Love, Death and Broken Family Ties 2

Aurora POV:

All through dinner Lucille has been careening wildly from sadness to elation to despair. Her entire family has been carefully navigating her mood, driving her into neutral territory again and again, buffering her, protecting her.

But as we sat down and began to eat dessert, she broke down and sobbed silently, her shoulders shaking, her head turned away as though she was going to tuck it under her wing like a sleeping bird. At first, I was the only person who noticed this, and I sat, horrified, unsure what to do. Then Philip sees her, and then the whole table falls quiet.

He's on his feet, by her side. "Lucy?" he whispers. "Lucy, what is it?" Leo hurries to her, saying "Come on, Mama, it's okay, Mama... "

Lucille is shaking her head, No, no, no, and wringing her hands.

Philip backs off;

To my surprise, it's Great Aunt Dulcie who breaks the stunned stillness.

"Child, if anybody's a hypocrite here it's you. You did the same thing and I don't see that it ruined Philip's