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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

‘But he was there at dinner,’ I say, slow and measured. ‘You didn’t tell me that you did know him. You must see that that’s not normal behaviour, Ria? You acted like he was a stranger. You arranged this trip, you didn’t mention it then either. He said you’d asked him not to say anything. So if he wasn’t an ex then …’

She slumps back on the bed.

‘There are things … something … from that time of my life I’m not proud of.’

‘We all have things in our past we’re not proud of. I’m your husband. You shouldn’t be keeping things from me.’ I pause. ‘Look, if you had a one-night stand with him or something, that’s fine, it’s not like I think there was no one before me, I’d just rather you’d told me what to expect before we got here, that’s all. I feel like he’s been laughing at me all week.’

Tears start to roll down her cheeks. ‘I never slept with him. I wouldn’t ever have wanted to. He’s not laughing at you, I promise,’ she says hoarsely. ‘It’s just that he knows stuff about me.’ Ria almost never cries. I feel myself soften inside.

‘Ria, come on, it can’t be that bad,’ I say gently. ‘What happened? Where were you working when you met him?’

She swipes the tears away. ‘Here. We were working here. We were ski instructors. We killed someone.’

56

January 2020, La Madière, France

Adam

Well, that was the worst day ever. Thank God it’s over. The day after tomorrow, I can be on my way back to Thailand and hopefully things can return to normal.

Poor Will. As soon as I get back in the car I wonder if I should have visited him in the mortuary after all. But I can’t imagine twenty years on a mountainside is kind to a body. Seeing him in that state isn’t going to help him, and it certainly isn’t going to help me. I don’t believe in an afterlife, so he’s not going to know or care either way.

It’s a huge relief to be back at the chalet. I’ve grown accustomed to living quite basically in Thailand, in spite of my recent inheritance. It makes a change to have a bit of luxury, especially being waited on so attentively.

When I arrive, Millie is laying out afternoon tea – homemade cakes, biscuits, and plates of fruit. As soon as I enter, she straightens up.

‘Good afternoon, Adam,’ she says. ‘I hope your day went to plan and wasn’t too distressing?’

‘Thank you. It was upsetting, of course, but Didier and Matt did everything they could to make it as easy as possible.’

‘I hope you feel that there’s been some … closure, if I may?’