‘Mina. How are you?’
‘How amI? How are you?’
‘I’m fine. Stupid really. They put this stent thing in to widen an artery. Do you know they put it in through a vein in my wrist? Quite astonishing. And now I feel so much better. It’s like magic. And how is everything? How are the guests?’
‘Everything is fine. The guests all send their love.’
‘I’m so worried, they should have had lunch today. Not many would have gone out. And coffee.’
‘Amelie, it’s all fine. They had soup and bread for lunch. And I made coffee at eleven.’
Her sigh of relief echoed down the phone and even Johannes, standing a foot to her right, smiled.
‘And I’ve done the bedrooms. Dave has made a wonderful cake. And I’m about to start cooking dinner. You mustn’t worry. Everything is under control.’
‘You are a treasure, Mina. And remember the guests. They need looking after. How are Dave and Sarah?’
Mina laughed. ‘They are fine.’
‘Hmm,’ said Amelie. ‘And what about the new arrivals?’
Mina gulped. ‘Yes. The new arrivals.’ Shit, they would be arriving in… she glanced at her watch. Oh shit, two hours.
‘Remember Kristian needs keeping an eye on, and the Italian family are back, and of course you know Bernhardt. It’s all in the book.’
‘Don’t worry. It’s all under control. Now do you need anything? Johannes is going to come visit this evening. I’m sorry, I’m not sure I can cook dinner and come see you. Will you mind?’
‘No, no. I am happier knowing that my guests will be fed. You can call Franzi and Giselle.’
‘Yes, I’ll do that.’ Mina had never been more grateful that it was Saturday tomorrow, they couldn’t possibly have an exam.
‘Good. So Johannes is coming. Is he terribly worried?’ There was a tiny ripple of amusement in her voice.
‘Terribly,’ said Mina. ‘Although I’m not sure I can spare him, he’s been on fire duty.’
Amelie laughed. ‘He does love looking after my fire.’
Mina bit back a snigger at the unintentional double entendre, at least she thought it was unintentional – her godmother’s English was so good, it might not have been.
‘I’ll hand you over,’ she said, giving the phone to Johannes, who immediately seemed to be tongue-tied. She patted him on the shoulder. ‘I’ll leave you to it.’
Slipping out of the kitchen she went into the dining room, which promptly reminded her that the table needed laying for dinner. When she returned to the kitchen Johannes sat with a dazed expression on his face.
Biting back a smile, Mina asked him what Amelie needed to be taken to the hospital, and had to laugh when he couldn’t remember a single thing she’d asked for.
‘Do you know where she keeps the keys for her apartment?’
‘There.’ He pointed to a bunch of keys hanging on the hook on the end of the dresser.
‘Would you like me to go and get some things for her?’
He responded, nodding enthusiastically. ‘That would be… appropriate.’
Dust motes leapt into the air, scared into action by the keys rattling in the lock, as Mina stepped into the silent apartment. It felt wrong to be entering Amelie’s space without her, even though she had permission. Of course, Mina’s curiosity couldn’t be contained, so she took a peep into the living room. With a small two-seater sofa, a solitary coffee table, and a virtually empty bookshelf, the room created a stark contrast with the cosy lounge in the chalet. Not a single picture hung on the walls, no cushions, no throws, which surprised Mina; it didn’t feel like Amelie at all. Puzzled, she walked into the centre of the room. It had the potential to be a beautiful room, with the lovely rosy wood-clad walls, the polished floorboards, and the wide windows.
Then she realised Amelie had put all her energy into the chalet. That was her true home. Mina realised that her godmother probably never spent any time here. It strengthened her resolve to try and help. But mindful of Luke’s comments, she would approach it diplomatically. He’d clearly had a rough ride as a teenager, and the more she thought about it, the more she sympathised.
When she moved into the bedroom, she immediately felt more comfortable when she spotted the selection of photographs on the dressing table, which included a couple of pictures of Mina and Hannah when they were younger, and a more recent one of Mina taken when she’d just completed a mini triathlon. In the picture she grinned up at the camera, holding her medal. Mina laughed out loud at her own image – a typical example of triumph over adversity. Despite never having done a triathlon in her life, or even attempted an open water swim, she signed up to the charity event because it sounded fun. She’d finished it, and wasn’t last. Next to that picture was a much larger silver frame with a photograph of her mother and Amelie, their arms slung around each other in a restaurant somewhere, huge smiles on faces lit up with genuine affection for each other. Mina wondered for the thousandth time how different her life might have been if her parents hadn’t been killed in that accident. Amelie had been good to her and Hannah. What would Miriam and Derek say if she decided to stay in Switzerland? Although set in their ways, they’d never held her or Hannah back. They’d always given them free reign, and gentle, understated support.
