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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

I don’t really feel the need to check on Ria and would even go so far as to say I don’t especially want to see her at the moment as I still feel she’s keeping something from me, but anything will do to get away from Cameron right now. I creep up the stairs, push the door open as gently as I can and whisper, ‘Are you awake?’, mentally crossing my fingers and hoping that she isn’t.

The room is in darkness and there is no reply, so she’s either asleep or, more likely, pretending to be. I tiptoe back down the stairs and into the dining room where Simon and Adam are now alone at the table talking about golf.

‘Where is everyone?’ I ask, sitting down next to Simon in Cass’s seat rather than in my original chair, hoping to avoid having to sit next to Cameron any longer listening to him bore on.

‘Cam’s still on his call, Cass has popped upstairs to check on Inigo – Sarah’s having a well-earned night off,’ Simon says. ‘I think she’s got her eye on one of those ski instructors, the minx.’

Cass reappears and I cry: ‘Oh sorry, I’m in your seat!’ as if I’ve sat down in the wrong place by accident and only just noticed. She waves her hand dismissively.

‘It’s fine,’ she says, passing over my water glass as I pass hers back. ‘I’ll sit here,’ she says, moving a couple of other glasses around accordingly. ‘I like the view from here better anyway,’ she adds, pointing at the window. It’s dark and stormy and there’s no view at all tonight but I guess she’s being polite.

Cameron comes back and sits down where I was originally, seemingly not noticing that we’ve all changed seats, so hopefully not taking in that I’ve moved specifically to avoid him. ‘Sorry about that,’ he says, uncharacteristically apologetic. ‘Important call. Didn’t mean to hold you up.’

He picks up his fork and takes a huge mouthful, chewing noisily with his mouth open.

52

January 2020, La Madière, France

As I come back into the dining room with the decanted red wine, the first thing I notice is that some of them have moved places. For fuck’s sake! I can’t remember exactly who was sitting where before and who has whose food, but I know that Cass definitely wasn’t at the head of the table, Cameron was. Which means she has his food. In a blind panic I pretend to trip, making sure to smash the no-doubt-very-expensive crystal decanter on the edge of the solid granite table.