Behind Every Cloud Read Online Free PDF Page B

the botox, cheek fillers and without doubt a face-lift too. The boobs certainly defied gravity and were unnaturally high and firm for a woman her age – and what about those lips? She ’ d obviously asked for the Angelina Special!
    Ellie baulked at the thought of anyone filling their face an d body with toxic chemicals. She was of the ‘ less-is-more ’ school of thought which was losing out to the ‘ more-is-still-not-enough ’ practices of today ’ s plastic surgeons. For the life of her she could never understand why women continued to do this to themselves. There was enough help out there now, such as was offered in the beauty salon, without the need for all these invasive practices. She swore that she would never do anything like that to her face. Never!
    “ Darling, I ’ ve been searching for you, ” the woman said haughtily to Frank, irritation in her voice and eyes. Even though she was obviously angry, not a facial muscle moved.
    “ Judith, darling, do come and meet the newest addition to Buckley Steadman. This is David Murphy and his gorgeous fiancée, Ellie. ”
    “ Nice to meet you, ” Judith remarked coldly. She looked Ellie over from head to toe in a patronising manner. David was rewarded with a smile which never quite reached her eyes.
    Thank God I bought this new Karen Millen dress, Ellie thought. She could just imagine the older woman ’ s sneer if she ’ d turned up in something from Penneys! Judith was wearing a beautiful emerald - green dress which screamed ‘ money ’ and ‘ designer ’, although Ellie had no idea which designer it might be. Emeralds flashed from her neck and ears – genuine, no doubt.
    “ Can we get you something to drink? ” Frank asked, beckoning a passing waiter.
    “ A white wine would be lovely, ” Ellie murmured.
    “ What kind? ” Judith asked archly.
    “ Chardonnay would be fine, ” Ellie said , smiling, in the hope of melting this ice queen.
    “ Sorry, we don ’ t do chardonnay, ” Judith snapped. “ We can offer you Pinot Gris , Gewürztraminer or Riesling .”
    “ Oh, any will be fine, ” Ellie replied, not knowing what any of them tasted like. Although her mother was French , she was a teetotaller, and her father was a beer m an so there never was wine at home. She sometimes drank white wine at parties and it was mostly chardonn ay, though to be honest it could have been anything.
    “ A whiskey for me, please, ” David said, seeing that that was what Frank was drinking.
    “ A man after my own heart, ” Frank said, clapping him on the back.
    Judith gave the order to a passing waiter and moved off to speak to some other guests.
    “ Don ’ t mind her, ” Frank winked at Ellie. “ Chardonn ay seems to be out of fashion at the moment and my wife is nothing if not fashionable. ”
    Ellie thought she detected a harsh note in his voice.
    The waiter returned with their drinks and Frank took her elbow. “ Come, you lovely young people, let me introd uce you to some of our other guests. ”
    Ellie was trying not to gape but she couldn ’ t help it. He led them into a magnificent room where about twenty people were gathered. The women were all beautifully groome d and expensively dressed. They were also all a good bit older than Ellie. Even older than her parents, she thought, looking around. She felt completely out of place and intimidated as Frank introduced them to everyone. She held onto David ’ s hand for dear life as she plastered a smile on her face. The women were appraising her silently while their husbands were ogling her appreciatively. The men all had a prosperous air about them. Some of them were handsome and fit while others had definite paunches and less hair on their heads .
    There was only one other youngish couple there and their welcome was obviously genuine. The girl, Anna, who Ellie guessed was in her early thirties, was smiling and friendly. Her husband, Mike, was a little older and greeted them warmly as Frank introduced