‘Are you OK?’ he’d asked, his handsome brow brooding and bleeding.
Emme had nodded, and been helped up by Tristan, closely watched by Tiago and Cat, who admonished Dimitri Diamandis for hurting her friend as a consequence of his violent rage.
Although Emme had managed to hobble to Tiago’s place in one shoe, the broken one in hand, she couldn’t walk home like that. The snow had settled in Kristalldorfand she was grateful for the change of clothes as she looked around Tiago’s humble apartment. It was the least fancy place she had seen since arriving: six Portuguese and two Mexican workers shared three bedrooms, but it was clean and warm and felt like the safest bet at the time. At least she had somewhere to go. Poor Cat was stuck in Chalet Edelweiss, picking up the emotional shards after Emme and Tiago had helped her with the physical ones.
Emme caught the thick balled-up pair of ski socks as Tiago threw them.
‘Never made a more dramatic 100 francs, huh?’ he joked.
Emme shook her head.
‘Don’t,’ she said with a weary smile.
Now wasn’t the time to tell Tiago or Cat that she had inserted herself into this ghastly mess a fortnight ago. It was all so fucked up.
‘What’s going on?’ asked Nieves, Tiago’s flatmate, as she walked into the apartment. ‘My friend said there was a fight at the Kivvi party and–’
Nieves saw Emme standing in Tiago’s clothes.
‘Oh,’ she said, intrigued. Tiago never brought girls home.
‘Long story, I’ll tell you later… but this is my buddy Emme, she was working there with me.’
‘Oh really?’ Nieves said, almond eyes full of intrigue.
‘Wow, news really travels fast in this town!’ Emme said, raising an eyebrow. She put on Tiago’s socks and laced up his boots as Nieves slunk off to the kitchen with her grocery bags.
‘Want me to walk you home?’ Tiago asked.
‘It’s fine,’ Emme said, gathering her purse, coat, and a plastic bag of clothes. She was dreading getting back tothe Harrington home and hearing Lexy wittering about the drama they had all just witnessed. She was worried about Tristan and the state of his face. For a small guy, Dimitri Diamandis certainly packed a punch.
Emme opened her arms out and gave Tiago a hug.
‘Thanks T,’ she said. ‘I’ll wash these and return them.’
‘You better had.’ He said with a smile. ‘That sweatshirt cost me fifteen euros.’
And he squeezed her back. Two outsiders in their strange huddle.
Chapter Forty-Nine
‘How COULD she!’ Vivian sobbed in a rage, as she stormed along the hallway of the Steinherr mansion, followed by her father and brother.
Nanny Iris hurried down the stairs to see if the children were back. Walter looked up at her. ‘Prepare their bath, they will be back any minute. Kristaps, you had better prepare an ice pack for Dimitri’s hand.’
The butler looked confused, but nodded and raced to the kitchen.
‘Is everything OK, sir?’ asked a maid as she came out of the kitchens.
‘No!’ Walter bellowed, and continued down after Vivian, who went into the plush lounging room, only because it was the furthest away from the front door, and slumped onto a daybed under a window. Night had already fallen on Kristalldorf, and the room was cosily lit.
Vivian threw her face onto the plump cushions and sobbed.
Lysander sat next to her and rubbed her back.
‘The humiliation!’ she sobbed. ‘She was screwing Tristan! The slut!’
Walter didn’t want to think of either of his daughters screwing anyone, so he retreated to the living room, its fireplace already lit, and fixed himself a drink.
