Rose turned to the others, taking in their expressions. Tom’s concentration didn’t stray from Clara, the concern in his expression clear. He sat on a chair on the far side of the bed, his phone in one hand. ‘The medic team is on the way. I’ve been speaking to them ever since Gull found her. They’re going to phone when they’re a couple of minutes out.’ With his free hand he tipped back the corner of the bedclothes, shuffled a hot water bottle to one side and reached for Clara’s wrist. He pressed his fingers against it, fell silent for a while, then nodded. He replaced the covers. ‘Her pulse is stronger now.’
‘Is she going to be all right?’ Rose asked.
Tom raised his eyebrows. ‘I don’t know. I think so. I think they found her in time.’ He glanced at Gull, then fixed his attentions back on Clara.
Gull stood with his back against the wall. He, too, was still in his ski trousers, although he had abandoned his jacket somewhere. He looked exhausted.
‘Where was she?’ Madeleine asked. ‘I couldn’t find the end of my own nose out there; it was so awful. Thank God you found her.’
‘She was in one of the cattle sheds,’ Gull said, his voice as weary as his appearance. He ran a hand across his forehead.
‘Cattle sheds?’ Madeleine sounded mystified.
‘They’re out by the Grande Pillar piste, Tania and I used to hang out there when we were kids.’ Rose frowned. ‘Where is Tania?’
‘She fell into the stream, I wanted to bring her straight back, but she insisted we went on looking.’ He shifted his weight from one foot to the other. ‘I should have made her come back …’
‘What’s happened?’ Rose said, his expression making her nervous. ‘Where is she? Is she OK?’
Gull never did answer, instead Clara began to move under the covers, a sighing moan accompanying the rustle of the sheets. ‘Mike? Where are you?’ she said, in little more than a whisper. ‘Where’s Poppy?’
Tom found her hand under the covers and held it as her eyelids fluttered open and she blinked, repeatedly and slowly. ‘Mike?’ She sounded confused.
‘No, it’s Tom,’ he said. ‘You’re safe, Clara. In Snow Pine Lodge. Rose and Madeleine are here, and so is Gull.’
‘No,’ Clara said, her head twisting from side to side, the fleece hat working its way up and away from the crown of her head. ‘No, Mike’s supposed to be here, and Poppy. Where are they?’
Rose glanced at Madeleine, who shook her head. Nobody replied to Clara’s question, the silence broken by Tom’s phone, chirruping with an indecent cheerfulness. Rose perched on the side of Clara’s bed, as Tom rose from his chair, and took hold of Clara’s other hand.
‘Keep her talking,’ Tom said as he left the room, heading downstairs to let the medic in.
About what? Rose thought. Her dead husband and child? The fact that she’s not dead, as she thought she would be? As she hoped she would be …
‘I’ll be back in a second. I’m going to make her a hot drink,’ Madeleine said, her path crossing with Lysander in the doorway. He ignored her, his gaze settling on Gull.
‘Tania’s asking for you,’ he said.
‘Really?’ Gull pushed off from the wall.
‘Don’t sound so surprised,’ Lysander said. He frowned, then said, ‘It’s possible I owe you an apology.’
Gull shook his head. ‘Not necessary.’
‘Thing is, she genuinely likes you. Our relationship might be dysfunctional, but she’s still my sister. I’ve cocked up in so many ways, but I do try to look out for her, whatever she thinks to the contrary. And we don’t take to strangers on our patch too easily. I was a bit of a shit to you, earlier.’ He shrugged. ‘It tends to be a Harrington trait.’
Unlike earlier, Rose couldn’t help noticing how– for once– Lysander wasn’t competing for the higher ground.
‘Cuts both ways. I knew exactly who you were. Even country bumpkins wear Ralph Lauren.’
Lysander cocked an eyebrow. ‘Fair play. And for the record you should probably get the full story on her relationships from Tania, not me. I’m not exactly what you’d call a “reliable witness”.’ He mimed quotation marks.
‘I already have.’ Gull paused. ‘Shall we start again?’
Lysander extended a hand for Gull to shake, but Gull kept his hands in his pockets.
Once bitten, Rose thought.
‘I don’t think we’re there yet,’ Gull said.
