The Storm Sister (The Seven Sisters #2) by Lucinda Riley Read Free Book Online Page A

like to drive, Mademoiselle Ally?’ Christian indicated my usual seat in front of the wheel where I would sit and speed us across the still, calm waters
of Lake Geneva.
    ‘Not today, Christian,’ I said and he nodded at me sombrely, his expression confirming that everything I knew already was true. He started the engine, and I slumped onto one of the
seats at the back, my head hanging miserably, unable to look anywhere but down as I remembered how Pa Salt had sat me on his knee as a tiny child and let me steer for the first time. Now, just
minutes away from not only having to face reality, but also having to acknowledge the fact that I’d failed to pick up my family’s messages or respond to them, I wondered how any god
could take me from the heights of joy to the abject despair I felt as we approached Atlantis.
    From the lake, everything beyond the immaculate hedges that shielded the house from view looked as it always had. Surely, I prayed as Christian eased us into the jetty and I climbed out and
moored the boat securely to the bollard, there’d been some mistake? Pa would be here to greet me any moment, he
had
to be here . . .
    Within a few seconds, I saw CeCe and Star approaching across the lawns. Then Tiggy appeared, and I heard her shout something through the open front door of the house as she hurried to catch up
with her two older sisters. I began to run up the lawn to meet them, but my knees went weak with dread and I drew to a halt as I read their shared expressions.
    Ally
, I entreated myself,
you’re the leader here, you have to pull yourself together
. . .
    ‘Ally! Oh Ally, we’re all so glad you’re here!’ Tiggy reached me first as I stood immobile on the grass, trying to appear calm. She threw her arms around me and hugged me
tightly. ‘We’ve been waiting for you to come for days!’
    CeCe was the next to reach me, then Star – her shadow – who remained silent but joined Tiggy in our mutual embrace.
    Eventually, I pulled away, noticing the tears in my sisters’ eyes, and we walked up to Atlantis together in silence.
    Seeing the house, I was struck by another pang of loss. Pa Salt had called this our private kingdom. Dating back to the eighteenth century, it even looked like a fairy-tale castle, with its four
turrets and pink-painted exterior. Cocooned on its private peninsula and surrounded by magnificent gardens, I’d always felt safe here – but already it felt empty without Pa Salt.
    As we arrived on the terrace, Maia, my eldest sister, emerged from the Pavilion that sat to the side of the main house. I could see her lovely features were marked by pain, but they lightened
into relief as she saw me.
    ‘Ally!’ she breathed, as she rushed to greet me.
    ‘Maia,’ I said as she clasped her arms around me, ‘isn’t it absolutely awful?’
    ‘Yes, just ghastly. But how did you hear? We’ve been trying to contact you for the last two days.’
    ‘Shall we go inside?’ I asked the assembled company. ‘And then I’ll explain.’
    While my other sisters crowded around me as we walked into the house, Maia lagged behind. Even though she was the eldest and the one they looked to individually if they had an emotional problem,
as a group, it was me who always took command. And I knew she was letting me do so now.
    Ma was already waiting for us in the entrance hall and enveloped me in a warm, silent embrace. I let myself sink into the comfort of her arms and clutched her tightly to me. I was relieved when
she suggested we all head into the kitchen – it had been a long journey and I was desperate for some coffee.
    As Claudia, our housekeeper, prepared a large cafetière, Electra sidled into the room, her long, dark limbs managing to look effortlessly elegant in shorts and a T-shirt.
    ‘Ally.’ She greeted me quietly, and close up I could see how weary she looked, as if someone had burst her and drained the fire out of her incredible amber eyes. She gave me a brief
hug and