.âs dry cleaning and his steak lunches firmed me up.â
âWhatever you did, you look great.â
Sara could feel her face turn as rosy as the sweater and she was glad it was dark so he couldnât see her clearly.
She took a deep breath. This was it. Meeting Arielâs mother was the true test of her acting ability. It was her own private audition for a part that only she could play. âShall we go?â she said, then followed David to the house. She waited on the big, deep porch with its lovely white-painted wicker chairs and flowered cushions as he hauled four of Arielâs suitcases up the stairs.
Sara wasnât surprised when David inserted a key in the lock of Arielâs house.
The house was as grand and as beautiful as Ariel had told her it was. It had been built in 1832, on top of the foundations of a much older house built by one of Arielâs ancestors. TheWeatherly family was even richer then than they were now, so the house was big and lavish. Every surface seemed to have been decorated with a piece of white-painted wood. Every corner had little turned pieces of wood that were fitted into other little turned pieces of wood. Sara was sure that the house was a perfect example of some type of architecture, but it wasnât to her taste.
Standing at the top of the stairs was an older woman, her shoulders back, her stomach pulled in. She had gray hair piled neatly and intricately on top of her head and she was wearing a lavender chiffon bathrobe over a lavender chiffon nightgown. She looked beautiful and formidable at the same time.
âAriel,â she said in a voice that wasnât quite a shout; still Sara knew that if they were in a theater and the microphones broke, this woman could carry on without them. âYou are very late.â
âHello, Miss Pommy,â David said from behind her.
Sara saw the womanâs face change from stern to sweet in an instant. She gazed at David with love in her eyes. Did Ariel tell me about this? she wondered. If so, she didnât remember it. Or hadshe heard it and dismissed it, thinking that of course everyone loved David?
âGood morning, David,â Mrs. Weatherly said, her voice lowering somewhat. âAnd how are you on this very early morning?â
âVery well. And you?â
She didnât answer, but looked at Sara. âAriel, you have a crease in your trousers. And have you been using that face cream I gave you? Your complexion looks like a teenagerâs. Iâll make an appointment for the dermatologist for tomorrow.â
Sara could only gape at her. One of her great vanities was her skin. In spite of too much sun and nothing to put on it but soap and water, her skin was one of her best features. Yet this woman â¦
Sara forced herself to smile. âIs that a new gown, Mother? You look beautiful in it.â
âDonât be impertinent,â Mrs. Weatherly snapped, then turned and started back up the stairs. âDavid, see that she gets into her room. Ariel, I will see you in the morning and you will be given a chance to explain your unpardonable bad behavior.â
Sara stood there, her mouth agape, as shewatched her walk up the stairs, then enter a room and close the door. She looked back at David, speechless.
âTranslation: She missed you, was worried about you, and she wants to see you first thing in the morning to hear all about your trip.â
Chapter Five
T HE NEXT MORNING, SARA WAS WAITING on the street corner