Free Divided Loyalties by Patricia Scanlan Page B

I borrowed your dressing gown,’ she said casually as she sat down at the table. Shauna felt her blood pressure rise. Della had no qualms about going into her room,
borrowing dressing gowns, perfume, make-up, whatever. There were no boundaries where she was concerned.
    Stop being petty
, she told herself crossly, not wanting to get into a bad humour.
    ‘Just bacon for me, no sausages or fried bread. That’s laden with cholesterol,’ Della said self-righteously.
    ‘Ah get a life,’ Greg jeered and Eddie laughed. ‘Lash it on here, boyo,’ he urged Greg greedily.
    Shauna tried to ignore her feelings of distaste as she watched her brother-in-law shovel egg, sausage, bacon and mushrooms into his mouth.
    ‘Did Kathryn have some breakfast?’ Della asked idly.
    ‘Porridge,’ Shauna said dryly. ‘I fed the two of them.’
    ‘Excellent.’ Her sister-in-law ignored the pointed barb and buttered some toast. ‘Are we going for a walk on the beach?’ she asked. ‘The weather’s picked
up.’
    ‘You go if you’re that energetic.’ Her husband shook his head.
    ‘Will we bring the kids?’ Della turned to Shauna.
    ‘OK,’ Shauna agreed. It was a gorgeous day, cold and clear, perfect for a bracing walk on the beach, and she wanted Chloe to get some fresh air.
    Three hours later she and Della were strolling back along the strand to the car while the children ran and skipped gaily ahead of them.
    ‘This is a great amenity to have on your doorstep, and to be so near the city,’ Della remarked.
    ‘Yeah, it is. Having been brought up by the sea, I always wanted to live by the sea.’
    ‘And you’re so near town, lucky thing.’ Della’s little hazelnut eyes gleamed enviously.
    ‘Cavan is nice too. You have that lovely lake close to you, and gorgeous countryside.’
    ‘Um,’ Della said unenthusiastically.
    ‘And all that organic meat and veg you can get,’ Shauna wittered on, wondering whether she would get a chance to do some more Christmas shopping. She was almost finished but she had
a few last-minute stocking fillers to get and she was trying to be as organized as possible.
    ‘Will I get you an organic turkey? I can order it from the butcher I get
all
my organic meat from. I couldn’t
bear
a frozen turkey.’ Della sniffed.
    ‘I wouldn’t
dream
of serving a frozen turkey.’ Shauna was stung by her sister-in-law’s smug superiority. ‘I’ve got an organic turkey on order already
and I’ll be getting veg and potatoes fresh from Dan. So you needn’t worry about the quality of food you’ll be eating,’ she added tartly.
    ‘Oh, I didn’t mean anything. Your food is always delicious.’ Della backtracked rapidly.
    Smug bitch.
Shauna was hopping mad.
Don’t let her get to you
, she told herself, trying to regain her equilibrium. This was what she hated about Della: her sister-in-law
could press her buttons so easily. Was she just extra prickly or was she justified in feeling mad? Her dad pushed her buttons, Della pushed her buttons, Eddie pushed her buttons. She was a
disaster, she thought glumly.
    Carrie got on great with her sisters-in-law; they were very nice girls. Could Della be described as ‘nice’ in any circumstances? Shauna didn’t honestly think so.
    ‘I wonder will we have a white Christmas?’ She wrapped her scarf tighter round her and changed the subject. It was bitterly cold and the tops of the Dublin Mountains were covered in
snow.
    ‘The kids would love it. Maybe we should come early on Christmas Eve in case the roads are icy,’ the other woman said offhandedly.
    Shauna’s jaw dropped. Della was planning to come on
Christmas Eve
! She could get lost. Shauna would have enough on her plate without having the three of them in the house the day
before Christmas. She took a deep breath. This was too much. She’d been manipulated enough; it was time to put her foot down.
    ‘If you don’t mind, Della, I’d prefer if you did Christmas Eve in your own house with Kathryn.