Sea of Lost Love by Santa Montefiore Read Free Book Online Page B

you?”
    â€œBut she produced a lion?” Celestria retorted.
    â€œOnly one lion, and that was on account of your grandfather, who was a lion, too,” Pamela replied with emphasis. “Now there is only one lion in this family, and I married him. Archie’s a badger, and, as for Penelope, she’s a wild boar.”
    â€œMama, you’re so cruel!”
    â€œThe animal kingdom is a cruel world, darling. Dog eat dog, but the hyena eats the remains of everyone else’s meal.”
    Elizabeth Montague was escorted into the room by her first cousin, Humphrey Hornby-Hume, a large barrel of a man with ruddy cheeks and bulbous eyes that glistened like undercooked eggs. Elizabeth’s face was set in its usual scowl. Years of indignation had corroded any memory of joy. Her face had simply forgotten how to smile, and she was now too old to be reeducated. She always wore black in the evening, claiming that it was the most flattering color for a woman with one foot in the grave, and she walked with a stick, one hip stiff and painful due to arthritis. She smoked incessantly, reminding everyone that cigarettes and food were her only remaining pleasures—except for Monty, whom she worshipped with a fierce and possessive love, and her grandson Bouncy, who she claimed to be the image of her dear brother who was killed in the Great War. Elizabeth adored men, perhaps because the envy she felt for women younger and prettier than herself was too much to withstand. It was impossible to imagine that this full-figured woman with wide, lopsided hips and stout legs had once been handsome, and a terrible flirt.
    As they entered the room, Monty, the dutiful son, strode up and kissed her gnarled hands, followed hastily by Archie, the birthday boy. The old woman’s face thawed at the sight of her favorite son, and her mouth twitched with the beginnings of a smile. Archie backed away, used to being eclipsed by his more charismatic brother. Julia noticed, as she always did, and her heart buckled with compassion.
    Nevertheless, she greeted her mother-in-law with the same warmth with which she greeted everyone. There seemed to be no side to Julia; she was a ray of sunshine beaming down on everyone indiscriminately. If she disliked her mother-in-law, she certainly never let it show. Instead, she flattered her, echoed boisterously by Humphrey, who seemed never to notice his cousin’s sour humor.
    â€œNow the most important member of the family is here, I think we should proceed into the tent. The guests will be arriving shortly,” Julia suggested.
    â€œAh, you are too generous! I don’t deserve such praise!” Humphrey quipped in his thin, reedy voice.
    â€œYour jokes have never been funny, Humphrey,” Elizabeth replied with a dismissive snort. “I’m certainly the oldest person here. I only come to Archie’s party to remind the world that I am still alive.”
    â€œWell, let’s go and show them,” Julia persisted, trying to usher them through the room.
    â€œI don’t want them all celebrating when there’s nothing to rejoice about,” the old woman continued.
    â€œMy dear cousin, if ever there was a woman so full of life…” Humphrey began.
    â€œAnd laughter,” Elizabeth cut in sourly. “I know, Humphrey, I’m the life and soul of the party. Get me a drink and a chair, or I shall quite literally be the soul of the party, and we don’t want that, do we?”
    â€œArchie, darling, perhaps you could make an announcement,” Julia proposed, suddenly looking rather weary.
    Archie cleared his throat. “Attention everyone!” he exclaimed, puffing out his chest importantly. No one seemed to notice.
    â€œSpeak up, boy, we can’t hear you!” shouted Elizabeth, bashing her stick repeatedly on the wooden floor until the china began to wobble in the glass cabinet against the wall. At once everyone stopped talking and turned