Kitabı oku: «What Happens in the Alps...»

Chapter 1

‘Don’t look down.’

The cable car had been running smoothly along, only a few metres above the gently sloping fields. Now, as they reached the massive red and white pylon at the cliff edge, there was a rumble of pulley wheels and they swept out into the void.

Ignoring Karen’s advice, Annie tightened her grip on the handrail, braced herself, and glanced out of the window and down. The valley floor was stomach-churningly far below them, the cars in the car park like models on a playroom floor. She took a deep breath and hastily turned her eyes back to her sister, doing her best to summon a weak smile.

‘I’m okay, Karen. Thanks for the warning.’ She swallowed hard and tried to sound unworried. ‘It’s an amazing view from up here, isn’t it?’ And it was. In the clear, late autumn air, the whole range of the Alps was visible on the northern horizon, with the Mont Blanc massif standing out crisply against a pale blue sky. Over to the left of them, coming in from France, cloud was beginning to build as the predicted snow approached, but for now, the Italian Alps were magnificent.

Annie decided to keep her eyes on her sister, rather than on the abyss beneath her feet. Karen, unworried, was still reflecting on the amazing lunch they had just had.

‘I’m surprised you haven’t been up here more often, seeing as you live here now. That restaurant was fabulous; great food, nice people and the best view I’ve ever seen.’

‘I’m so glad you liked it. I haven’t had much time for sightseeing. Don’t forget I only got to Santorso a few months ago and there’s been loads to do. Besides, you know…’ Her voice tailed off.

Karen knew all too well. ‘Three or four more minutes and we’ll be down.’ Her tone was supportive. Karen knew that Annie’s fear of heights wasn’t the only reason she was finding this hard.

A few minutes later, sensing the cable car begin to slow, Annie took a cautious look out of the window and felt an overwhelming feeling of relief as the roof of the bottom station appeared ahead of them, less than a hundred metres away. The trees around the car park looked close enough to touch. For the first time she had a chance to appreciate the sheer breathtaking beauty of the place with its lush pastures dotted with cows, squat timber chalets with logs piled against the walls in readiness for winter, and a stone church that had probably been standing there for the last five hundred years. Directly below them now was a mountain stream that snaked down from the high Alps at the head of the valley. The water was so clear, Annie could even see the shadows of trout passing over the gravel riverbed. She felt her heart rate begin to slow.

There was a gentle bump and the doors of the car slid open. Annie wasted no time in getting out, but didn’t reckon with the door handle. As she pushed past it in her haste to get onto solid ground once more, the strap of her bag got caught and she was stopped dead and spun round. Her right foot tripped over her left foot and she ended up sprawled on the ground. Luckily all that was hurt was her pride.

As Karen hurried across to help her up, she saw the red glow of embarrassment on her sister’s face. ‘Oh, Annie, how can you be so clumsy? Here, grab hold of my hand.’ She pulled Annie to her feet and they waited until the other passengers had left, before following them down the steps into the open. Annie, her cheeks a bit less red now, looked across at her sister.

‘Thanks, Karen. I don’t know why these things always happen to me.’

‘It’s just you, Annie. You’ve been like it all your life. Remember your wedding dress?’

Annie nodded. Some memories are impossible to forget. On the day she and Steve had got married, as she and her father had arrived outside the little country church and made their way up the path to the entrance, she had managed to slip, landing on her knees on the grass at the side of the path. The wedding photos clearly showed two brown marks at knee-height on the white silk of the dress. ‘I know. And it’s not as if I don’t try to avoid that sort of thing happening.’

‘I know, Annie. I know.’

Outside, once more in command of her faculties, Annie glanced across at the café and made a suggestion. ‘Time for a coffee before we head off? I promise I’ll try not to overturn the table.’

‘You drink too much coffee, you know, sis?’ Karen sighed. ‘Mind you, so would I if I lived here. It’s just so good.’

Annie smiled and they crossed the car park to the café. Even now, in late November, the sun was still warm enough for people to be sitting outside. As her eyes ranged over the crowded terrace for an empty table, Annie suddenly stopped and did a double take. A man was waving at them.

‘Matt?’ She took a better look. It really was him. ‘Is that you, Matt?’ He jumped to his feet and waved them over.

‘Annie, how wonderful. I thought it was you.’ He held out his hand, hesitated and then caught her by the shoulders and kissed her cheeks, before turning his attention to Karen. ‘And I believe this delightful creature is your baby sister?’

Annie grinned. She hadn’t seen Matt for a good while, but he had been Steve’s very best friend back in the old days. Before she and Steve got married, Matt had been ever-present in their lives, and even afterwards, right up to the time he had moved away from Turin to go and live in Tuscany. Annie had got to know him so very well and had always had a very soft spot for him, even if he could be a bad influence on Steve.

Both of them were climbing junkies; the higher the better, the more difficult, the more exciting. She could remember numerous occasions when Matt had arrived with Steve at midnight after driving all the way to Switzerland and back in a day to climb some insane cliff, oblivious to the fact that she had spent the whole day waiting for a phone call to say something terrible had happened. And then, of course, one day it had.

Luckily, the one big difference between the two men had always been that while Matt had been a womaniser, with a list of conquests the length of the Magna Carta, Steve had always been hers, and hers alone. Annie smiled as she heard Matt putting on the charm and saw the embarrassment on her sister’s face. She made the introductions.

‘Karen, you remember Matt, don’t you? He and Steve were best friends. And you know full well she’s my big sister, Matt.’ Karen was four years older than her; just turned forty, but the expression on her face at the moment was like a teenager.

‘Erm, hello, Matt. Of course I remember you from the wedding.’

Karen held out her hand and looked overwhelmed when Matt took it and shook it. Annie once again repressed a smile. Matt relinquished Karen’s hand and turned to his companion at the table. She was a very beautiful blonde girl, probably in her mid-twenties, at least ten years younger than Matt or Annie, but that, too, was par for the course with Matt, as Annie well remembered. He switched to accentless Italian. ‘Luisa, this is Annie and her sister, Karen. I haven’t seen Annie for a couple of years.’ The girl shook hands with them and gave a smile that exposed a set of sparkling, bleached-white teeth.

‘Pleased to meet you. Have you been up at Chamoux?’

Annie nodded, still amazed at bumping into him here. ‘Yes, and it was lovely, apart from the cable car.’ She turned her attention to Matt and surveyed him critically. He was looking very good: fit, healthy and no older than the last time they had met. And that, she well remembered, had been at Steve’s funeral. She did her best to banish the memory of that grim day. His lush dark hair was still without a trace of grey even though he, like she, was edging towards forty. ‘How amazing to bump into you like this, Matt. I haven’t seen you for ages.’

Annie and Karen sat down at the table with them and told them of the wonderful meal they had just had. Karen spoke English and Matt translated it effortlessly to Luisa. Just at that moment, the waiter appeared and asked what he could bring them. Karen ordered a cappuccino. Annie ordered her usual espresso.

The waiter emerged a couple of minutes later with the cups on a tray. He set them down on the table, along with a till receipt. Before Annie could reach for her bag, Matt produced a ten euro note and handed it to him. The man nodded, retrieved the slip of paper and disappeared back inside again. Annie raised her cup in Matt’s direction. ‘Thank you and cheers. How great to run into you again.’ And it really was. She gave him a big smile and he smiled back. The handle of the tiny brown coffee cup was hot to the touch so she contented herself with just breathing in the rich, strong aroma before setting it back down on its saucer again to cool. She looked across at Karen.

‘Matt runs a very good translation business.’ She turned back towards him. ‘Is that still going? You were in Turin, Matt, but then you left for Tuscany. That was a good few years ago. Where are you based now?’

‘Florence, and the business is doing really well. I’ve been there over five years now, but I won’t be there for much longer.’

Karen was also being cautious, just sipping the foam on the top of her cappuccino. ‘Surely that’s a fabulous place to live. Why leave, Matt? Where could be better than Florence?’

Matt raised his hand and pointed at the snow-covered peaks all around them. ‘Up here. Space and fresh air. Florence is getting more and more claustrophobic. Too many bloody tourists all over the place, vicious mosquitoes, and the heat in summer’s absolutely suffocating. I can work from anywhere, so I’ve pretty much made up my mind to come up here for some quality of life. Up here, twenty minutes in the car and I can be up on a ski slope or at the bottom of a climb.’ His eyes ran up and across the distant peaks. Annie saw that same expression of awe on his face that she remembered so well with Steve. Both of them had something deep inside that drew them to the mountains like moths to a flame. She shook her head, but made no comment as he carried on.

‘I’ve been a member of the climbing club here for years and I know the area really well.’ He cradled his cup in the palm of his hand for a few moments. ‘For my work, all I need’s a computer and a few bookshelves, so, like I say, I can work from anywhere, really. But what about you, Karen? I thought you were in the UK. Don’t tell me you’ve moved to Italy like your sister?’ She shook her head.

‘No, I’m afraid I’m off to Geneva on the early bus tomorrow and flying home to Bristol in the afternoon. It’s just been a long weekend, really.’

Matt transferred his attention to his coffee and drained the cup in one well-practised movement. ‘And you, Annie? How’ve you been?’ His voice was soft, compassionate, and Annie remembered how good he had always been to her. ‘I kept meaning to call you, but I didn’t know what to say. Somehow, having me crying my eyes out down the phone to you probably wouldn’t have helped.’

Annie smiled at him and told him the simple truth. ‘In fact, Matt, it would’ve helped a lot. We both lost our best friend that day.’ For a moment she was afraid her voice would give up on her, but she took a deep breath and managed to keep the smile on her face. He caught her eye and nodded.

‘I should’ve called.’ She saw that he, too, stopped to catch his breath before continuing. ‘So, where are you these days? Still in Turin?’

Annie shook her head. ‘No, I’m up here now.’ She saw a flicker of interest in his eyes. For Luisa’s sake she switched to Italian. Karen knew the story well by now. They had been talking about little else all weekend. ‘I decided the time had come to make a change; a big change. After years of working for other people, I’m opening my own English-language school up here in Santorso.’ The blonde girl looked interested.

‘What a good idea. Whereabouts? In Santorso itself?’

Annie nodded. ‘Yes, I’ve leased a big apartment bang in the centre for the school.’ She and Matt exchanged glances. ‘It was time for a change. Get on with my life again.’

Matt nodded, but, mercifully, didn’t pursue the subject. The last two bleak years of her life were a subject Annie preferred to avoid. Instead, he expressed interest. ‘I’m looking for an office as well; at least, somewhere much smaller would do for that. I’m fed up of working from home. I need to separate business from pleasure. To be honest, just one decent-sized room with space for me, a computer, and a few bookshelves. So far all I’ve found are big places.’

Annie had a sudden idea. ‘You know, Matt, I might just have a solution for you. The flat I’ve taken for the school is pretty big; too big for me, really, at least for a while until the numbers build up. I reckon I could easily do without one of the rooms if you want to rent it off me as your office. Would that help?’

Matt beamed. ‘That would be amazing. Are you sure?’

Annie thought about it and the more she did, the more sensible it appeared. And some extra cash coming in would be a big help at this uncertain time. Of course Steve hadn’t had any life insurance so she was using all her savings plus an expensive bank loan to set up the school, and the finances were tight. And, although she hadn’t seen Matt for ages, she knew she could trust him and she had always liked him. She looked up and gave him a smile. ‘I’m absolutely sure. Are you around for a few days? Why don’t you call in and take a look.’

‘That’s great, Annie. I should be able to make it tomorrow. When’s the school opening?’

‘I’ve just had the brochures printed. The Santorso English Academy opens its doors to the public on the fifteenth of January. I just hope I get lots of students.’

Karen knew her sister well enough to see the conflict in her head. ‘It’ll be great, Annie. Just you wait and see. You’ll be fighting them off in a few weeks’ time. Everywhere you look around here there are hotels, restaurants, ski lifts and tourists, so English has got to be pretty well essential for anybody in that business. And Paolina says the same.’

Luisa glanced at her watch and held out her wrist towards Matt. He nodded. She stood up and excused herself, heading inside to the ladies’. Matt waited until she was out of earshot before asking, ‘Who’s Paolina?’

‘She’s my newly appointed school secretary/receptionist. In fact, if you decide to take a room off me we could share her if you like. As soon as the publicity starts I’m hoping she’s going to be busy talking to potential clients and convincing them to part with their money.’

Karen smiled across the table at them. ‘I like Paolina. And she’s very pretty. I imagine that helps attract the male students in a place like Italy.’ Karen had been introduced to Paolina the previous day.

‘That helps attract males in any country.’ An expression of heightened interest spread across Matt’s face. Before he could comment further, Annie leapt in to lay down the ground rules.

‘But if you do join us, it’s hands off Paolina, Matt. Got it? If she turns out to be as good as I think, I don’t want you doing your usual act and then dumping her.’ He raised his hand as if to protest, but she hadn’t finished. ‘Promise me you won’t lay a finger on her, or I won’t rent you that room after all.’

Matt raised both hands in surrender. ‘All right, all right, I promise. Paolina is off limits. Message understood. So, tell me, is your phone number still the same? I’ll give you a call tomorrow and hopefully we can meet up.’

Annie nodded. ‘Yes, still the same. Fine. So what’s on your programme for tonight? Are you and Luisa staying up here or is there some other girl waiting for you in Turin?’

‘We’re going to the casino down the valley at San Daniele. There’s a big show going on and we’re booked into the hotel there for the night.’

Annie was impressed. The Grand Hotel was very, very expensive. ‘Just come into an inheritance, have you?’

He shook his head with an expression that could almost have been one of embarrassment. ‘Erm, I’m not paying. She gets the room free because she’s performing there tonight.’

Annie shot him a look. ‘Performing? Are we talking performing as in singing, dancing, or something more exotic?’ Annie was grinning at him.

‘She’s presenting it. You know, introducing the acts and so on. She’s a bit nervous about it and she wanted me to come along to hold her hand.’

Annie had little doubt that the girl’s hand was not going to be the only part of her body to be held by Matt at the Grand Hotel that night. By the dreamy expression on Karen’s face, she was also imagining the scene to come. Annie caught his eye.

‘So is it serious this time, Matt? Am I going to be hearing more about her in the future?’ It was unlikely. Matt’s list of conquests read like a phone book with the pages fanned by the wind. If he had ever started carving notches on his bed head, Annie felt pretty sure that there would be precious little left of the bed by now. He gave her a little smile.

‘I like Luisa. Did you recognise her? She reads the news on Torino Channel Seven.’

Annie didn’t watch a lot of television, but she suddenly realised that she did in fact recognise her.

‘Have you been together long?’ Karen was clearly interested. Matt’s expression returned to one of mild embarrassment.

‘Erm, no, not really. We met at a party in Turin last week and one thing led to another.’

‘Whose party was that, Matt?’ Although she and Steve had lived there for almost ten years, Annie hadn’t been back to Turin for some months now.

‘It was a company do. Her husband’s something big in the film business and I’ve been doing some work for them.’

Annie was more surprised by the fact that Matt’s translation business now had links to the Italian film industry than the fact that his latest girl was married. There was nothing unusual about that at all. Karen’s face, on the other hand, was now a picture; part disapproval, part awe. This came as a surprise to Annie. She had never thought of her big sister as being the type to be attracted to a bad boy, but then, Matt tended to have that effect upon women. She suppressed a grin as she saw the look on her sister’s face. Clearly, Karen thought Matt was rather nice. In fact, considering Karen was a happily married woman, it looked as though she was finding him rather too attractive. Annie coughed to attract her attention and grinned as Karen dropped her eyes guiltily and pretended she hadn’t been staring at him.

Luisa returned to the table and Matt stood up. ‘Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to get off.’ He held out his hand to Karen. ‘Goodbye, Karen. I hope I see you again.’

Karen also jumped to her feet. She wasn’t letting him off with a handshake. Annie grinned as her sister took two steps forward, grabbed him by the biceps, and kissed him on his stubbly cheeks. ‘Bye, Matt. I’m sure I’ll see you again before too long. I can’t wait to bring the family out here once Annie’s found herself somewhere to live.’

Matt stopped and turned towards Annie. ‘So where are you living at the moment?’

‘I’ve been squatting in the school, but now that I’ve got builders and decorators in there, I moved out last week. Do you remember Janet? Her husband Guido used to be one of your climbing pals. I’ve been staying with them at their B&B, but with the winter sports season about to start, I’m going to need somewhere of my own as soon as possible. They’re getting busy and they need my room, so it’s find a new flat as soon as possible for me or I’ll be out on the street.’

Matt nodded. ‘Of course I know them, although I haven’t climbed with Guido for a while. I’ve got my spies out, looking for a flat to live in just like you. Finding accommodation up here is bloody difficult. Everywhere seems to be rented out on a weekly basis to skiers in winter and walkers and climbers in summer. If I hear of anywhere, I’ll let you know.’

Annie nodded. ‘And I’ll do the same. I’m looking hard.’ She stood up and shook hands with Luisa, then gave Matt a kiss on the cheek. It had been very good to see him again. ‘Drive safely and be a good boy.’

He smiled down at her. ‘You know me, Annie.’

‘I do; that’s what worries me.’

‘So what about our Matt, then, Annie? You two going into business together at the drop of a hat sounds a bit cosy.’

Annie caught the waiter’s eye and raised a finger. As he made his way over to them through the maze of tables and chairs, she glanced across at her sister. ‘A drop of fizz wouldn’t hurt us, would it?’ After asking the waiter for two glasses of Prosecco she formulated her reply. ‘Hardly going into business together. I’m just talking about renting him a room. And it’s not as if we don’t know each other well. Matt’s great. I’ve known him for the best part of ten years although we’ve rather lost contact since the funeral. He and Steve were best buddies.’ Annie paused for a moment, her eyes fixed on her empty coffee cup, determined to keep her feelings firmly under control. Now, after over two years, it was still tough, but she was managing better as time went by.

She remembered the old days, when she and Steve had first started dating. Matt and one of his many girlfriends had so often been around. Annie could remember so many times when they had been up here in the mountains together; Steve and Matt doing some terrifying climb, while she and Matt’s latest sat down below and did their best not to worry too much. Dismissing the image, she returned her attention to Karen.

‘Although he’s got this translation business, he trained as a lawyer. He might be just the person I need to help me through a sea of red tape.’ She glanced up. ‘The Romans invented bureaucracy over here and Italy’s been getting worse every year since then. It’s a total bloody nightmare.’

‘Handy sort of chap to have around.’ Karen gave her a little grin. ‘But I was wondering if there might be anything developing between you two on a more personal level. You can’t tell me you haven’t noticed how utterly gorgeous he is. And he likes you a lot; that much is clear. Might it be time for you to start thinking about finding yourself another man?’

‘Me and another man? No way, Karen. As of now I’m concentrating on the school and that’s that. Even if I wanted, which I don’t, I haven’t got time for men at the moment.’

‘Not even him?’ Karen was grinning. ‘For a moment back there I was seriously considering divorcing Chris and throwing myself into Matt’s muscular arms. He’s irresistible.’

Annie was smiling by this time. ‘Oh, he’s a handsome devil, all right, but he’s got the morals of a tom cat. At least he always used to be like that and I don’t see him ever changing. Every time I saw him he’d have some other poor girl eating out of his hand, but they would never last. Use and discard would appear to be his motto and I fear our friend Luisa will soon discover that to her cost.’ She caught her sister’s eye. ‘Matt doesn’t understand the concept of monogamy, I’m afraid. He’s certainly not the man for me, even if I was in the market, which, like I say, I’m not.’ Her voice dropped. ‘I had Steve. I lost Steve. That’s it for me.’

‘Life goes on, Annie.’

‘Of course it does.’ Annie tried to sound as positive as she could. ‘And it is. That’s why I took the plunge and decided to open my own school.’