The Faithless - Martina Cole [23]
‘What do you think of Jonny’s restaurant, Cynth? It’s lovely, ain’t it? Really upmarket.’
Cynthia nodded and forced herself to answer her sister. ‘Beautiful, Celeste, really smart.’
Celeste knew that her sister was putting on an act, but she didn’t mind; after all, this was preferable to her causing murders, and Cynthia was more than capable of doing just that. To Cynthia, a good fight was all in a day’s work, and it was wearing at times. Celeste was a great believer in a quiet life. She could never understand her sister’s need to make everything a drama. She had a mouth on her, and she knew how to say things so they were not just hurtful, but also seemed to hold a modicum of truth. That was how she justified what she said. She was a hard taskmaster – she could destroy a person’s reputation with her insinuations.
She was vocal in her opinions on how kids should be brought up, and how women should act as mothers and wives, even though she never bothered with her own kids. She had an opinion on everything and everyone, yet she couldn’t see herself clearly or how people perceived her. If Cynthia only knew how disliked she was by both women and men, she would be genuinely surprised – not that she had ever cared what women thought of her, Celeste knew. But she was aware that her sister assumed every man she encountered found her as fascinating as she herself did. She loved herself all right, and it was a shame that love didn’t extend to the other people in her life. Maybe then she would be a happier person. Still, Celeste was shrewd enough to keep those thoughts to herself; she knew that everyone liked her because she didn’t express the majority of the thoughts that came into her mind. She had learned very young that it brought you nothing but grief.
Cynthia, on the other hand, saw it as her God-given right to tell it like it is in a vicious and demeaning way. Cynthia didn’t care if someone took it badly; she loved upsetting people, loved the negative vibe she created wherever she went. But it left a bad taste in everyone’s mouth, and Cynthia was now basically persona non grata with just about everyone in her orbit.
‘I wouldn’t eat here if you weren’t my sister, to be honest. It’s a bit ostentatious for my liking.’
Celeste replied amiably, as always, ‘Well, people seem to like it, Cynth, so I think we’ll do all right.’
Celeste smiled as she spoke, and Cynthia felt the rage at her sister being the beneficiary of all this money and kudos. As the wife of a man of means she would always be afforded a great deal of respect, and it was that respect Cynthia wanted more than anything else. It was that respect that would have afforded her the life she felt she deserved, the life she should have demanded. But all she’d been given was boredom, a firm belief in the power of a good insurance policy and hope for an early death for the fucker she’d lumbered herself with. If it was left to her, James would have a massive heart attack and she could start all over again. Properly this time, and with the hindsight she wished she’d had at the outset.
‘Well, Celeste, people always want what’s new and different, although it soon wears thin. Still, in fairness, he’s done a good job.’
The naked envy was evident and Celeste felt a deep sadness for this sister of hers who, if she would only relax and stop wanting the impossible, could enjoy her life like everyone else. Celeste smiled once more and suddenly hugged her sister to her. She said happily, ‘Thanks, Cynth. If you like it then it must be good!’
Cynthia preened at the praise and, feeling magnanimous, said kindly, ‘You’re getting there, Celeste, so don’t let it bother you too much.’
‘I won’t. Thanks for coming, mate, it means a lot.’
Cynthia was thrilled at how her sister saw her as the yardstick for her husband’s new enterprises. It was another