‘Oops,’ she gulped and looked away, pretending to wave at some skiers down below.
Alice-Miranda saw her father and Hamish reach the top of the lift and ski off to the left. ‘Daddy, wait for us,’ she called.
The men were two chairs ahead of the girls, while Lucas and Jacinta were in the chair behind. Sep and Sloane had decided to start their ski lessons straight away. As the girls neared the top of the mountain, they pushed the bar up over their heads and wriggled forward on the seat, holding their poles together in front of them.
‘Push,’ Millie said as their skis made contact with the snowy platform.
The pair whizzed down the slope, and realised too late that Vincenzo and his whiny girlfriend had stopped to adjust their gear, right in the middle of the runway.
‘Look out!’ Alice-Miranda shouted. She managed to avoid them but Millie wasn’t so lucky. With nowhere to go, the girl ran straight over the back of the man’s skis.
‘What are you doing? These are brand-new,’ Vincenzo barked. ‘Children who cannot ski should not be allowed up here.’
‘Sorry,’ Millie squeaked. If the stupid man hadn’t stopped where he did, it wouldn’t have happened. She sped over to her father, turning dramatically to send a powdery spray all over his legs.
‘Look at you, Mill. When did you become such a good skier?’ Hamish said with a grin.
Millie grimaced. ‘That’s not what the man over there said.’ As the others turned to see if they could spot Lucas and Jacinta, Millie leaned down and made a snowball. She patted it into shape, then promptly threw it at her father, whacking him on the nose.
‘Right, you little monster, that’s it!’ Hamish declared, clicking his boots out of his skis and staking his poles into the snow. ‘Snowball fight!’
Millie squealed as her father pelted a handful of snow in her direction. She ducked out of the way, leaving it to smack Lucas on the mouth.
‘You call that a snowball, Hamish?’ Lucas said, wiping it off his face. I’ll show you a snowball.’ The boy grabbed a handful of snow and moulded it into a missile the size of a bowling ball.
‘Look out, Alice-Miranda!’ Jacinta yelled as Hugh dumped a clump of snow on his daughter’s head.
‘Daddy, I’m going to get you for that!’ The tiny child turned around and zoomed towards him on her skis, knocking him off his feet and into a deep snow-drift. Jacinta and Millie went in for the kill, hurtling snowballs as quickly as they could make them.
‘Stop, stop!’ Hugh held his hands in the air. ‘I surrender!’
Lucas had managed to cover Hamish in snow too. The man collapsed on his knees, his sides heaving with laughter. ‘Gosh, I haven’t had this much fun in years.’
‘Me either,’ Hugh gasped as the girls and Lucas all fell about in the snow.
Jacinta fanned out her arms and legs. ‘Look, I’m an angel,’ she said.
‘You? An angel?’ Millie laughed.
‘She’s my angel,’ Lucas whispered, and Jacinta felt her heart skip a beat.
Millie’s jaw dropped in disbelief. ‘Did you really just say that?’
‘What?’ Lucas said sheepishly. ‘I didn’t say anything.’
‘Yes, you did.’ Millie nudged the boy.
Lucas blushed and pressed his finger to his lips.
Millie nodded. ‘Don’t worry, your secret’s safe with me, sappy pants.’
Alice-Miranda was still wiping the snow out of her goggles when a ski instructor in his instantly recognisable red parka whizzed past. ‘Snowplough, snowplough,’ he called to the two children following him.
‘Hey, that’s Sep!’ Lucas said, sitting up.
‘And Sloane. Look how well they’re doing.’ Alice-Miranda picked up her poles. ‘Come on, let’s join them.’
The threesome traversed the slope back and forth until Sloane and Sep stopped beside their instructor. Alice-Miranda sped towards them.
‘Hi there,’ she said with a wave.
‘Oh, hi,’ Sloane said. Her grin couldn’t have been any wider.
‘Did you see us?’ Sep said, beaming. ‘We rode the chairlift up and neither of us has crashed at all.’
Hugh had a quick word with their instructor, whose name was Gunter. An older man, his tanned face was lined from years of winter sun.
‘These two are very impressive,’ he said, nodding at the Sykes children. ‘If they continue with their lessons, I think they might even be able to conquer one of the black trails before they leave.’
Sep’s eyes widened. ‘Did you guys hear that?’ he gasped. ‘A black run at St Moritz – awesome!’
‘Alice-Miranda, weren’t you keen to have some lessons too?’ Hugh asked.
The girl nodded. ‘Could we all go together? I don’t think we’re that much better than Sloane and Sep and then we can help each other.’
Gunter nodded. ‘I don’t mind and these two won’t hold you back. I think Sloane is a lot better and braver than she gives herself credit for, and Sep is already a star.’
Sloane and Sep were positively glowing.
‘Why don’t you all have a run now so Gunter can let us know if that would work?’ Hugh suggested.
‘Come on, kids. Show me what you’re made of,’ Gunter called, whizzing off down the mountain. He stopped to watch the children as they followed in his tracks. He then led them to a series of little jumps.
‘You can do it, Sloane,’ Millie called to the girl, who was the last to come down the course.
‘Here goes nothing,’ Sloane yelled as she let rip. She hit the jump and leaned forward the way Gunter had taught them. For a few seconds Sloane felt as if she were flying.
‘Wow, she’s awesome,’ Lucas said.
The kids held their breath as Sloane sailed through the air. She nailed the landing but soon began to wobble. She was balancing on her left ski, then on her right, unable to get them both on the ground at the same time.
‘Look out!’ she cried, before collecting the back of Millie’s skis and sending the line of children toppling like dominoes. Gunter managed to leap out of the way just in time. The children were all in fits of giggles and completely covered in snow.
‘Is everyone all right?’ Gunter called, skating over to them.
‘Good one, Sloane,’ Sep said, giving his sister a push.
‘I didn’t mean it. I’m sorry,’ she said, dusting herself off and getting back up onto her feet.
‘That was nothing,’ Gunter reassured her. ‘Are you hurt?’
Sloane shook her head.
‘Are you scared?’ he asked.
Sloane shook her head again.
‘Do you want to show that jump what you’re made of?’
Sloane nodded.
‘Okay, kids, let’s ski down and do it all over again.’ Gunter pointed his stock towards the chairlift.
The children took off after him, shrieking as they raced each other to the bottom of the slope.
Delphine Doerflinger sat in the lounge sipping her tea. From her vantage point in a high wingback chair, she could see everyone coming and going while she herself could not be easily seen.
‘There you are, my petal,’ Otto said, looking over the top of her chair.
Delphine glanced up and found herself nose to nose with Gertie. ‘Get that creature out of my face,’ she hissed.
Gertie growled and Otto clutched her closer to him. ‘Be nice to your mama,’ he cooed.
‘I am not that beast’s mama,’ Delphine huffed.
Otto walked around the settee to join his wife. ‘You should have told me you were having afternoon tea,’ he said. ‘I will join you.’
‘I’d rather you didn’t,’ Delphine said.
Otto looked wounded. ‘Why? Do I embarrass you so much that you won’t be seen with me these days?’
Delphine sighed, her face softening. ‘Don’t be stupid,’ she said. ‘I am working.’
‘Oh, is it … what we spoke of yesterday?’ he asked, grinning.
Gertie growled again.
‘O
tto, take her upstairs. She should not be down here upsetting the guests,’ Delphine sniffed.
‘She doesn’t upset anyone. Do you, my little princess?’ The man pursed his lips and made a kissing noise as the dog’s tongue shot out towards him.
Delphine cringed. ‘Honestly, you will catch something from that mutt one of these days. Now, why don’t you go for a walk? Then tonight we will celebrate.’
Otto’s face lit up. ‘Will it be ours so soon?’
‘I am hoping so, but I cannot afford any distractions. Hurry up, Otto,’ she instructed under her breath.
‘You are such a good wife. I will do as you wish. Come along, Gertie, we must get changed.’ He held the dog and scurried away just as Delphine spotted her target.
She stood up and walked towards him, pretending to make notes in an open folder. He had his coat collar drawn up around his neck and wore a stylish fedora, which cast a shadow across his face.
Delphine spun around, almost bumping into him. ‘Baron, is that you?’ she said, feigning surprise. ‘I nearly didn’t recognise you with that hat on.’
He flinched and tightened his grip on the briefcase. ‘Frau Doerflinger, how lovely to see you.’
‘I hadn’t realised that you were staying with us,’ the woman said, smiling sweetly.
‘Oh no, I am just here for a meeting,’ he replied as beads of perspiration formed on his brow.
‘Do you have time for tea?’ she asked, gesturing to the lounge.
The man gulped and shook his head. ‘No, sadly not. I must be going.’
‘What a pity,’ Delphine said. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw two men enter the room. One of them was nudging five feet and dressed in a flamboyant navy pinstriped suit. His slick grey hair looked as oily as he did. The other, who was bald, wore a plain black suit and towered over his associate. ‘Well, I mustn’t keep you,’ she said with a note of finality.
‘Auf Wiedersehen, Frau Doerflinger.’ The Baron took a deep breath and walked away.
With the slightest signal from Delphine, the two men nodded and followed him.
Sloane grinned as she clicked out of her bindings and picked up her skis. ‘That was awesome.’
‘You were amazing,’ Alice-Miranda said.
‘I think I amazed myself,’ Sloane said with a laugh.
‘Especially when you stacked into us,’ Millie teased.
‘At least it only happened once,’ the girl said as the rest of the group reached the bottom of the Chantarella funicular.
‘Well done, kids,’ Hugh called as he and Hamish brought up the rear. ‘Who’s ready for a swim?’
The children’s hands shot up in the air as they jumped up and down yelling ‘me’.
Hamish chuckled. ‘Let’s get moving then.’
Everyone carried their skis down to the roadway, where the shuttle bus was waiting for them. It was a short drive through the village, past the town square and to the hotel. Several doormen helped to unpack the gear and, despite the men’s offer, Hugh, Hamish and the children insisted on carrying everything to the lockers themselves.
The group quickly changed out of their ski boots and charged back upstairs. Aside from the well-stocked ski shop two floors below street level, the hotel also boasted its very own subterranean shopping mall.
‘Look at those clothes,’ Millie gushed, admiring the sparkling dresses in the window of the first boutique. ‘That cloth looks as if it’s made from spun silver.’
Hugh spotted the figure on the price tag and let out a low whistle. ‘Whoa, for that many francs, you would want it to be.’
Millie’s eyes bulged when she saw it too. ‘No! That can’t say what I think it does,’ she gasped.
Hugh nodded. ‘I’m afraid it does.’
‘Who wears a dress that costs more than a car?’ Sloane said incredulously.
‘Even if I had that much money, I’d never spend it on a dress,’ Millie said. ‘What if you sat on chewing gum or something?’
‘Because that happens all the time,’ Sloane said with a grin.
Millie rolled her eyes. ‘You know what I mean.’
The group continued down the mall, past shops selling fine art and jewels.
‘Now, that’s more like it,’ Sloane said. She stopped to ogle the diamonds and other precious stones in the window.
‘When would you ever wear those?’ Millie said. She eyed a pair of diamond-and-ruby earrings the size of small chandeliers.
‘Well, if I became a famous actor like Lawrence Ridley, I’d wear them to all those red-carpet events. Imagine how jealous my mother would be! She’d beg me to come along and I’d just say, “No, I’m taking Sep.”’
‘Really?’ Her brother looked at her in surprise.
‘No, not really, but you were the first person that came into my head,’ Sloane replied.
Everyone laughed as the group made their way up another flight of stairs and emerged into the hotel foyer, where they bumped into Otto Fanger and Gertie.
‘Hello there.’ The hotelier smiled at them. ‘Did you have a good time on the slopes?’
The children nodded.
‘Yes, thank you, Herr Fanger,’ Alice-Miranda said. ‘It was lovely. The snow was delicious.’
Herr Fanger’s eyes widened in alarm. ‘You didn’t eat it, did you?’
Alice-Miranda shook her head and grinned. ‘No, of course not.’
‘Thank goodness for that,’ the man said. ‘There are far too many dogs in St Moritz. Sometimes the snow is yellow, if you catch my drift.’
The children nodded and giggled.
‘Where are you off to now?’ Otto asked.
‘We’re going for a swim,’ Millie said.
‘A swim,’ Otto sighed. ‘I was just about to take Princess Gertie for a walk, but perhaps we will swim instead.’
Jacinta cupped her hand and whispered in Sloane’s ear. ‘I don’t think I want to see Herr Fanger in his swimming trunks.’
Sloane nodded in agreement, green at the thought of it too.
‘Well, come along, Gertie,’ the rotund man cooed into the creature’s ear. ‘Papa will get your swimming trunks.’
None of the children attempted to pat the dog this time, having seen her reaction the day before. They waved goodbye and piled into the lift.
Alice-Miranda and her friends gathered outside their rooms, dressed as if they were on a summer holiday. Although it was below freezing outside, the temperature was almost balmy inside the hotel.
‘Daddy had a few calls to make and told us to go ahead without him,’ Alice-Miranda said.
Millie nodded her head. ‘Same with my dad, though, knowing him he’ll probably have a nap. He was yawning a lot.’
The children made their way down to the hotel spa. Lucas pushed open the heavy glass door into the humid room. The boy dumped his towel on a lounge chair and quickly stripped off his T-shirt and shoes and raced to the water’s edge.
‘Last one in’s a rotten egg,’ he called out as he leapt high into the air and tucked his legs beneath him, showering water all over the place.
The others followed, diving into the steaming pool like missiles.
‘Oh, that chlorine’s strong,’ Alice-Miranda said as she came up for air, her eyes stinging.
‘Do you want to play Marco Polo?’ Jacinta asked.
‘Yes!’ Millie replied. ‘You’re in.’
Jacinta pouted. ‘Why do I have to be in? It was my idea.’
‘That’s why you’re in,’ Millie said with a nod before swimming away.
‘Whatever,’ Jacinta huffed. The girl stood at the shallow end of the pool with her eyes closed, then spun around five times. She could hear the water sploshing and splashing and sensed that one of her friends was near. ‘Marco,’ she called, pushing away from the edge.
‘Polo,’ the children chorused.
Jacinta dove all over the place trying to find them. She came close to catching Sep but the boy was like a seal and zoomed to the bottom just in time.
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‘Where is everyone?’ she moaned after a while. ‘You’re all being way too tricky.’
‘Stop cheating,’ Sloane called.
Jacinta grinned. Her plan had worked – she now knew that her friends had all swum to the other end of the massive pool. She plunged under the water and swam as far as she could in one breath.
Just as she did, Otto Fanger arrived dressed in a long white robe and matching slippers. He already had on his white swimming cap and red goggles and was carrying Gertie, who was dressed identically, down to the cap and goggles, although hers were pink and looked to be dotted with diamonds.
Millie had to duck under the water to stop herself from laughing out loud.
Otto took off his robe to reveal a much-too-tiny pair of red-and-white striped swimming trunks and a thicket of wiry chest hair that would have put an old English sheepdog to shame. He set Gertie down on a sun lounger with her towel laid out, then took off her robe to reveal a one-piece swimsuit in the exact same fabric.
‘He can’t be serious,’ Sep whispered to Lucas.
‘Stay there, my princess, and watch Papa perform his aquarobics,’ he instructed before padding over to the deep end.
Otto dipped his toe into the water and pulled it out again, mumbling to himself about the perfect temperature. Then he took several steps backwards, before he began a run-up towards the pool. The hairs on the man’s chest parted down the middle as he propelled himself into the air, like an oversized squirrel in mid-flight. All the children, except for Jacinta, winced in anticipation. Their fears were answered when the man’s enormous belly slapped hard against the surface, creating a tsunami.
‘Ooooh!’ The children cringed in unison, diving under to avoid the rolling wave.
At that moment, Jacinta came up for air and copped a mouthful of chlorine. The girl sputtered and coughed, trying to catch her breath. ‘Where are you?’ she whined. ‘I’ve been in for ages. It’s not fair.’
She lunged towards Millie and missed, then sank under the water again.
Herr Fanger paddled to the shallow end of the pool, where he stood up and fiddled with his swimming cap. From somewhere underneath it he pulled out two earphones. Music blared into his ears and he began to wave his arms in the air and stretch from side to side.
Alice-Miranda in the Alps Page 6