The Considine Curse by Gareth P. Jones Read Free Book Online

just like the one in Grandma’s bedroom.
    ‘It might be hanging from the mirror,’ she says.
    I look up and see the necklace. I shut the drawer and hand the necklace to her. Amelia emerges wearing a bright pink puffy dress. ‘It’s too much, isn’t it? You don’t have to be kind. I’d rather you were honest. What do you think?’
    ‘Maybe something a bit more casual would be better,’ I say.
    Amelia nods and vanishes behind the screen again.
    In the end when we leave for town she is wearing a pair of jeans and a red top.
    ‘I’m surprised trains are still running with all this snow,’ says Mum.
    ‘Me too,’ says Aunt Celeste, ‘but I checked this morning and by some miracle there are still trains today. Everyone moans about the snow in this country but to me it is very beautiful.’
    ‘You and Kitson were still living in France when I emigrated,’ says Mum. ‘Weren’t you tempted to stay there?’
    ‘Oh yes, I would have happily stayed in France but there was no question of it. Flora made that clear when we came over for your father’s funeral. How you managed to get away, Lynda, I don’t know. Your mother used Frank’s death to make all her sons come home. She made them feel guilty until they all gave in and came back.’
    ‘Grandma just wanted her family around her,’ says Amelia defensively.
    Todminton station is little more than an empty platform and a closed ticket office. Aunt Celeste and Mum sit inside a shelter to wait for the train. Amelia and I walk along the platform together.
    ‘Why did Grandma want everyone close by?’ I ask.
    ‘She always taught us to look after each other,’ replies Amelia.
    ‘Like how you all looked out for Oberon when he went swimming in the lake the other day?’
    ‘Like that, yes,’ replies Amelia.
    ‘I don’t think he likes me,’ I say.
    ‘Oh, take no notice of him. You know what boys are like,’ says Amelia dismissively.
    I’m tempted to tell her about the open window in his room last night, but instead I ask, ‘What will you all do with Louvre House?’
    ‘It’s yours too,’ says Amelia. ‘She left it to all of us.’
    ‘Try telling Oberon that,’ I say.
    ‘You really shouldn’t worry about him. He’s just very upset about Grandma dying.’
    ‘So everyone keeps saying.’

Chapter 7
    Amelia’s Aroma
    The houses on the outskirts of Chilton are big and spaced out with well-kept gardens but the ones closer to the town centre stand shoulder to shoulder and have small concrete yards at the back. The train crosses an icy canal and enters the station. Aunt Celeste and Amelia point us in the direction of their favourite shops and we arrange to meet up in a cafe after Amelia’s audition.
    ‘Good luck with the audition,’ I say.
    ‘You’re supposed to say “Break a leg” when it’s acting,’ Amelia replies.
    I feel like saying that putting on a jumper and saying three words is barely acting but Amelia has been nothing but nice to me so I reply, ‘Break a leg.’
    Mum lets me buy what I want and doesn’t seem to mind how much it all costs.
    ‘What are credit cards for?’ she says breezily.
    For Mum, shopping solves lots of problems. She takes me shopping if we’ve had an argument and she wants to make up. Or if she has split up with a boyfriend and wants to make herself feel better. Or if she’s just feeling down and in need of some ‘retail therapy’. Today she is feeling guilty. As we step outside the shopping centre she says, ‘I really am sorry I didn’t tell you about my family all this time.’
    ‘Sorry?’ I snap. ‘You keep my entire family secret from me all my life and you think one shopping trip will make it all better. You’ve lied to me my whole life.’
    ‘I’ve always acted with your best interests at heart.’
    ‘What? Being kept away from my family? Never knowing my cousins?’
    ‘You don’t know what that woman was like,’ she says.
    ‘You mean my grandma?’ I say. ‘What was wrong with her? She