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Back The Chalet Save as PDF
Chapters (75)
  1. Cover
  2. Praise for The Chalet
  3. Dedication
  4. PART ONE
  5. 1
  6. 2
  7. 3
  8. 4
  9. 5
  10. 6
  11. 7
  12. 8
  13. 9
  14. 10
  15. 11
  16. 12
  17. 13
  18. 14
  19. 15
  20. 16
  21. 17
  22. 18
  23. 19
  24. 20
  25. 21
  26. PART TWO
  27. 22
  28. 23
  29. 24
  30. 25
  31. 26
  32. 27
  33. 28
  34. 29
  35. PART THREE
  36. 30
  37. 31
  38. 32
  39. 33
  40. 34
  41. 35
  42. 36
  43. 37
  44. 38
  45. 39
  46. 40
  47. 41
  48. 42
  49. 43
  50. 44
  51. 45
  52. 46
  53. 47
  54. 48
  55. 49
  56. 50
  57. 51
  58. 52
  59. 53
  60. 54
  61. 55
  62. 56
  63. 57
  64. 58
  65. 59
  66. 60
  67. 61
  68. 62
  69. 63
  70. Epilogue
  71. Acknowledgements
  72. Keep Reading …
  73. Prologue
  74. About the Author
  75. About the Publisher

She grabbed my wrist and tried to look at me, but her eyes were all over the place and I could tell she couldn’t focus properly. She laughed demonically. ‘He DIED on the mountain! DIED! Not lived! We were on holiday. Skiing. He was skiing. His fault. All Adam’s fault. And before that … before … before they went out … do you know? Do you know what he did to me?’ she hisses. Suddenly she is more lucid. ‘I was bright. Clever. At Oxford. Whole life ahead of me. And then Adam ruined it all because he killed Will. And before that, he—’

‘He killed my dad?’ I interrupted hoarsely.

She slumped in her chair. ‘They didn’t say that. They said it was an accident. But I KNOW!’ She was shouting again. ‘I KNOW! They both went out and Adam came back and Will didn’t. He died. It’s all his fault. Adam’s. THAT’S WHY I’M THE WAY I AM NOW! THAT’S WHY I’M LIKE THIS! And before that he, he, he …’

‘What?’

She waved her hand. ‘I can’t tell you. ’S too awful. You shouldn’t know.’ She stood up and immediately fell down. I put my hands under her armpits and hauled her upright again.

‘C’mon. Let’s get you to bed.’

‘Will Cassiobury,’ she was muttering. ‘Will Cassiobury. Only man I ever loved. All the others have been utter bastards. Stay single, my darlin’ baby girl,’ she slurred, twisting round and waving her finger in my face. ‘Stay single. Don’t let any men into your life. Waste of time. They ruin everything.’

I hauled her into bed and pulled the covers over her. ‘Will Cassiobury? That’s my dad’s name?’

But she was already asleep.

37

January 2020, Haute Savoie, France

Adam

I’m ashamed to admit that, when I hear the road to La Madière is closed, my first reaction is one of relief. Maybe I won’t have to go to the resort after all. Maybe I won’t have to go through the gruesome task of identifying my brother’s body which has been lying in the snow for more than twenty years.

The world is small now. It never takes long to get anywhere, does it? So even though I was on the other side of the world when they contacted me, one day later, here I am in France. I don’t know how the police got hold of me so quickly – I guess it’s easy to trace anyone these days. And with only my rudimentary French, I didn’t entirely understand what they were saying. Other than that I am Will’s only family, so I should come.