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Theo had stacked the plates in the dishwasher and she’d left the pans soaking for Vera, she was about to slip up to bed when Theo, his jacket on ready to go out and Bert jumping impatiently round his feet, appeared saying; ‘Lawrence said to go and meet the guests, they want to thank you for the dinner.’
    â€˜Oh, no,’ she said, ‘no doubt Lawrence will tell me every detail of what they said tomorrow.’
    â€˜No, you must go, it won’t take long, they’ll be gone soon.’ He went out and she heard him open the door and felt the shaft of icy air come in before he closed it behind him.
    Taking off her apron and pushing back her hair, she went down the passage to the large room that now took up most of the ground floor of the chalet. Struggling to calm her nerves, she entered the room and stood awkwardly just inside surveying them.
    For a split second in her befuddled mind she thought a polar bear had got in until she saw it was a woman, her blonde hair smoothed back from her face by a sort of white fur halo with two little tufts like ears sticking up. She was dressed in a furry white jacket and white trousers too.
    Saskia noticed Eloise. ‘Eloise, what a scrummy dinner,’ she exclaimed and then all of the other guests turned towards her, murmuring small platitudes with kind smiles, all except for the woman in white, who said dryly, ‘Darling, just a few little tips. I had some ice shards in my sorbet, and the meringues were too sweet and…’
    â€˜It was all absolutely delicious,’ Saskia said firmly. ‘Didn’t you think so, Quinn?’ She nudged the rotund man with curly grey hair and a craggy, bronzed face sitting beside her.
    Eloise held her breath waiting for the great man’s verdict.
    â€˜Indeed… perhaps the presentation could have been a little sharper, but no, a good try.’ He smiled in her direction.
    â€˜Thank you,’ Eloise was encouraged by his smile. ‘Goodnight,’ she said quickly and she left them, fighting back her tears of exhaustion, before Lawrence had time to add his own criticism of her failings.

Six
    The dazzling light cut through the gap in the curtains, waking her, and for a moment Eloise lay there trying to get her bearings, before springing up in alarm. She glanced at her clock, almost 10 o’clock! If she hadn’t failed the cooking test last night, she’d failed big time this morning by oversleeping and missing breakfast. By now it would be too late for the early risers who wanted to beat the queues to get up the mountain.
    But this week’s guests had not yet arrived, she reminded herself as she pulled on her clothes, there was only Theo and Lawrence; surely they could get their own breakfast? She’d make sure she’d be up bright and early tomorrow when the guests had arrived. Theo was very easy-going but Lawrence was not, after all he was responsible for running the chalet, and having had one of his chefs running off was perhaps wary of all of them. She hurried to get ready before running downstairs, gearing herself up for his disapproval. She dashed into the kitchen and a small wiry woman in a blue overall who was polishing up the monstrous cooker turned and smiled at her. ‘Good morning.’
    â€˜Good morning… You must be Vera. I’m Eloise. I… I overslept, have they had breakfast?’
    â€˜Yes, Theo was up very early to go to the mountains and Lawrence has gone out. He said to remind you the new guests arrive this afternoon and please make a cake.’ Vera gave the cooker one last sweep of her cloth before going over to the sink, her darting movements reminding Eloise of an eager bird.
    â€˜Was he angry?’ she asked.
    Vera looked round at her, frowning in surprise, ‘No, why would he be angry?’
    â€˜Because I wasn’t up in time to cook his breakfast.’
    â€˜He usually gets his own, or sometimes I do it for him,’ Vera