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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

After the initial sickness which comes shortly after eating the mushrooms, you get better for a couple of days. So, as I thought he would, Adam wrote off his sudden illness as stress around Will’s death, or perhaps a bout of food poisoning from something he ate at lunchtime before he didn’t visit his brother in the mortuary. There were so many dishes at lunch with so many ingredients, apparently, it wouldn’t have been beyond the realms of possibility that one of them poisoned him, Michelin star or not. Perhaps a dodgy oyster. Obviously the food poisoning can’t have come from anything I prepared, because no one else in the chalet has been vomiting, have they? It was important Adam didn’t decide he wanted to see a doctor or even go to hospital, as the poison needs time to wreak its havoc before he seeks medical attention, by which time it will be too late. It probably already is. So that’s why I have been looking after him so well. It’s made me shudder, but he’s loved it.

A couple of days on, he thinks he’s recovering. He’s less weak now. And while I’ve been waiting on him hand and foot, I’ve also been gently reinforcing the idea of scattering my dad’s ashes here. The more I think about it, the more I don’t want my dad taken anywhere else. He’s been here since he died twenty years ago and moving him to some random place because it might be convenient for Adam seems disrespectful. I’m going to make sure I can take charge of the funeral too, to give my dad the send-off he deserves. The kind of funeral I’m sure Mama would have wanted him to have. I don’t think it will be too difficult to get my way.

60

January 2020, La Madière, France

Adam

Millie is an absolute angel, there is no other word for her.

I’ve spent two days feeling like I was about to die. I’ve picked up the usual travellers’ bugs over the years, even had dysentery and dengue fever, but nothing has compared to this.

It’s been a hellish couple of days, made only bearable by Millie bringing me anything I ask for, or anything she thinks might make me feel better.

And finally, I do feel a bit better. Yesterday I managed some of her delicious soup. Today I even got up for a while and ate an exquisite omelette from a tray on my knees while I watched something on Netflix.