Page 34 of The Chalet Girl

And then he thought abouther. And what the hell had happened. And how Lexy had gone mad. But Bill Harrington just couldn’t get Jenny Jones out of his head.

Chapter Twenty-Three

It was Monday morning in the Harrington home and Lexy was hurriedly putting her earrings in as Emme pulled the kids’ backpacks out of a discreet cupboard in the spacious corridor.

‘So the code for their ski locker is also 1212– our–’

Wedding anniversary?Emme remembered, as Lexy said it again.

Lexy gave Emme a prim smile. ‘It’s behind the InterSport shop, by the ski train, yes?’

‘Yes, 1212, got it.’

Before bed, Lexy had bombarded Emme with all the vital information she needed for your average winter school day in Kristalldorf, even though Emme had already noted their routine down: The school day begins at 8am. Bella likes hummus in her pitta, Harry likes bratwurst (of course). They have yogurt (Bella will eat any flavour; Harry can be a little more selective… Emme wanted to ask if there was a bratwurst flavour around here). A packet of crisps each and a banana or apple, cut into slices, that Harry probably won’t eat. Oh, and drop a Mini Babybel in their backpack front pocket for snack time. Oh, and don’t forget fresh water in their bottles.

‘Did I mention the tap water here is the best in…’

‘Best in the world,’ Emme had said, perhaps slightly forcing her own smile.

‘School is on the other side of the river, behind the church. The kids will show you…’

Emme had already checked it out on Google Maps and done a walk through over the weekend. ‘Pick them up straight after their lunch at 1pm.’

Lexy’s barrage of instructions had continued in the morning, her voice getting higher and shriller by the minute.

‘Ski school runs from 1.30pm to 3.30pm. The children meet Cedric outside the ski train station on this side of the river.’ Lexy said that Emme could either go up with them and ski or have a coffee on the mountain while they have their lesson, or she could meet them off the train at the end.

‘Obviously they get more ski time if you meet them mountainside…’ Lexy said loadedly, as she swiped her phone frantically. ‘Bloody thing!’

‘Everything OK?’ Emme asked cheerily.

‘Damned Credit Suisse app. Honestly this country, it’s so contradictory!’ Lexy jabbed a finger at the screen. ‘State-of-the-art tech and it’s telling me to go in branch to pay money in.’ As Emme watched Lexy’s brow furrow she thought her boss was rather contradictory too. One minute praising Switzerland proudly and the next bemoaning the archaic banking ways of the canton.

‘Oh dear,’ Emme smiled. ‘Want me to do it for you?’

Lexy grabbed her coat.

‘No, don’t worry.’ She shook her head and looked at her watch. ‘This country can be so pernickety. Bill earns over a million a year and this isrented,’ she said with a mixture of horror and hurt. Emme looked confused.

‘Why’s that?’

‘Foreigners can’t easily buy. It’sveryclosed doors.’ As she said it her breathing got more rapid.

‘Oh right…’ Emme said, as she zipped up the backpacks. There was little chance she’d be staying in the canton beyond the ski season, let alone wanting to buy here. Not that she’d ever be able to afford it.

‘Kids, are you ready? Teeth cleaned?’ Emme asked, trying not to raise her voice. She wanted to show she was the cool, calm nanny, even if Lexy’s flapping was making her feel flustered.

She scanned the living room, where she’d put the kids’ things on the sofa. Their bags looked good to go. Pencil cases, water bottles and packed lunches as instructed, and a separate kit bag each. No shorts and plimsolls in Kristalldorf: here in winter, kids packed ski suits, ski socks and helmets for PE.

‘Where is your office?’ Emme asked, hoping the reminder would get Lexy out of the way. She knew from the Zoom interview that Lexy Harrington was the go-to PR person in Kristalldorf, but she didn’t know where she was based.

‘Walter lets me have a little office in the Alpenrose. Most of my work is for the Steinherr Group hotels. I’ve started doing little bits for the girls at the Anna Maria. And I do a couple of spas and restaurants. I did Du Kok Estates wine for a bit. I can’t do Vitreum though or it would be a conflict of interest. I do the KristallKit for Samuel Sommar too.’ She gave a saccharine smile. It wasn’t her fault she had a smug smile, or maybe she was actually bragging. ‘Now, before I go…’ Lexy measured her tone as if she were about to say something really important.

She handed Emme two plastic cards, one in each hand, as if they were made of gold.

‘Lift passes. Do. Not. Lose. Them. They go in the thigh pockets on their ski suits, the barriers let them through, but they can’t take them to school– I don’t trust them– so give them to the kids at the start of their session– zip them in, and collect them at the end.’

‘Of course.’