Page 120 of The Chalet Girl

‘Tiago, I can’t.’

‘We don’t lose money if the room’s empty. It’s fine. No hotel ever gets walk-ins in this town. It’s available. It’s a safe space. Don’t be weird about it.’

Emme smiled. She’d heard Tiago say ‘Don’t be weird about it’ before and liked his friendly bluntness.

He put a swipe card into a machine for room 319 and handed it over to Emme, along with three tissues he pulled expeditiously from the box on the desk.

‘Thank you…’ she said reluctantly.

‘Take your time, no hurry. I can go get some of your things for you if you want, on my break…’

‘No it’s fine, really.’

‘I could call Cat?’

‘No– really– I’ll work out what to do…’ Except she had no clue. She felt a terrible wrench about walking out on the children, but there was no way she could go back.

Emme looked at her phone. A missed called from Tristan. He was expecting her to call him back. Lexy hadn’t messaged. Why was she so furious with Emme when it was Tristan who had done that to Jenny?

*

Up in her cosy and plush room, Emme sat on the bed and thought about calling her mum. She thought about calling Tom. Their last conversation had been cut short, and for the first time in weeks she pined to speak to him, to seek his counsel, but she couldn’t. She was so embarrassed. She thought about Tristan, and how he had lied to her about Jenny. As seamlessly as he had lied to Vivian about sleeping with Anastasia.

‘Motherfucker,’ she muttered to herself as she turned on the TV, not excited by anything she scrolled through.

Emme couldn’t get Jenny Jones out of her head. What had she looked like? Lexy had left no trace of her, no photos or keepsakes for the children from a nanny they must have spent a lot of time with. When had it started with Tristan? How had he madehercome? What was she feeling, back in England and pregnant? Emme felt sick just thinking about it.

Emme looked at her phone at a loss. Then she remembered the BUZZ doorbell footage and felt compelled to know more. Except Lexy said the app only saved video for thirty days, Jenny’s history would be exactly that. History.

As Emme washed her face at the limestone sink, she examined her reflection in the mirror. She took a plump fresh flannel and soaked it under the hot water, before pressing it to her cheek. The warmth felt like a soothing salve. As she removed the flannel she could still see a red mark from where Lexy had slapped her. Maybe she had asked for it.

No, I hadn’t.

As she tried to soothe the red mark away, Emme thought about Lexy’s increasing volatility; how her tacitdisdain had escalated into vocal admonishments. She examined her eyes and had an epiphany. Bella had accidentally bought the ninety-day BUZZ upgrade on the iPad. Lexy had berated her for it. She counted back. Emme had been in town for forty-two days, but ninety days would take her back to mid-September. Surely she would see what Tristan’s lover looked like on some of the earlier BUZZ footage.

Chapter Seventy

Bill walked into the Harrington home to the kids eating their dinner.Flammkuchenand chopped veg with a bratwurst on the side for Harry.

‘Hi kids,’ he said benignly.

‘Daddy!’ Bella smiled.

‘Hi Papa,’ Harry said, more flatly.

Lexy was leaning against the kitchen worktop, arms folded, hovering over her children as if she were a prison warden, except her gaze was elsewhere.

‘Everything OK?’ Bill asked, as he put his attaché case on the sofa. ‘Where’s Emme?’

‘She had to go out…’ Harry said with an unnerved look.

Lexy turned away, towards the corridor and the bedrooms.

‘Everything alright?’ Bill asked again, puzzled.

‘Yes,’ Lexy replied frostily.

Bill loosened his tie.