The Mill House Read Online Free Page A

wizardry they'd greatly enjoyed teaching their grandma, whose mastery of the techniques afforded them much amusement.
    Julia was jealous, of course, because her own mother didn't share such a closeness with the children. However, a visit to her own mother could make a sneak peek inside Pandora's box seem the safer option, so she generally kept visits to Gloucestershire to a minimum.
    'So, my dear, how are you filling your days now?' Emma enquired, as they left Josh spouting agent advice down the phone to one of his American authors who had carte blanche to call any time of the day or night. 'You must be rattling about in that big house of yours, wondering what on earth to do with yourself, with the children at school all day and Joshua working so hard.'
    'Oh, but I barely have a minute to think,' Julia protested, 'what with trying to squeeze my personal trainer in between the manicurist and nutritionist, who have to work around my spiritual guru and the woman with swatches. Then I have to find time for the hairdresser and epicurean facialist, both great artists in their field who really won't be rushed ... Honestly, I don't know how I cope.'
    Emma's glassy expression was full of contempt. 'I was merely trying to make polite conversation,' she said coldly. 'But as usual, you mock me.'
    'I have a job, Emma,' Julia reminded her. 'I write and edit books, remember? So why would you think I have a problem filling my days?'
    Emma pushed open the door to her spotless kitchen and made for the kettle. 'I thought you'd given it up,' she commented tersely.
    'Why would I do that when Josh has bought us a house with a dream study just for me?'
    'And you never go in it.'
    Julia flinched. Clearly Josh had discussed this with his mother, which irked her immensely. 'Not true,' she said, reaching for mugs and wishing she could ask for wine. No point though, Emma only stocked undrinkable sweet sherry. 'My masseuse has plenty of room to set up her portable couch in there, and it's a good space for yoga.'
    Emma regarded her with even greater disdain. 'I hope you don't mind me saying,' she said, clearly not caring a hoot if Julia did, 'but looking at you now ... Well, frankly my dear, if you've really got all that beauty back-up you could be wasting your money. Or should I say, Josh's money.'
    The insult almost took Julia's breath away. OK, she wasn't looking her best these days, but for her mother-in-law to be so brutal about it, when she clearly knew, thanks to Josh, that Julia was having some problems with depression - or whatever the hell was wrong with her - was just plain cruel. But that was so like Emma, who seized every opportunity to belittle her daughter-in-law, and right now, this minute, Julia wasn't going to take it. 'The trouble with you, Emma, she said scathingly, 'is that you still can't stand the fact that I took your precious son away, can you? As far as you're concerned I've always been the enemy, even while Josh was struggling to get his agency off the ground, and I was picking up all your bills. Yes, I can see that being dependent on your daughter- in-law would have been galling for a woman like you, but it wasn't me who left you in dire straits, Emma, it was your husband. There wasn't even enough to pay for his funeral, and do you know,
    to this day, you've never thanked me for sorting it out. Instead you don't even bother to disguise your contempt for me and everything I stand for. In fact ...'
    The stricken look on Emma's face brought her to a crashing halt. Christ, what was she saying? just how deeply did she want to hurt this woman? She was getting on in years now, and though her motherly possessiveness and snobbish illusions were irritating, they were her only sins. So to rub her misfortune in her face by reminding her of all the heartache she had suffered when her husband had left her virtually destitute, was unconscionable, unforgivable, and only went to prove just how far down the slippery slope she had descended that