The Sisters by Nadine Matheson Page A

tables. She wondered what their conversations were about. She’d always been intrigued by people and she revelled in the fact that when she sang she could effectively be in control of the emotions people felt, although she felt repelled when someone had told her more than once that they’d conceived their child whilst listening to a Euterpe song.
    As she sat and waited she was more than aware of a few heads turning to look at her and then those heads frantically met together as the same question passed between their lips. ‘Is it her? I’m sure it’s her.’
    Jessica looked at her watch again. She was late and she knew that Lucinda was the sort of woman who prided herself on always being on time or annoyingly early. That was one thing that they’d always say about Euterpe. Thanks to Lucinda they had never left anyone waiting. As the cab turned into Smithfield’s market Jessica asked herself again why she had agreed to have dinner with Lucinda. Dinner was a commitment. Dinner meant sitting at a table for a minimum of two hours. She should have suggested a pub. She should have suggested an underground car park. Anything but dinner.
     
    Lucinda felt her before she saw her. Sal, their old manager, had always said that the LeSoeur sisters walked with a presence. She’d never quite understood what it meant when people said that but when she turned her neck and saw how the conversations stalled and the waiters stopped when Jessica walked through the room she now knew exactly what he meant. Lucinda stood up as Jessica approached unsure of what the etiquette was now that they’d technically been estranged. Should she hug her, kiss her on the cheek? She couldn’t just shake her hand and then sit down. That would be ridiculous. The decision was made for her when Jessica walked up to the table and immediately sat down.
    ‘You look well,’ Jessica said, and annoyingly she actually meant it. Lucinda looked beautiful as she stood there and had caused more than a few heads to turn as she walked into the restaurant earlier wearing a floral print Chloe dress and gold sandals.
    ‘My hair is a mess. The humidity is playing havoc with it,’ Lucinda said as she pushed back the black curls from her forehead and sat down with the sad realisation that there wasn’t going to be the onslaught of screams and hugs that normally went on between sisters who hardly saw each other.
    ‘I like your hair. I always thought that you had the right face for short hair,’ Lucinda said as she indicated for the waiter to come over. ‘You’re ok with red aren’t you?’
    ‘Yes, that’s fine thanks. How are the twins?’
    ‘They’re good. I think that they’re pleased that we’re here. It’s good for them to be here with their family. I mean look at Lena and Katelyn. They’ve hardly got off the phone with each other.’
    Jessica couldn’t deny that. Lena didn’t have any siblings and she often thought that she was being selfish by not having any other children. To rob her of the sisterly relationship that she had with Katelyn would be cruel. Both sisters breathed a sigh of relief as the waiter came over and took their orders.
    ‘So, why are you back?’ Jessica asked as soon as the waiter left.
    ‘Talk about getting straight to the point.’
    ‘Well there’s not much point in trying to make small talk. So, why are you back?’
    Lucinda said nothing as she lifted her wine glass to her lips. As she did so, it occurred to Jessica that Lucinda was giving her the same look that her clients did when they were being challenged and they didn’t like it.
    ‘I outgrew New York.’
    ‘You outgrew it?’
    ‘Yes, I outgrew it and anyway, London is a better environment for the twins.’
    ‘So, you’re doing this for them. It’s not all about you.’
    ‘Not everything is about me.’
    ‘Could have fooled me,’ Jessica said bitterly. They’d both decided not to have starters and had moved straight to their main course. They’d both chosen a