‘But why can’t we just stay where they’re staying?’ Matty asked, sensing she was missing out on a five-star mini-break. ‘We are supposed to be living immersively. If Julian knew—’

‘But he doesn’t, and he doesn’t need to. It would only raise questions.’

‘But we were always supposed to stay with them.’

‘Yes. And now things have changed. Clearly,’ he said exasperatedly. ‘You can cope, Mats. You don’t have to be such a bloody princess about it.’

She gasped, her eyes wide with surprise. ‘Me?’

‘Yes, you. We’re staying here for a few nights. Deal with it. We’ll be back in Zell before we know it and you can go back to living in the style to which you’ve become accustomed, with Mr fucking Smooth.’

‘Don’t call him that!’

‘I’ll call him what I like,’ he shrugged.

There was an indignant pause. ‘What exactly is your problem?’ Matty demanded. ‘What’s Julian ever done to you to deserve your contempt? He’s been nothing but generous. Do you even know that he saved you from the humiliation of being publicly asked to wear a jacket in the hotel? He didn’t have to do that!’

‘I never asked him to!’

They glowered at one another, becoming slowly aware that they were waiting for something. That something was missing. Kids!

He glanced over at Clover. She was standing by the window, staring down at the street below. Seeing nothing.

A few seconds later, she felt a hand on her shoulder. ‘Earth to Clover . . .?’

‘Oh yes!’ Matty sighed with satisfaction as they walked out of the gondola station and threw their skis and boards onto the snow. ‘I take it back. This is more like it.’

Clover stood beside her in silence. The snowpark was teeming with activity, music booming from giant speakers. Shouts and cheers pitched into the sky as people practised their tricks off the halfpipe and slopestyle runs. There was a big air jump with a giant airbag at the end and bodies were flying through the blue in various intricate contortions. There was an airbag by the halfpipe, too; it was the size of the one in Kaprun but seemed even sharper, more menacing, with edges that glinted like swords. The specialist pipe-carving machine, looking more like a weapon of war, sat parked to one side, ready to roll back in if repairs were required.