Dreaming of Christmas Read online

  The top station was quite scary – perched on bare rock, with a near vertical drop as the black run set off back down towards Bad Bergstein. Fortunately, as Billy had said, the other side was a good deal less daunting, with much more gentle slopes and a magnificent view across serried ranks of mountains over the border and into Italy. They had a marvellous long run all the way down to the next village. By the time they reached the bottom, Zoë’s thighs were burning, but she was as happy as she had been for a long, long time – and she still hadn’t fallen over even once. She carved to a halt alongside Billy and lifted her goggles.

  ‘Billy, that was amazing. Can we do it again, please, please, please?’ She adopted Bella’s voice and was pleased to see him grin back at her.

  ‘We certainly can. But how about something to drink first?’

  Nobody objected to that idea in the slightest, so they unclipped their skis, stacked them along with a load of others in a rack, and headed into a welcoming-looking cafe.

  Billy turned towards the others as they walked in.

  ‘You know the best thing about having changed from glasses to contact lenses? I can walk into a place like this from the freezing cold outside and I don’t steam up. I remember in the old days, I would go virtually blind until I wiped the condensation off.’

  ‘Mind you, at number 23 sometimes it was as cold indoors as it was outside. There was more risk of your glasses being frozen to your face some nights.’ Juliet gave him an approving look. ‘But getting contacts was a good move. You look good without the glasses, Billy.’

  Zoë smiled to herself as she saw him blush.

  She glanced at the clock on the wall and saw that it was half past eleven. Billy also noticed and he suggested getting something to eat with their hot chocolate while they were there. By now, breakfast was a distant memory so, at his suggestion, they ordered another local speciality – Salzburger Nockerl. This turned out to be a highly calorific eggy soufflé that appeared on the table looking like a series of pointed mountain peaks. As they ate the wonderful sweet pudding, Billy explained that this place – like Bad Bergstein – wasn’t just a winter sports resort.

  ‘This area’s great for mountain biking. Once the snow melts, you can go all over the place on old shepherd’s tracks and, if you’re feeling lazy, you can take your bikes up to the top on the lift and then ride down again. Personally, I think that’s cheating, so I try to ride both ways – up and down.’

  ‘Do you like mountain biking, Daniela?’ Juliet spooned a mouthful of cream from the pyramid on top of her hot chocolate into her mouth and gave a blissful smile.

  ‘I’m not a very good cyclist, to be honest. Although I’m okay on skis, my balance isn’t that great.’ She caught Zoë’s eye and smiled. ‘I believe that’s something you and I have got in common, Zoë.’

  ‘Yes, I’m a bit wobbly on a bike as well, but not just on a bike – I seem to have a knack of tripping over my own feet even when I’m on solid ground.’

  Billy leant over the table towards Zoë and Juliet.

  ‘Well, if you girls come over to see me in the spring or summer – and I do hope you will – Zoë, you and Daniela can take Arnie for walks, while Juliet and I go cycling. That’s your thing, isn’t it, Jules? Weren’t you saying you’d bought yourself a new bike?’

  ‘Yes, but it’s a road bike. I’ve never tried mountain biking, though it’s something I’ve always fancied. You’d better not ask me twice, or I really will come over again next year.’

  ‘Please come over. There, I’ve asked twice. You’re committed – and the same applies to you, Zoë.’ He transferred his attention to Daniela. ‘Are you okay, Danni? You’ve hardly touched your pudding.’

  ‘To be honest, I don’t feel too good. In fact, I think I might head back to the hotel and have a lie-down. The station’s just down that road there. I can jump on a train and be home in ten minutes.’

  ‘Then I’ll come back with you.’ He sounded suddenly concerned, and Zoë joined in immediately.

  ‘We’ll all come back with you.’ She had no intention of leaving a poorly Daniela all alone, even if this would mean missing another long, sweeping run down the mountain.

  ‘I’ve got a better idea.’ Juliet held up a hand to silence Billy before he could interrupt. ‘Why don’t I go back with Daniela? I’m really feeling my legs today and I want to have a long, hot bath before going to the concert. You two stay and ski some more – besides, without me holding you back, you’ll be able to go much faster.’

  Billy and Zoë protested, but Juliet was adamant – even invoking the D word.

  ‘I am a doctor, after all.’

  There was an ÖBB timetable at the bar, and they saw that there would be a train in less than a quarter of an hour, so the decision was taken. Daniela and Juliet would return to the hotel, leaving Zoë and Billy to ski down from the top once again.

  As the two girls went off, Billy and Zoë climbed up to the cable car that connected this little village with the top of the mountain. It was a bit scary, as they were now hanging a long way above the slopes, but it whisked them up to the top a lot quicker than the lifts on the Bad Bergstein side of the mountain. They did the full run twice more and, by the end, Zoë’s thighs felt as if they were on fire. Finally, at just after one o’clock, they skied down to the station and bought tickets for the short train ride through the tunnel back to the hotel. There was a train expected in about twenty minutes, so they took seats in the crowded station cafe and ordered coffee and water. As they sipped their drinks, they talked and Zoë learned more about her host.

  His main residence nowadays was apparently in the hills above Silicon Valley in California, but he told her he was spending more and more time in Europe. As he talked, Zoë took a closer look at him. Unlike the old days at number 23, he now had colour in his cheeks, and she noticed his eyes for the first time. Back when she had first known him, they had always been hidden behind the heavy glasses – besides, it had been very rare for him to approach any woman close enough for her to discern his eye colour. They were, she now realised, a rich blue – not dissimilar to the colour of the sky outside. Not for the first time since arriving here in Austria, she realised that Billy had morphed into a very good-looking, charismatic man. Presumably Daniela hadn’t been the only woman attracted to him. Mind you, she thought once again, the fact that he was also a billionaire certainly didn’t detract from his appeal.

  The journalist in her realised that she was accumulating some real golden nuggets of information for a revealing article in HC magazine – if she chose to write it. But the more she thought about it, the more she knew that she would prefer to lose her job than infringe upon Billy’s personal space. And this was not just because he was being so amazingly generous, but because she genuinely found herself liking him more and more.

  After a while, the conversation moved to more personal matters and she asked him why it had taken him so long to find the right woman to marry. He shook his head slowly as he answered.

  ‘I don’t know. The thing is, it’s taken me years to come out of my shell. I told you this is just a veneer, and you have to believe me. I’ve had to become a bit more outgoing, more articulate. As the company grew, I’ve had no choice, but it’s been a real struggle. I suppose it’s only now that I’ve finally found a little bit of self-confidence, but – I’m not joking – it’s wafer-thin.’

  ‘You sound fine to me. And I’m delighted you’re so happy with Daniela.’

  He nodded. ‘I know. It’s important to find the right person, isn’t it? I read an article once saying that everybody’s got only one perfect mate out there somewhere. The trick is to find that person.’

  ‘Some trick.’

  Her tone must have betrayed her.

  ‘Did you think that was what you’d found with Grant – if you don’t mind my asking?’

  Zoë nodded cautiously.

  ‘I suppose I did. Of course with everything that’s happened in the past year it’s all got a
bit blurred in my head, but yes, I think I genuinely did believe he was my soulmate – if you’ll excuse the cheesy expression.’

  He smiled back at her. ‘You can say “soulmate” if you like. I’m a man, but I’m a sucker for all that stuff – the pursuit of true love and so on. As for Grant, he seems very attentive, very caring this week. I don’t remember him ever being like that when we lived at number 23. My memories are more of him only being interested in rugby and having a good time, rather than being particularly caring towards you. But now he’s different. Danni was wondering whether he might be harbouring thoughts of trying to get back together with you. Do you think that’s so?’

  Zoë took a mouthful of coffee before replying. Billy was right. Grant was a very different – or pretend different – man here in Austria.

  ‘I’ve been wondering the same myself.’

  ‘And if he is, how are you going to respond?’

  She was still trying to formulate a reply when they were interrupted.

  ‘Hi, you two. Are you getting the 13.22 as well?’

  It was Fergus. Automatically Zoë’s eyes flicked around the room and she soon spotted Grant at the bar. Taking advantage of his temporary absence, she caught Fergus’s eye.

  ‘Hi, Fergus. I’m glad I’ve seen you. I just wanted you to know that my decision to go and sit on the opposite side of the room this morning had nothing to do with you – I was just trying to avoid your breakfast companion. I’m sorry if I appeared rude.’

  ‘Not at all, but thank you. I quite understand the situation. For what it’s worth, Grant’s done nothing but talk about you since I met him. Even out in the snow you appear to be all he has on his mind. He’s a really good boarder, but he’s had three spectacular wipeouts today and I’m sure that was just because he wasn’t concentrating on where he was going. No prizes for guessing what, or who, he was thinking about.’

  ‘Here, Fergie. Your beer. You won it fair and square.’

  Grant materialised alongside their table with two beers. His eyes flicked momentarily across Zoë’s face.

  ‘You two already got drinks? Sorry, I didn’t see you there when we came in.’

  Zoë said nothing, so Billy answered for them.

  ‘We’re fine, Grant, thanks.’ He swilled the last of his coffee round the cup and then swallowed it. ‘Fergus was telling us you’ve made a few head-first excursions into the snow today.’

  ‘And don’t I know it! I’ve just been shaking whopping great chunks of ice out of my clothes before they start melting.’ He glanced sideways at Zoë. ‘What about you, Zo? Had a good day?’

  ‘Fine, thanks.’ She kept her eyes on her coffee.

  Just then, before an awkward silence could develop, the station loudspeakers coughed into life and Billy checked his watch.

  ‘Come on, guys. Train’s coming.’

  Chapter 9

  Seeing as they were going to be in the minibus and then the concert hall, Zoë decided to wear her smart dress again, this time with her good leather knee boots. They had smooth soles and she knew they would be useless on ice, so she made sure she bagged Juliet as soon as she emerged from the lift at five to three.

  ‘Hi, Jules, I’m going to need your arm again, if you don’t mind.’

  ‘I don’t mind, but I’m not sure how much help I’m going to be.’

  Zoë glanced down and saw that Juliet too had opted for a skirt and boots with a bit of a heel.

  ‘Well, if we fall, we fall together.’ Zoë grinned. ‘Just like last night – apologies once more for that.’

  ‘No problem. I just hope my tights are thick enough and the heating in the minibus works. I didn’t bring a long coat – just my skiing jacket.’

  ‘I’ve got the same problem, but I’m sure we’ll be okay. Billy said the restaurant’s close to the concert hall and we’re being ferried there by minibus. How’s Daniela? She got back all right? Any idea how she is now?’

  ‘She’ll be fine. She’s maybe just a bit tired. This mountain air knocks the stuffing out of you, doesn’t it? I stayed with her and chatted for a bit and she was quite cheerful.’

  At that moment Daniela herself appeared, accompanied by Billy. Zoë noticed that they were both dressed smartly and gave a silent sigh of relief that her instincts had been right.

  ‘Hi, Daniela, feeling better?’

  ‘Much better, thanks. I just needed a rest. Billy tells me you two had a great time this afternoon.’

  ‘I certainly did.’

  As she spoke, Zoë realised that this hadn’t just been because of the skiing. Billy really had blossomed into very good company and she had enjoyed spending time with him. She glanced across at Daniela. Yes, apart from being young, tall and beautiful, she was a very lucky girl to have bagged such a lovely man.

  The trip down to Salzburg on the meticulously swept roads took just over an hour, and once they got there, as promised, the driver gave them a whistle-stop tour of the city. As Mandy had travelled down earlier in the day with Imogen and Lorna, Zoë sat beside Bella, with her dad on the other side. She found she enjoyed the sensation of being a surrogate mum. She pointed things out to the little girl, listened to her cries of excitement and amazement, and did her best to answer her endless questions about everything from why snow was white to what a Mozart was. As she did so, she surprised herself. For just about the first time in her life, she felt what could only be explained as maternal instincts rising up inside her. She heard Grant’s voice from the back row of seats and gave a surreptitious sigh for what might have been.

  Salzburg was a delight. The minibus took them past wonderful parks filled with snow-covered trees, many of them festooned with Christmas decorations and lights. They threaded their way through the narrow streets, also decked with Christmas decorations, past one stunning baroque building after another. And all the time above them was the magnificent fortress perched on a craggy rock, dominating the town. Seen from the banks of the wide river, the rooftops of the town were punctuated by a multitude of church spires, almost all of them in traditional style. This consisted of a square tower surmounted by an onion-shaped cupola and topped with a pointed turret. The result was a skyline that couldn’t have been anywhere in the world but Austria. The whole city – and it wasn’t big – was crammed with statues, memorials, historic buildings and people. The streets were full of locals as well as tourists, out and about enjoying the Christmassy feel of this cultural hotspot.

  One common denominator soon emerged – Mozart. Salzburg was clearly very proud of its most famous son, and everywhere they went, they saw references to him. Zoë lost count of the number of shops, cafes, restaurants and hotels they passed whose names recalled the great composer, and when the minibus dropped them off in the centre of town, the shop windows continued the theme. There were Mozart pencil cases, Mozart T-shirts, even Mozart umbrellas, as well as box after box of confectionery – in particular a chocolate speciality apparently called simply Mozartkugeln, Mozart’s Balls. Clearly, the good folk of Salzburg were happy to profit from every single part of him.

  They rendezvoused with Mandy, Imogen and Lorna in the lobby of the Mirabell Palace, and Zoë felt almost sorry to relinquish Bella’s hand to her mother. It had been fun being in loco parentis for a little while. However, the sheer magnificence of the palace soon took her mind off her nascent maternal instincts. It was dark by now, but even if it had still been daylight, they wouldn’t have seen much of the spectacular ornamental gardens because of the fresh snow. The palace itself was an impressive building, vaguely reminiscent of Buckingham Palace, and here too the Christmas theme was repeated outside and inside with a huge tree, garlands of fir branches and pine cones, and candles. Zoë wondered idly what Health and Safety would make of the potential fire hazard. They found themselves in the midst of a symphony of marble floors and high, often frescoed ceilings with – as Billy had told them – gold leaf glittering everywhere. It was a spectacular piece of architecture, with more than a hint of bling.


  To get them in the mood for the concert, they drank fizzy Austrian Sekt at the bar before going into a remarkably cosy concert hall. The cosiness was no doubt partly thanks to a massive majolica stove, almost the height of the room, and partly because the place was packed. It wasn’t a big, impersonal auditorium so much as a wide, but not very deep, reception room, with rows of gilded chairs lined up in front of the performers. The seats Billy had booked were right in the middle and were close enough for them to see the sweat on the musicians’ brows and the loose hairs hanging off the ends of the bows. It was all very quaint and not in the least stuffy or daunting.

  The music was performed by a string quartet, with occasional violin soloists, and the acoustics of the room were excellent. Although Bella drifted off to sleep in her mother’s arms after her day on the slopes with her dad, the others all appeared to enjoy it, and Zoë came out at the end feeling quite dreamy. It had been a novel – and unique – experience and she was humming to herself. Lorna, at her elbow, was quick to point out what that signified.

  ‘Am I right in assuming you enjoyed that, Zo? You sound really happy.’

  Zoë nodded and found herself smiling. ‘It was charming. And yes, you’re right. I am feeling happy.’ She lowered her voice. ‘Apart from the lovely music, I suppose it’s the relief of finding that I don’t have to put up with Grant’s new woman and the fact that it’s far easier than I’d thought it would be to get on with him.’

  ‘You look good with a smile on your face. I was worried when I first saw you at Heathrow. You looked terrified.’

  ‘And I was.’ She grinned. ‘I was worried about you too. But I’m delighted to see you looking a lot happier yourself now as well. Maybe it’s the mountain air.’

  Together they joined Billy and Daniela in the magnificent lobby of the palace. Zoë gave them a big smile.

  ‘Thank you so much. That’s a first for me. I’ve never been to a real live classical music concert before and I loved it. And what a setting!’

  ‘It was stunning. Brilliant.’ Lorna joined in and Zoë was really pleased to see her looking so cheery. The others added their thanks and appreciation and Billy looked pleased and maybe a bit relieved.