The Secrets Sisters Keep: A heartwarming, funny and emotional novel (The Devlin Sisters Book 2) Read Free Page A

we went.
    The triplets pinched, thumped, flicked, kicked and poked each other for the twenty minutes it took us to get to the school. I turned up the volume on the radio so I wouldn’t shout and tried to let the music calm my nerves.
    I had recently upgraded the battered family van I used to drive, which I’d hated, to a Hyundai Santa Fe and was very proud of my new car. It was only three years old, red, and had a leather interior. It quickly lost its appeal when I drove through the tall iron gates of Castle Academy: BMW, Porsche and Land Rover jeeps were  de rigueur . It was like a little oasis in the middle of the economic desert that was recession Ireland.
    As I stared up at the imposing castle in front of me, I could feel my hands getting clammy on the steering-wheel. This school was way out of my league – I’d never fit in here. All around us were acres of grounds. It was like something out of  Downton Abbey . OK, not quite, but close enough.
    I took deep breaths. The boys were quiet now in the back. They were intimidated too. I prayed they’d get on all right. I wanted them to be happy.
    I parked the car beside a shiny black Land Rover and turned to them. Faking a smile, I said, ‘OK, guys, this is it, your new school. Now, don’t be nervous. You’re going to have a great time and they’re lucky to have you. I want you to go in there and be yourselves – well, not your crazy selves, your good selves. OK?’
    They nodded. I’d never seen them so still and silent. We got out of the car and I watched as yummy-mummies greeted each other warmly, air-kissing and shrieking like teenagers. I gripped my handbag and stood close to the boys.
    My stomach lurched when I saw Victoria climbing delicately down from a powder blue Porsche Cayenne. She was wearing a tightly fitted silver-grey dress with sky-high strappy silver sandals. A huddle of women rushed over to her. She was clearly the queen bee. Most of her minions looked like clones of her – glossy blonde highlighted hair, stick-thin bodies, expensive clothes and manicured nails.
    I looked down at my nails. I’d painted them while I was watching  Mad Men  last night, but then Tom had wet his bed so I’d had to change the sheets and smudged most of them. I felt like a kid on her first day in school, watching the cool girls and knowing I’d never be one of them. I was always going to be an outsider here.
    Thankfully, I recognized one of the mums, Emily. I’d met her at a fashion show Sophie had organized. Her niece had been one of the models. Emily was slightly less well dressed than the others. I imagine she shopped in House of Fraser rather than Harvey Nichols. Buying clothes in House of Fraser was something I used to aspire to, but now it wasn’t good enough. I hated this, hated feeling inferior, and I didn’t want my kids feeling this way. I shepherded the boys over to where Emily was standing and reintroduced myself to her. She was staring at Victoria and her posse.
    ‘Look, it’s Victoria Carter-Mills.’ Emily sounded awed.
    ‘The one and only,’ I said, unable to keep the edge out of my voice.
    ‘Wow! She’s so stylish. She always looks gorgeous in the social pages of magazines, and she’s even more stunning in the flesh. I wonder where she got those shoes – they’re incredible.’
    The triplets had started to play football beside me with a ball they had grabbed from my car. A few other kids joined in and soon there was a gang of them. I smiled to myself. My boys would be fine: they had each other.
    Victoria and her group passed in front of us. I turned to look at the boys and avoid her. Just as I did, Leo kicked the ball hard. It zinged past me and smacked Victoria’s leg. Damn!
    She staggered. Emily rushed to grab her. They both turned to stare at Leo who, sensing Victoria’s rage, stood very close to me.
    ‘How dare you?’ Victoria screeched. ‘You horrible child. You almost knocked me over. Look at my leg! I’m going to have a