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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

To be fair, Louisa perked up over lunch at least. A couple of beers, some wine, steak frites and an hour sitting in the sun and she was back to her usual self, gushing about the weather and the scenery, even making some saucy promises about what we can get up to later.

I’m looking forward to that, of course, but I was also hoping to do some skiing.

So I’ve come up with a plan. I’m going to get Louisa down the rest of the slope to the resort – it’s an easy green, even she can manage it. By that time I’m pretty sure she’ll say she’s had enough of skiing for the day, so I can leave her to it and sneak in a few cheeky runs on my own before the lifts close. She gets to go back and relax, I get to ski, it’s win-win.

‘Right then,’ I say as I take my card back from the waiter. ‘Ready for the off?’

I feel her good mood instantly evaporate. ‘Oh. Yes, I guess so. What are we doing now?’

‘Well, I thought we’d ski down – it’s a nice, wide, easy run, nothing to be alarmed about, and then we’ll see how you feel.’ You will go back to the chalet and do whatever the fuck you please as long as you are out of my way, and I will whizz off as high up the mountain as I can go before the lifts close without you holding me back, being the subtext.

She smiles. ‘Me, ski all the way down? Yeah right. You’re funny. What are we really doing? Another go on the drag?’

For fuck’s sake! ‘Um, no, I mean it,’ I say gently. ‘It’s not far and it’s a very simple slope. We can have another practice on the nursery slope first if you like, but I know you’ll be fine. I’ll be with you all the way.’

She pulls a face. For a second, I think she’s going to cry. ‘Will, I’m sorry, but I don’t think I can. Is there any other way down?’

Fucking hell.

Be a sympathetic boyfriend, I remind myself. I take a deep breath.

‘Well, if you really don’t want to ski down, you can walk back up to the bubble and go down that way.’ I point at the bubble, which is admittedly quite a hike up the hill from here. ‘It’s not so far if you get the drag halfway?’ I suggest.

She looks at me in despair. ‘Seriously? I can’t walk that far in these stupid boots, especially not up the hill in the snow.’ She looks up at the lift, and then down the slope. ‘How long do you think it will take us to ski down? Realistically.’