Read Mothers and Daughters Online
Authors: Minna Howard
Mothers and Daughters (35 page)
‘I remember,’ he said, smiling at her, ‘we went quite fast, I won’t try it here we might go over the edge.’
‘Please don’t,’ she said watching the narrow road in front of them
The chalet was small, overlooking the valley. ‘There’s a chalet girl, or I think a boy this time, who’ll come in and clean and everything, get us breakfast if you want,’ he said as he took her case and put it into one of the rooms and his own luggage in another.
There seemed to be no one else there though she saw another bedroom. She felt a little relieved but also regretful. He was taking her skiing, helping her achieve her wish, she reminded herself firmly. She must not be like Petra and expect a more intimate relationship. Frank was Julian’s great friend, Laura’s godfather, a close family friend, which perhaps was a more lasting relationship than that of a lover.
She had little time to reflect on their relationship as they rushed down to the village to rent her skies and boots and then had supper with Frank’s friends. He seemed to know a lot of people out here. They got back late to the chalet and both were only too glad to sink into their own beds and sleep.
For three days, their life was the same, skiing all day, sometimes just the two of them, sometimes with friends, and every evening pleasantly tired. With all their exercise they slept well… alone. Frank was friendly and kind but there was no hint of a romance.
The day came when they were to ski part of the four valleys.
They reached the hut at Mont Four at the end of the afternoon straggling up the steep path to reach it perched in the mountains. The day-skiers were setting off on their last run home, leaving those skiers who were spending the night here to the majesty of the sky, the snow and the ring of mountains all around them. Frank and Alice took off their skies, leaving them in the entrance before going into the warm, wood-lined hut, the welcoming smell of hot soup waiting for them. There were rooms off the main living area, each holding four narrow beds where the skiers snatched a few hours of sleep before getting up at first light to set off on the first run. It was important to catch the snow at each place at the right time when it was cold and crisp enough not to give way.
‘I’ve been here for lunch in the day but I never really took it in,’ Alice said to Frank. ‘Now at the end of the day it feels different, wonderful, just us few in the world.’ She turned to him, her eyes shining, an energy driving through her, lifting her spirits.’
‘Wait until the sun goes down,’ he said smiling at her, ‘it is magic.’
They stood a little apart from the others, looking out over the sea of mountain peaks. The sun was slipping down the sky, drenching the mountains in pink and gold in one last flourish before it sank. The silence was extraordinary, deep and meaningful, and even the hardened skiers were awed by it all.
Frank put his arm round her and pulled her close to him. ‘I am so happy to be here with you, Alice, to share this.’ He turned to her and she saw his love for her in his eyes. She leant towards him and he kissed her. After a while he drew away, his arms looped round her waist. ‘I’ve been in love with you for so long.’ His face was close to hers. She could feel the warmth of his breath on her cheek. ‘I loved you from that first time I met you with Julian, but I saw how much you loved each other so I wasn’t going to hang around, get in the way, so I went to live in France. I thought my feelings would fade over time, but when I saw you again I knew my love was as strong as ever.’ He smiled, stroked her face with the tip of his fingers. ‘I’m telling you the secret I’ve held close with me all these years and you can do with it what you want.’
‘I didn’t know that, Frank.’ She was surprised at his confession. ‘I loved Julian, only had eyes for him, but when you came back after he’d died, that time you found me pruning that tree, I felt…’ She paused, ‘Well I just knew I wanted to be with you, but I didn’t know if you had a wife, a girlfriend… If you were free, or,’ she laughed, a little self consciously, ‘would be the slightest bit interested… romantically I mean, in me.’
The sky was getting darker as the glow of the sun slipped away into the velvet darkness behind the mountains that surrounded them. The moon, like a great, silver ball, hung above. Alice safe in Frank’s arms felt that they were enclosed in the power of nature.
‘There is no one in my life, but I hope there is you,’ he said. ‘I have waited for you for so long.’
‘I love you,’ she said, the joy of it rising in her as they kissed again.
Then she remembered outside that car showroom when she’d asked Julian for help to cope with their girls and the bombshells they’d dropped on her. Frank had suddenly come into her mind. It was a foolish thought perhaps, but had it come from him? Now it was time to let Julian go and love again.
We hope you enjoyed this book!
Minna Howard’s next book,
A Winter Affair
, is coming in Autumn 2016
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M
INNA
H
OWARD
has had an exciting career in fashion journalism and now writes full time, whilst enjoying time with her grandsons and working as an occasional Film and TV extra. She lives in London and is herself a glamorous Granny.
Aria is the new digital-first fiction imprint from Head of Zeus.
It’s Aria’s ambition to discover and publish tomorrow’s superstars, targeting fiction addicts and readers keen to discover new and exciting authors.
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Addictive Fiction
First published in the United Kingdom in 2016 by Aria, an imprint of Head of Zeus Ltd
Copyright © Minna Howard, 2016
The moral right of Minna Howard to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act of 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book.
This is a work of fiction. All characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
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A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
ISBN (E) 9781784975852
Jacket Design: Emma Rogers
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