Read My Sister Celia for Free Online

had enough, hadn ’ t you?”
    “Oh, but it ’ s terribly kind of everyone to be so interested!” she protested.
    “Why? It ’ s as good as a free seat at the theatre, for them,” he retorted carelessly. “And you were finding it all a bit of a strain, weren ’ t you?”
    “Well, it ’ s all rather—rather unreal. Except for the one stunning fact of Celia ’ s existence.”
    “And that,” he suggested kindly, “is the biggest thing that has happened to you in years.”
    “I suppose,” she said soberly, “it ’ s the biggest thing that has ever happened to me. The discovery that there ’ s someone in the world, after all, who really—belongs to me.”
    She bit her lip suddenly, for, with all the excitement and the emotion of the last hour or two, she felt again near tears. Just as she had at that moment when Celia put her arms round her and kissed her.
    He seemed to realize that, for he gave her a few minutes to collect herself before he spoke again. Then he said,
    “You mustn ’ t mind, Freda, if I remind you that, in a very real sense, she also belongs to some other people too.”
    “Why—of course.” Freda looked surprised. “I don ’ t mind that at all.”
    “Don ’ t you?” He looked at her curiously and smiled faintly. “Then you ’ re singularly undemanding—which may make things easier.”
    “I don’t think—I understand.” Freda spoke doubtfully.
    “No? I’ll try to explain.” He paused, as those choosing his words carefully. Then he went on—“Celia is an usually warm, rich and attractive personality—”
    “Yes, I see that!” Freda interrupted eagerly.
    “And she quite naturally inspired a deep and possessive affection in people.”
    He paused again, and Freda asked doubtfully, “Why possessive?”
    “I can ’ t tell you, exactly. Except that perhaps it ’ s natural to want to be first with anyone so attractive. She ’ s quite innocent about it herself. She can ’ t be unaware of it, because she is intelligent, but she ’ s not in the least a trouble-maker— ”
    “I ’ m sure she ’ s not!” interjected Freda indignantly, and, smiling, he leaned forward to pat her hand, as though to reassure her that he understood how
    “It ’ s just that she is the kind of girl who naturally inspires a certain amount of jealousy and competition among those who love her and want to be first with her.”
    “Do you love her and want to be first with her?” enquired Freda, before she could stop herself.
    “Of course ,” he retorted lightly. “I ’ ve told you—we all do.” But he smiled as he said that, so that she was not quite sure how seriously he meant the words. “But I at least don ’ t resent your appearing on the scene.”
    “Meaning,” Freda said quickly, “that someone else may?”
    “It ’ s possible.”
    “Your parents, in fact?”
    “I was thinking of them. Try not to blame them too much, if they do, because —”
    “I shan ’ t blame them,” Freda interrupted gently. “I think I understand. You mean they will be a little frightened. Because they ’ ve always wanted to think of her as their own flesh and blood, and if a real sister turns up, that could undermine their sense of security.”
    “Something like that. You see, they adore Celia. She ’ s been the pet of the household from the very beginning, and they just think there ’ s no one like her.”
    “I—see,” Freda said slowly. “Then it ’ s going to be a shock for them to discover that there is someone exactly like her, so far as looks go.”
    “And someone with a very special claim on her,” he added.
    “I shan ’ t make any claim on her,” Freda protested.
    “Not in the ordinary sense of the term, I ’ m sure. In fact, as I said before, you seem to be singularly undemanding,” he said kindly. “But no one has ever been able to disprove the saying that blood is thicker than water.”
    “N—no,” agreed Freda, aware that the particular application of the saying