A Super Family Ski Trip

Tessa Hardy was rushed off her feet. She had dozens of calls to make with no time even to stop and think. Saturdays were always like that. Saturday was change over day for Snow-Zone Friendly Ski Holidays Ltd, the company Tessa worked for. She was the resort rep in Les Cimes Jumelles, one of the more picturesque Alpine villages in France.

Each Saturday, she was up before the sun, to ensure the departing guests were safely on the airport coach, along with their luggage and ski equipment. That done, she'd go to each chalet and hotel to make sure the staff there were hard at work cleaning and changing the linen ready for the next lot. Her next stop would be the office, to get herself a copy of the list of that day's incoming guests in order to familiarise herself with who was staying where, any dietary or other special requirements. 

She would usually give the list a quick scan to see whether she knew any of them, or if there were any famous names staying at L'Hotel Grand Nord. It did happen, once in a while.

She was on her way to the office when someone called out to her. "A beautiful day, no?" The ski instructor emerged from the ski school building, skis carried casually over his shoulder.

"I'm afraid I don't have time to appreciate it, J.P," she called back. "It's change-over day. I have to get all the new punters settled in. It'll be well dark before I can stop and admire the weather!"

The tanned, weather-beaten ski instructor fell into step beside her. Saturdays were nowhere near so busy for him, as most of his customers were either travelling to or from the resort, so he tended to be at a loose end. However, all the pretty English girls who worked for Snow Zone Friendly were always so hard at work and never had time to stop and chat to him on a Saturday. That, J.P. always thought, was a terrible shame. "It will snow tonight," he said.

"Good. We need it." Tessa replied.

J.P. had a reputation for three things among the Snow-Zone Friendly staff. One was womanising, at which he was highly successful, in spite of his age. They all had to admit J.P. was very attractive for a fifty-five year old. He must have been quite something at twenty-five. Women, staff and punters alike, would be warned about him when they arrived. Like Tessa, they'd be friendly, but keep him at arm's length.

Secondly, he knew the mountains like the back of his hand. He was rumoured to know every mogul on those slopes by name. At the beginning of the season, he'd acted as ski guide to the Snow Zone Friendly ski hosts, showing them the best of the slopes. He knew where the best jumps were, the lesser known runs that were rarely crowded, and the biggest avalanche risks.

Thirdly, could always predict the weather with remarkable accuracy. If J.P. said it was going to snow, then it was going to snow. If J.P. said there would be a big thaw, you looked into the alternatives to skiing. Just now, the snow was wearing thin, so Tessa was glad she'd be able to tell the new arrivals more of the white stuff was on its way.

Tessa told J.P. firmly that she had no time to join him for a beer, and walked into the office. She scanned the list. There was no-one on it she knew, but one or two names caused her to raise an eyebrow. "Is that the Davey McPherson, the newspaper editor?" she asked.

"Yes, I believe so," replied her colleague, Gavin, a tall, slim young man with a severe case of panda eyes from wearing goggles. "And family."

"And what about these two? They're not real princesses, surely?" Two of the guests at L'Hotel Grand Nord were recorded as "Princess" instead of plain "Miss" or "Ms".

"Oh, they are; but they don't strictly speaking have a kingdom. They're in exile with all their money."

"I can think of worse positions to be in. Like being in exile without all their money! Well, I'd better get over to the Hotel and warn them they've got some celebrities in this week."

"Better hurry," Gavin said. "The McPhersons will be arriving early. They're driving. He wants the extra day's skiing. Actually he was asking if there was likely to be anyone around who could show him the pistes this afternoon."

"That should keep J.P. out of mischief!" Tessa grinned.

"That's exactly what I thought," Gavin replied, with a smile.

L'Hotel Grand Nord was a successful mixture of Alpine village kitsch and five star luxury. Tessa, in her unmistakeable Snow-Zone Friendly company ski jacket, lurid yellow and spattered with bright red hearts, bounded up the steps two at a time, just in time to catch the McPherson family at reception.

Davey McPherson looked exactly as he did in all the photographs. Tall, darkly handsome, made all the more distinguished by his greying temples and horn-rimmed spectacles. His wife stood by his side. Tessa gained the impression she was somewhat preoccupied; glancing nervously around.

Tessa hoped she'd look as good at Mrs McPherson's age. She was still slim, with a mane of luxurious strawberry blonde hair, tied back in a loose pony tail, making her appear much younger than she probably was. The two boys, chattering and giggling excitedly together, were very much like her.

Tessa approached them with the customary smile. "I'm Tessa Hardy, your resort rep," she announced, holding out her hand. Davey McPherson shook it firmly. His wife smiled distractedly, a faraway look in her eyes.

"We were hoping to get some skiing in today." Davey said. "Only I've never been to Les Cimes Jumelles before. My wife has, but it was some years ago. Is there a guide we could hire for the afternoon?"

"Yes, Mr. McPherson, no problem. I know just the person. He'll meet you here in, say, an hour's time. Does that give you enough time to change and so forth?"

"That will be excellent."

Tessa headed straight for the bar, where she knew she would find J.P., to tell him there were customers at L'Hotel Grand Nord who needed a guide.

"A pretty girl?" he asked with a twinkle in his eye.

"The woman is very attractive, but she's married, so you'd better keep your hands off. The children are both boys."

J.P. looked crestfallen, but just for a moment, before he replied, "C'est la vie! But I will do it. It is a shame not to ski on such a beautiful day. Where did you say I would meet them?"

"Grand Nord, reception, in an hour. Okay?" She decided against telling him about the Galorvian princesses and their little entourage. No doubt he would find out about them all by himself.

The princesses had elected to travel on the airport coach just like any other customers. Tessa was surprised they'd not made alternative arrangements of their own, like the McPherson's. "It's a case of what you're used to," Gavin explained. "They've been living like ordinary people for most of their lives and pretending to be normal, afraid the rebels who killed their parents would come after them, too. I remember reading about it in the papers. It's only recently they've come out of the closet, so to speak. They'd probably have booked this holiday under assumed names had they not wanted to dip into their fortune to pay for it."

"They still booked into the Grand Nord."

"The London office told me they actually wanted Chalet Chatelaine, but it was booked up."

"Uh-oh. Here they come!" said Tessa as the bus swung into view. They watched people tumble off it, weighed down with hand luggage, taking in what was, for most of them, their first sight of Les Cimes Jumelles. Tessa tried to guess which of them could be the princesses. It wasn't difficult. They had to be the identical twin beauties who said, as they disembarked, "It's just as I remember it! It hasn't changed at all!"

"I know - it's a shame Chalet Chatelaine was booked up. You'd have loved it. It looked just like a Christmas card! We had some wonderful times there when we used to come skiing with the school."

"Sounds like your school days were one long holiday, Jade," the auburn-haired man who was with them grinned.

"You can talk, Tod," Jade winked at him. "You didn't even go to school, did you?"

"All the same, I can speak French better than either of you."

Aside from those three, the party comprised two young girls in jeans, moon boots and ski jackets which looked brand new. Ladies in waiting? Seemed unlikely. They seemed rather young. One of the girls had dyed half her hair a platinum blonde and wore it so that it obscured half her face. The other was at that leggy stage of adolescence where her body had grown but her brain hadn't quite got used to what to do with all those long limbs yet.

"I'm Tessa," Tessa announced, walking up to them, as the bus pulled away, leaving a cloud of black exhaust fumes hanging like a pall over the car-park. "I'm your resort rep. Welcome to Cimes Jumelles. Party of five, yes? I'll show you to your rooms."

The porter was already loading their luggage onto a trolley. Once she had made sure the group were happy with their rooms, and their ski passes were in the welcome packs on the beds, she left them to continue with her schedule. A tour of the chalets next, to make sure everything was in order there, too.

As Tessa walked through reception, she was surprised to see Mrs. McPherson sitting in the hotel bar. Tessa had assumed she'd have gone skiing with her husband and sons.

"Is everything all right, Mrs. McPherson?" she asked. "I thought you'd gone skiing."

"I was going to, only I felt a migraine coming on, and I thought it better not to go."

"That's probably wise," Tessa said. "I hope you feel better by tomorrow. I'd hate to think any of my guests had a rotten time." Tessa was sure Mrs. McPherson wasn't helping herself by drinking large brandies, but it was really none of her business. She noticed the older woman's hands shook slightly as she sipped her drink. Tessa resolved to keep a close eye on this family - something, somewhere, wasn't quite right.

**

"I can't wait until I can do that," Tina said, running her fingers through the platinum blonde half of her hair, making sure it still covered her face, as she watched a lone skier zig-zag effortlessly down the section of the mountainside they could see from the window in Gloria's room.

"Just don't expect to be able to do that on the first day," Gloria smiled.

"Does it hurt when you fall over?" Katie asked nervously as they watched a second skier tumble on the same slope.

"It shouldn't do. If it snows tonight, like Tessa said it was going to, then it should be nice and soft to land on."

"I can see me going back with a broken leg."

"You shouldn't. It's not as common as all that, not with all the modern ski and binding technology. You'd have to be jolly unlucky."

"Or jolly stupid, and skiing beyond your ability," Jade added.

"Anyone ready for a beer yet?" Tod appeared in the doorway.

"Later," Jade said. "I want to have a shower before I do anything."

"Me too," Gloria said.

"Well, the shower's free, now." Tod said. "I'll see you down there."

Mrs McPherson ordered another large brandy and looked up nervously every time the front door opened. She didn't suppose the others would be back yet, but one never knew. She sighed deeply and fingered the locket around her neck. She hadn't wanted to come here, but it was the only ski resort in France Davey hadn't been to. She had finally given in to Davey's nagging and returned to Les Cimes Jumelles, convincing herself nothing could possibly be the same after all this time, that it would be safe, now, but she'd been wrong. She'd narrowly escaped coming face-to-face with her past. Only by pleading a migraine had she managed to escape an extremely awkward situation. It had left her feeling drained, weak and helpless, in any case. She was only starting to recover from that shock after three brandies.

A man came up to the bar and ordered a beer. He nodded politely to her, then seemed to do a double take. "You..." he said. She looked at him blankly, trying hard to place him. She couldn't, although there was some vague familiarity about him. He had auburn hair and light brown eyes. "You don't recognise me, do you?" he said, sadly.

"Quite frankly, no, I don't," she said, puzzled. "Should I?" She wasn't sure she wanted to know. Her past had raised its ugly head once already today.

"Why, yes, I'm..."

"Are you feeling better, darling?" Davey McPherson came up behind her and massaged her shoulder. He glanced briefly at the young man by her side. Mrs McPherson noticed there was no sign of recognition - so this wasn't one of Davey's business associates or golfing friends. She was sure she should know him, but three brandies, not to mention that other shock, had fuddled her mind. As soon as Davey appeared, the young man slipped away and went to sit at a seat by the roaring log fire by himself. He kept glancing in her direction, though, even after he was joined by four young women, including a set of extremely stunning identical twins. Mrs McPherson was quite sure she didn't know them, either.

"I couldn't really enjoy myself out there knowing you were feeling ill," Davey said, "so I came back early, but I think I've sussed out some good skiing for us tomorrow. That guide they found for us certainly knows a thing or two. How are you feeling now?"

"I'm much better, thanks," she said in a small voice. "Where are the boys?"

"Gone up to do the last run one more time. I gave them strict instructions to do it once and then come straight back."

**

"Tessa was right," Gloria said. "There's been some snow overnight! It'll be good today."

"What?" Jade looked up from contemplatively stirring her coffee. She'd slept badly the night before, a combination of the strange bed, Tod's snoring (how come men can always sleep anywhere, under any conditions? she'd wondered) and the nagging worry Tod's apparent fascination with the McPherson woman gave her. It hadn't escaped Jade's notice that her husband had been looking at the media mogul's wife wistfully all evening. "Oh, yes. Where shall we go, any ideas?"

"We could take the Celeste cable car and then that two-man chair, the really rickety old one, Frisette, I think it's called, and then ski the blue into the next valley and have lunch at that restaurant - the one the others went to that time when I broke my ankle skiing off piste - where they said somebody was dishing out free champagne to everyone."

"Free champagne?" Katie looked up brightly. "Can I come?"

"'Fraid not," Jade replied. "You can't ski yet, you have to go to ski school. Anyway, I don't think they do that all the time. It sounded like a one-off to me. They just happened to be there at the same time as some rich Americans who were celebrating something. It's a nice place, though. Perhaps later in the week we'll take you there."

"We'll be looking forward to it," Tod said. Despite having been born in France, he'd not been skiing before, and would be taking lessons as well.

**

Tina and Katie were eager to learn to ski, and despite earlier worries about broken legs, were quite fearless on the slopes, although their technique left a lot to be desired. They were average first time skiers. Tod, on the other hand, seemed to have an innate talent for it. Jean-Paul, in his instructor's role, saw immediately this man was a natural, and in time, was going to be excellent. J.P. found it hard to believe Tod had never skied before, and was impressed by his skill. That is, when he wasn't trying to prevent Tina or Katie from hurtling towards oblivion. Who knows what would have crossed the instructor's mind had he seen Katie ski through a pine tree, instead of crashing into it, when she'd lost control. No-one was looking, so it made sense to use her power to prevent injury.

**

Jade stepped out of the shower, and was immediately aware Tod wasn't in their room. She dressed and went out into the corridor. He must have gone to the bar.

Mrs McPherson, too, had just emerged from the shower when the knock came on the door. Expecting it to be William or Robin, she threw on a loose dressing gown before opening it. She was taken aback to see the mysterious young man she'd briefly met in the bar the previous evening. "I'm sorry if I'm disturbing you," Tod said. "Only I must talk to you alone. You need to know who I am." He seemed edgy.

Mrs McPherson swallowed nervously. Her imagination ran the gamut of scenarios, most of which ended with her being raped or murdered by this unsettling young man. Her mind raced as she tried to figure out how she might escape if he tried anything. Who would hear her should she scream? What could she use as a weapon if he attacked her?

Tod was, in his own way, every bit as afraid. He had no idea how she'd react when he told her the truth. Perhaps she already knew, but didn't want to acknowledge him. This could be painful. "Have you thought yet who I might be?" he asked.

"No, I don't know, how could I know you?" She'd asked Tessa who he was. Tessa hadn't been able to bring his name to mind, but she did know he was the consort of one of the Princesses of Galorvia. Mrs McPherson couldn't see how she could ever have been acquainted with someone in a position like that for any reason.

She'd been in the States with Davey and the boys when the Fox story had broken, the safe cracker who'd reformed and joined the crime fighting team which caught him; so she hadn't even seen his picture in the papers.

"I want to show you something. Then you'll know who I am," he said. All he had to do was show her his Fox-like tail, hidden under his clothing; then she'd recognise him. She had to.

Mrs McPherson was horrified as the young man fiddled with the button on his trousers. He was going to rape her! She wanted to scream, but her throat constricted in fear; no sound came out.

"Stop this," she whispered. She put her hand on his, to stop him. At that exact moment, a draught caught the door, which hadn't closed properly, blowing it open. Jade, passing by on the way to the bar to look for her husband, interpreted the tableau that was revealed to her in a completely different way. Mrs McPherson, in a loosely tied robe, touching Tod's hand, apparently helping him take off his trousers.

"Tod!" Jade cried in horror. Tod swung around, reddening as he saw his wife standing there, her eyes blazing. He looked helplessly from one woman to the other. "I hope you've got a damn good explanation for this!" Jade flared. "Get out of here, Tod, I'll deal with you later! First I want a word with your friend."

"It's not what it looks like, Jade, let me explain..." Tod began, but Jade was in no mood to listen.

"Get out," she snapped, pushing him out of the door and slamming it in his face.

Jade faced Mrs McPherson squarely, her hands on her hips. Jade let rip. "How dare you?" she said, quietly, but with barely disguised fury. "In case you didn't know, that was my husband, and you have no right to lead him on like that. Don't deny it, I saw everything! Let me tell you something. If I catch you eyeing him up or encouraging him in any way again, you won't know what the hell hit you, and that's a promise!" Jade turned on her heel and strode out of the room, her long blonde hair streaming behind her.

Mrs. McPherson closed and locked the door, sat down on her bed and wept. She'd been guilty of nothing, yet she seemed to have made a bitter enemy.

"I can explain, Jade. It wasn't what you thought, it really wasn't!" Before he'd even got the words out, Tod knew it was useless, like trying to stop an avalanche with a word of command. Jade's legendary temper hadn't been entirely mellowed by her marriage, as her ex, Gary had once said he hoped it would.

"I'm not a fool." Jade said curtly. "I saw what I saw. I wish that I hadn't. My God, she must be pushing fifty! How could you do it to me?"

Tod wished he'd let his wife into his confidence at the beginning. He should have explained to her about Mrs McPherson from the start. He had a feeling if he tried to explain now, Jade would refuse to believe a word. He caressed her arm, but she snatched it away. "Don't touch me! I don't want you near me! Get out! You can sleep in Gloria's room. I'd rather share my bed with her, I think. At least I know my own sister won't cheat on me! Go on - I mean it! Get out!" Tod stared at her dumbly. Jade decided she'd better demonstrate she was serious. She reached down and picked up Tod's half unpacked bag, and flung it out into the corridor. "Leave me alone!"

Gloria was surprised when a dejected-looking Tod knocked on her door. "I've been banished," he said.

Gloria could see he was trying to be light hearted and make a joke of the whole thing, but he couldn't quite manage to hide how shocked and hurt he was. "She's thrown me out. She said she'd rather share that room with you, and we have to swap places."

"Why? What's happened?" Gloria asked.

Tod hesitated. He wasn't sure he should tell Gloria about the problems he was having with her sister, but then, she might be able to help. If anyone could get through to Jade, she could.

"She thinks I'm cheating on her," Tod said, dejectedly.

"You're not, are you? Because if you are, I can't help you."

"No," Tod said. "I swear I'm not, it's just there's been a bit of a misunderstanding. I'm hoping Jade will listen to you."

"You'd better come in and tell me all about it," Gloria said.

Gloria listened, wide eyed, to Tod's explanation.

"So, you see, I wasn't cheating on Jade at all. I need her to understand that, but she's not listening to me."

"I see. I'll talk to her. I'll tell her - but I can't promise she'll listen to me either. I know from long experience that she doesn't always."

"I don't want to hear what Tod told you to tell me when he was whispering to you in your room," Jade said,when Gloria came into the double room with her overnight bag. "I know he was having it off with that McPherson woman, or at least, trying to! I don't want to hear any of his lies! I know he will have tried to spin you a tale in the hope I'll listen to you, but it won't work."

"Did you know that Davey McPherson's her second husband?" Gloria decided to try a different angle.

"No, and I don't really care. Though if you want my opinion, she's such a damn man-eater I'm surprised he's only her second. I'd've thought he'd be nearer her twenty-second. Still, it's plain she goes for other people's husbands, rather than keep to her own. Gloria, I don't want to hear a word about her, or about Tod. If you try to talk about either of them, I won't listen. I'll put my fingers in my ears!"

"Have you and Tod had a row?" Tina asked, innocently, as she came in and caught the end of the conversation. She dodged rapidly as Jade picked up a moon boot and threw it at her. She wasn't going to get an answer, but at least she had some interesting gossip to tell Katie.

**

"Why didn't you ever tell us you'd been married before you met Daddy?" Robin's voice pierced the fog in Elaine McPherson's head. The fog that she had created herself, with the assistance of several glasses of duty-free brandy, to deaden the reality of this frightful holiday. She should never have let Davey persuade her to come. Every day more and more things seemed to be happening that she would prefer to block out of her mind altogether. The most effective means of doing this was to drink a lot and stare out of the window. Ignore it all, all the faces from the past, known and unknown, the confrontation with Jade...

She would have to answer the question. She was deeply afraid of hurting her boys, afraid if she did the wrong thing, she'd lose them, too. She dragged herself out of her self-imposed limbo and turned to face Robin and William. "I never felt you needed to know," she said, lamely. "I was going to tell you when you got older, when you'd understand."

A cold fear gripped her heart. "Who told you?" she demanded, fiercely.

She knew their father wouldn't have told them. She and her husband had agreed the boys should not know, at least not until they were old enough to understand adult relationships - but she had to admit that time was fast approaching now. All the same, Davey wouldn't have had this talk with them without her being present. Of that she was quite certain.

"No-one did. We overheard Tina telling Katie."

Tina? Katie? Those names didn't mean anything, but Elaine thought she knew who they meant. The girl with the birthmark and her friend, with whom William and Robin had been skiing by day and playing scrabble by night in front of the log fire in the lobby. "Who told her?" she demanded.

"Gloria."

One of those princesses. She couldn't see how they could possibly know either. Presumably what one knew, they both knew. That bitch who'd accused her of seducing her husband knew. "Who told Gloria?"

"I dunno," William said. "Does it matter, Mummy?"

"Of course it matters," Elaine muttered, but deep down, she knew from whence the information must have come. Apart from Davey, there was only one person in this town who knew about this. She thought she'd managed to keep out of his sight, but he must have seen her after all. She shuddered. Not only because that person knew she was there when she would rather he didn't, but also because he knew something else about her previous marriage. Something she'd kept even from Davey. Was that being gossiped about by Jade and Gloria and all their friends, too? What if Davey found out her terrible secret before she had a chance to tell him herself? She really did wish she'd stayed at home.

"What was he like?" William pestered. "Your other husband. Was he like Daddy?"

"Not really." Elaine replied, pouring herself another brandy.

"Does that mean we've got step-brothers and sisters?" Robin asked.

"No, it doesn't. You'd only have those if your father or I married again and whoever we married had children from a previous marriage."

"Oh," Robin said. Elaine breathed a secret sigh of relief. Her answer seemed to satisfy him.

Her heart sank again when William said, "You're talking about half-brothers. If Mummy had a son from her other marriage, he'd be our half-brother."

"Have we got any of those, then?" Robin asked.

Elaine took a deep breath. She didn't know what to say. She was tired, and didn't want to lie, but she could hardly tell her sons the truth before confessing to Davey what she'd been omitting to tell him. Something vital about her past; a heartbreak and a deep shame she'd hidden for years. Something she'd been afraid to tell Davey, in case he was so disgusted with her he'd leave. He still might.

She couldn't stop herself. Tears spilled out of her eyes and ran down her cheeks. Robin and William were like their father - a woman crying made them uncomfortable. They crept away, wishing their mother wasn't so embarrassing.

**

"What is the matter with you today?" J.P. asked. He skied up to where Tod had fallen, with Tod's left ski in his hand. "You do not ski so well."

"It's nothing. Thanks for this." Tod said, taking the ski.

"You are 'aving trouble with your beautiful wife." J.P. said. It was an observation, not a question.

"Well, I..."

"I know much about women. Maybe I can 'elp you. We talk, 'ave lunch, then you ski better, eh?"

Tod hauled himself to his feet. "I'd appreciate some advice, I guess," he said. He'd heard Tessa warning Gloria to steer clear of J.P., because he had a new conquest every week, so his instructor was much more experienced with the ways of women than Tod could ever hope to be. He might have some useful advice on how to get an angry woman to listen. In any case, the ski instructor was the kind of impartial listener Tod needed.

"We take this chair lift, eat in the café at the top." J.P. said.

On their way up, they talked. "I 'ope my English is good enough to advise you on all zese sings," the older man said.

"We can speak in French if you like," Tod said. "It's just as easy for me. I was born in France."

Tod explained, in French, that Jade had mistakenly thought he was having an affair with Davey McPherson's wife, and she'd refused to believe him when he tried to tell her otherwise.

J.P. was interested. He'd received a message that very day from Tessa, saying Mrs McPherson wanted to meet with him. Urgently. "I hear Mrs McPherson is a very beautiful woman. Is that true?"

"Yes," Tod said. "She is very beautiful."

"So, if she is so lovely, why aren't you sleeping with her?" J.P. asked.

"There are some very good reasons why I never would," Tod said, carefully, "Not least that I love my wife. How can I get Jade to listen?"

"Flowers," said J.P. suddenly. "Lots of flowers. Fill your wife's room with flowers. That should make her listen." It had worked for him, many times.

They stamped the snow off their boots and went inside the little café. J.P. pulled off his goggles, his woolly hat and scarf and undid his jacket. Tod had a good look at his face for the first time, and realised in an instant that he knew him, too. "You're Jean-Paul Reynard," he said, quietly. "Aren't you?"

J.P. looked up sharply. "That is my name," he said, cautiously. No-one, but no-one, ever addressed him by his full name. He doubted that anyone at Snow-Zone Friendly even knew it. This young man knew him. They'd met before - but where?

His eyes grew wide as he listened to the young man's story and realised exactly where he fitted into it.

**

"Jean-Paul Reynard." It was the second time that day that someone had addressed him thus. This time, the speaker was a woman. Mrs McPherson. J.P. had just walked into Le Pub, the English bar where he'd arranged to meet Mrs McPherson. He'd assumed she wanted to talk about skiing - that she wanted private lessons or technical advice of some kind. When he heard her call him by his full name, he doubted she wanted anything of the sort. Here was another person who knew him of old.

J.P. looked around him at the exuberant apres-ski crowd, trying to ascertain where the voice had come from. She stepped out of the shadows and stood in front of him. He recognised her instantly. She hadn't changed at all. Or, rather, she'd changed back to how she'd been when they first met; before marriage and motherhood and the constraints of living among hostile people in a small-minded town had altered her.

"Elaine..." he said. "Elaine, you are still as lovely as ever you were..."

"Cut the crap, Jean-Paul," she interrupted. His heart sank a little. "I think you probably know what I want to talk to you about," she said, sharply. "I'd thank you not to blab about our past to every Tom, Dick and Harry in Cimes Jumelles. Having chosen not to tell my sons just yet that their father wasn't my first and only husband, it came as quite a shock to find out they'd heard it from complete strangers."

Jean-Paul took a step backwards and spread his hands in front of him in a gesture of appeasement. 

"Elaine, I swear to you, I did not even know you were here, and even if I did, what would I gain from telling people about our past?"

She wasn't placated. "Rubbish. It must have been you. Davey would never say a word to the boys! There's only one other person around here who could possibly know and that's you."

"That is not true." Jean-Paul. "There is someone else here who knows."

Elaine looked at him steadily, waiting for him to continue.

Before either of them had a chance to say anything more there was a commotion in the street outside; three men and an icy draught burst through the wooden door. "That's her," growled one of the men.

They pushed their way to the bar where Elaine and J.P. were standing. One of them grabbed Elaine's arms and pinned them roughly behind her back. She felt something cold and metallic pressing against her neck. "Don't move, lady. You're coming with us."

"You too, lover boy," one of the others said, opening his coat just enough to reveal another firearm, which he was pointing at J.P. "If either of you makes a sound, you get blown to hell, okay? Now. Move."

The main telecabine up the mountain was closed now, its machinery silenced for the night; the staff had long since gone home. The three kidnappers bundled Elaine and J.P. up the metal steps and through the staff entrance which was blocked off by a chain with a sign hanging from it. Fermé.

"You know how to work this thing?" The kidnapper with the gun pointed at J.P. demanded.

There were few jobs connected with skiing J.P. hadn't done. Not only did he know how to run the lift, he had the key to start it. He wasn't supposed to have it; it was the legacy of a brief affair with the wife of the head of mountain security. She'd got it for him, so that they could take the lift up after hours and have assignations in a little hut nestled in the woods not far from the top. The affair had been over for months, but Louise had neglected to ask for the key back.

"It will be unfortunate for you if you don't," the kidnapper added.

"I can work it," J.P. said.

"Do it."

J.P. fumbled with the key and got the cabins moving. The kidnapper stood stolidly by, pointing the gun at him as he did so. The other two bundled Elaine into one of the cabins. "When they are up," the kidnapper said, "you stop this thing." J.P. did exactly as he was told. Not just for himself, but in case they harmed Elaine. Once the lift was halted, the kidnapper aimed a shot at the control panel. He didn't want the seasoned ski instructor going up and following the tracks to where his colleagues had taken the woman. He'd soon lead the police to the hiding place. Snow was starting to fall - a good thing. It would obliterate the tracks in minutes.

Tessa, on her way to Chalet Chatelaine, where she was due to be dinner guest at on this particular evening, noticed the telecabine was moving, even though it was dark and well past the time when the lifts closed. It wasn't candlelight descent night. It was odd, but not odd enough to merit any investigation which might delay her meal. There was sure to be a logical explanation, like a late delivery of perishables for the mountain restaurant; or maintenance checks that couldn't be carried out while people were riding up during the day. She'd ask J.P. in the morning. He'd probably know.

**

Katie and Tina slithered uncontrollably up the path leading to the hotel. All their efforts at speed failed dismally, due to the icy pavements; they both had several tumbles, but barely noticed, such was the urgency of their mission. Bruised and breathless, they hammered on the door of the room Jade and Gloria were sharing.

"Gloria, are you in there? We've got to tell you something, it's really urgent!"

Gloria opened the door, to their relief. Aware of the trouble between Jade and Tod, they knew Jade wouldn't be any help, and would probably lose her temper with them, to boot. "Someone's been kidnapped!" panted Tina. "In the pub, at gunpoint!"

"Did you see it happen?" Gloria asked, ushering them inside and closing the door.

"Yes, we were there. We saw everything," gulped Katie.

For the moment, Gloria ignored the fact that neither of them was eighteen yet, and therefore shouldn't have been in the bar at all, and simply said, "Go on."

"It was Rob and Bill's mother. She was in there with our ski instructor. They were having an argument."

"So she's after him as well, is she?" Jade said sourly. "I'm not surprised! Well, from what Tessa said about him, I guess they're perfectly matched."

"Shh, Jade, this is serious!" Gloria said. "Was it J.P. who kidnapped her? Was it something to do with the argument?"

"I don't think so," Katie went on. "I don't know what it was they were arguing about; but these three blokes with guns came in and carted them both off!"

"My God," Gloria said. "Look, Jade, whatever you think of Mrs McPherson, this is terrible. We have to do something."

"Like rescue her, you mean?" Tina said.

"Possibly. At least tell the authorities here they've got five members of the Chain Gang at their disposal should they need us. Where's Tod? We may need him."

"Don't look at me. I don't even want to know where he is." Jade said, bitterly. "I haven't seen him all day and that's just how I like it."

Gloria ignored the comment, and said, "we should tell Davey McPherson. He's probably frantic worrying about her already."

The twins and Tina clattered down the stairs to reception and saw J.P. himself, shouting and gesticulating wildly at the bemused receptionist. "I thought you said he'd been kidnapped!" Gloria hissed.

"He must have escaped!" Tina hissed back.

"He does look as though he's been through something nasty," Jade admitted. "I wish we could understand what he was saying!" In spite of herself, Jade felt the usual rush of adrenaline coursing through her veins at the thought of having a job to do.

"He speaks English, perhaps he'll tell us," Tina said, and the twins followed her down the rest of the stairs.

"What's happening?" Jade demanded, marching up to J.P. in the most assertive manner she could manage. "What is going on?"

"Mrs McPherson 'as been taken captive. They took 'er up the mountain. Where is 'er 'usband?"

At that moment, a distraught looking Davey McPherson strode down the stairs, wringing his hands. "Tell me this is some kind of joke," he said.

The telephone rang. The receptionist listened gravely, responding now and then with a "Yes." Then she replaced the receiver and spoke to Davey. "It is no joke, Monsieur McPherson. They have your wife in a secret location. They say if we call the police they will kill her. They want ten million francs in used notes to be sent up in the first telecabine tomorrow. Or they will kill her."

"Oh my God." Davey McPherson crumpled against the reception desk. "Where do I get hold of that kind of money so fast in a foreign country at this hour?"

"You don't need to," Gloria said. "You call in the Chain Gang."

"So they arrive from England tomorrow, jet-lagged and exhausted, hardly ready to stage the storming of the secret hideout? Not to mention far too late?"

"Some of the Chain Gang are here already," Gloria said. "Five of us. We can do something. And I'm sure that this gentleman here," she indicated J.P., "will help us as well."

Jean-Paul nodded assent. "I will do everything I possibly can," he said.

"Good. Do you have any idea where they may have taken her?"

"They went up in the telecabine," Jean-Paul said. "They can't have gone much further - none of the other lifts will 'ave been working. They must 'ave gone off the piste into the woods." He was willing to bet they'd found the little hut where he used to take Louise.

"Can you get us up in the telecabine?" Gloria asked.

"Alas, no, they made sure it will not work again tonight. I can take you up on my snowmobile, though - but only two at a time."

"Right, take Katie. The rest of us can fly."

"Fly?" J.P. stared at them.

"That's true?" McPherson said. "You really can?"

"Yes. We're superheroes," Gloria said. "Come on, guys, let's move."

**

Jade, Gloria and Tina reached the top of the telecabine well before J.P. and Katie on the snowmobile. They split up to cover as much ground as possible.

It was Jade who found the hut, and suspected, as the snow was melting from the roof, that there was someone inside. She landed as lightly as she could close by and sneaked up to peer in through the window. As she did, she heard a movement behind her. Before she could turn around, something heavy hit her on the head. The world spun, and went black.

When Jade awoke, she was mildly surprised to discover she was dry, and relatively warm, which wasn't compatible with the theory that she'd been lying where she'd fallen. She sat up gingerly, and looked around. She was inside the hut. The floor was made of wood; not the polished wood tiles of the hotel, but rough and unfinished. She had a splinter in her right thumb. It was dark, and the place smelled of pine.

Jade got to her feet.

"Take it easy," a woman's voice said, somewhere behind her. "That was a nasty bump on the head you just had." Elaine McPherson sat on the floor in the corner, under the window, her designer Salopettes covered in sawdust.

"I'll be all right," Jade said diffidently, not wanting to show any sign of weakness in front of this woman, of all people. She took a couple of tentative steps, but, overcome with wooziness, stumbled and fell.

"I told you to take it easy," said Elaine McPherson, not unkindly.

Jade was about to stand up again when she saw something shiny on the floor by her left hand. It was a locket on a gold chain. She picked it up and studied it.

"My locket!" Elaine cried. "I really thought I'd lost that."

"It's very pretty," Jade said, handing it back to Elaine. "Is that a dog carved on it?"

"It's a fox." Elaine said.

With this reminder of exactly what she had against Elaine, Jade almost winced. Yet, for the time being at least, they were both in the same unpleasant situation. Jade knew the chances of getting out of it alive increased markedly if they co-operated. Even Jade could put her emotions on hold if the situation demanded it badly enough.

There was silence as Elaine clipped the locket around her neck. She felt most uncomfortable. She could understand why this woman hated her so much, and wished there was a painless way of protesting her innocence.

"I'm sorry," she said at last.

"Are you?" Jade's voice was frosty.

"What happened yesterday. I was trying to stop him, you know. I have no idea why he behaved like that. I never led him on, I swear to you. Oh, I don't expect you to believe me. He said he wanted me to know who he was, and then..."

"I'd rather not talk about it, if you don't mind. It would be much more useful if we talked about finding a way out of here."

"The door's locked, from the outside," Elaine said. "There are two of them, both armed. I'd hoped they'd go off somewhere to get warm, but they must have been watching, as they attacked you when you got close. Not that it would be all that easy to get back down to the village in the dark without skis."

"If we can get out, I can get down," Jade said. "Anyway, my friends are out there looking for you - for us. They'll find us soon, and one of them has a snowmobile."

"Then we can have a wild party in here." Elaine said, with a touch of sarcasm. "They have guns, you know. They'll capture them, too. Then we'll all be prisoners."

"Two armed men won't be any match for the Chain Gang," Jade said.

"What do they have to do with it?" Elaine wondered.

"We are the Chain Gang. Or part of it, anyway."

"How can you be? I thought you were princesses of some country somewhere."

"The two aren't mutually exclusive. I'm a princess, I'm a superhero, I'm a computer operator called Jade Reynard. All at the same time."

"Reynard?" Elaine said. "What on Earth made you choose that as an alias?"

"It's my name," Jade replied, defensively. "My real name."

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that. If it's any consolation, it was my name too, for a few years. You know, I believe, as everyone in this place seems to, I was married before Davey."

"What happened to your first husband?" Jade asked.

"I was in love with France, I was in love with him," Elaine said, "but the reality of living in a tiny village with no money and in-laws who disapproved of me, day after day, destroyed our relationship in the end. He left me with nothing. Except the locket, and I helped myself to that. It's a period of my life that I've just written off, I'm afraid."

"Were there any children?"

Elaine paused. It was a painful subject, but there seemed to be no point in lying any more. Jean-Paul had probably told everyone already. "We had a son," she said, at last. "It's rather painful to talk about him. He ran away, you see, when I came back to England with him. He was never found. He was seven years old. Not a day goes by when I don't think about him and what could have become of him. The police decided in the end that he must have been abducted and killed." Elaine sniffed, her voice cracked. "It tortures me to think of how frightened and alone he must have been at the end. It made me feel a failure as a mother as well as a wife."

"That's awful," Jade said, feeling a sudden rush of sympathy. She shuffled over to Elaine and put her arms around her.

"I spoil Robin and Will, because I've always been so afraid the same thing will happen to them - I'll upset them and they'll just run away, like he did."

"They're lovely kids, and it seems to me that Davey's devoted to you. I don't think you have anything to worry about," Jade tried to comfort her.

"It's kind of you to say that." There was another silence.

"Jade?"

"Yes?"

"Can I ask you something? About your work? Or is it all top secret?"

"It's impossible trying to keep anything a secret with the British press as it is," Jade said, ruefully. "Most things find their way into the newspapers, with varying degrees of accuracy. So you might as well ask. At least if it isn't secret I'll tell you the truth."

"Your outfit was set up to catch the Fox, wasn't it? The one who was going round breaking into bank vaults?"

Jade couldn't help smiling. "Among other things, yes."

"Did you ever catch him? We were in the States for a lot of the past year, so I missed the press coverage."

"Oh, yes, we got him all right."

"There's one thing the papers said about him that fascinated me. I often wondered if it was true or if it was just another far-fetched media rumour. Perhaps you'd be able to tell me. Did he really have a tail like a fox?"

Jade smiled to herself in the darkness, remembering how it felt to stroke it; so soft, and warm... "Yes, he does; and highly developed senses of hearing and smell. That was why he was so good at what he did and so difficult to find."

"I suppose they locked him up and threw away the key. It's a waste in a way, don't you think? If all he could do could be used for good, who knows..."

"It can be. You see, for all he was accused of, he's a good person. He had an excellent lawyer. Beauregard McIntyre."

"Oh, yes. I've heard of him. He's very good."

"He made all sorts of arguments about disability and broken homes and being virtually brought up by a couple of teenage crooks. He found a shed-load of extenuating circumstances which meant T... the Fox hardly did any jail time at all. If he'd been violent with it, it might have been a different story, but he wasn't, and he wants to make a new start."

"You sound rather fond of him," Elaine said.

"I am," Jade said. She shivered. Now, she'd have given anything for him to burst through that door and hold her. As long as he didn't go to Elaine McPherson instead...

"Wait a minute," Elaine said. "Your husband, he's not... is he?"

"Yes," Jade said. "He is. As you can imagine, our marriage didn't go down too well with some people." She thought of Gary, who was still hostile. He'd refused point blank to come skiing with them for the simple reason Tod would be there.

"Oh God," Elaine groaned. "I think I know what he was doing in my room. It wasn't what I thought, or what you thought. He wanted to show me his tail."

"Why would he want to do that?" Jade asked. It wasn't as if Tod went about showing his extra appendage to complete strangers as a rule. Most of the time, he kept it well hidden.

"So I'd recognise him."

"What?"

"My son had a furry tail. Like a fox's. When we came back to England, I thought I should have it removed, but he didn't want that. That's why he ran away. I'm his mother. When I last saw him he was seven years old. He'd grown up so much I just didn't know him. He'd know, though, if I saw the tail, I'd know exactly who he was. Only I thought he was going to rape me and you thought we were having an affair."

"When all along, you're my mother-in-law!" Jade said.

**

In spite of her thermal jacket, Gloria shivered. She stood with Tina at the top of the telecabine. Not only had neither of them seen anything, but Jade had gone missing, now, too.

They heard the sound of a motor, approaching quickly up the deserted piste. Gloria looked down, and saw two snowmobiles racing towards them. The first had three riders; the second had just one, and so was gaining rapidly on the first.

The first one had to be J.P., with Katie, and someone else - Tod perhaps. The second... Gloria gasped in horror as a flash of light burst from the second vehicle, followed a split second later by the sharp retort of a gun. J.P. drove on, gunning the engine as he reached the edge of the piste. The snowmobile left the ground for a second before pulling up beside Gloria and Katie.

"Run for it!" J.P. urged. "Into the woods!"

"Where's Jade?" Tod asked, looking wildly around. Gloria noticed there was a red stain on his coat sleeve, and he held the spot with his other hand. The shot had found a mark, after all.

"I don't know!" Gloria cried, pushing him in front of her. She and Tod and J.P. rolled down a bank of snow, out of sight.

"The girls - why do they not follow us?" J.P. cried. "They will be shot!"

Instead of running and hiding, Tina had run back to Katie, and momentarily clasped her friend by the hand. "She knows what she's doing," Gloria said.

Tina shot a bolt of lightning at the approaching snowmobile. It kept on coming, and its rider was now clearly annoyed. Gloria winced as he fired the gun again, straight at Tina. The bullet ricocheted off the stone wall behind her. Gloria sighed with relief. Even though she'd known it wouldn't hurt her, because she would have absorbed Katie's power now, along with her own, it still frightened her.

Tina retaliated with another lightning bolt, which hit the snowmobile, sending it skidding out of control into the orange netting marking the edge of the ski area. The kidnapper fell off and was left struggling, tangled in the netting, while both his snowmobile and his gun went spinning down the mountainside.

"Zat is impressive," J.P. said.

"Tod, you're hurt," Gloria said.

"It's just a graze," Tod said. "Looks worse than it is. We have to find Jade."

"I know where they will 'ave taken Elaine," J.P. said. "Perhaps Jade is there. Perhaps she found Elaine already. Zis way."

J.P. set off down a small trail. It led deeper into the woods to the little hut. The other two kidnappers stood a little way away from it. One of them was smoking a cigarette, which he passed to the other man, who took a drag and handed it back. They were both armed.

The party crouched behind a pile of snow, considering their next move. "If you ask me," Katie whispered, "we could do with Henry just now. One of his invisibility tricks so we could sneak up on them."

"I agree," Gloria said, "but he's not here, so we need a different plan."

"How about if Tina and I create a diversion, get them to come after us, while you run up and storm the place."

"They may not both go after you," Tod said. "We'd still have one to deal with."

"I can take care of one," Gloria said. "Even without help from you."

It was almost laughable, watching one of the kidnappers take off after Katie, totally bemused to find that all his shots seemed to miss. They could only imagine the look on his face when, as they were nearly out of sight, she passed right through a tree. It was, to say the least, a disconcerting sight. J.P. blinked, certain he was imagining things. The kidnapper, in his shock and surprise, lost his balance and slid down the mountain in a most undignified fashion. By some amazing cosmic stroke of luck, the fall wrenched his knee; Gloria saw him struggle to get up, and heard his yell of pain when he tried to scramble back up the slope.

The other kidnapper was understandably reluctant to leave the hut, even with Tina trying her best to lure him away. Gloria shot a bolt of lightning at the snow-laden tree he stood under - dislodging the whole lot on top of him. He bellowed, scrabbling through the snow looking for his firearm, but before he could find it, another bolt of lightning stunned him.

"What's happening?" Elaine gasped. "It looks like a lightning storm, but there's no thunder!"

"I think, I hope, that's my sister," Jade said. It was entirely possible, but not a foregone conclusion, that the rest of them were out there and the kidnappers were losing. It was equally possible Gloria had come looking for her alone, and would soon be a prisoner along with them. Perhaps it was just a storm, or ski patrol blasting overhangs of snow to make the slopes safe for the next day.

It was as likely to make their situation worse as it was to be their salvation. So, when someone started kicking the door down, Jade acted prudently. "Stay behind me," she told Elaine. "Let me take care of this." She braced herself and got ready to fight back with the full reserves of her power, if she had to.

The door splintered. "Stay back!" Jade growled. "Or believe me, you'll regret it!"

"Don't I know it!" Tod said. "I know we've had our differences these past few days, but you could at least let me rescue you!"

Jade gave a little cry, bounded up to him and threw her arms around him. "It's all right," she crooned into his ear. "I'm sorry. I understand what was happening, now." She disentangled herself and stood aside, "and so does your mother."

Elaine and Tod stared at each other. "My son," she said. "Basil?" He nodded.

**

An hour later, Gloria emerged from a much needed hot shower, and looked for something to wear. It was then she realised she had a problem. She'd taken her things into Jade's room when Jade had insisted she and Tod swapped places; and the door to their room was firmly closed. Gloria thought briefly about going over there, wrapped in a towel and knocking on the door, but guessed, quite rightly, in fact, that her sister and Tod would rather not be disturbed for quite a while.

Tod, for his part, hadn't bothered to collect his suitcase either. Gloria decided that, under the circumstances, he could hardly complain if she borrowed one of his t-shirts. She threw open his case and cautiously rummaged around. She found a pressed and folded green t-shirt, and pulled it out. Something fell to the floor and rolled under the bed. Gloria pulled on the t-shirt, then knelt to retrieve the object which had fallen.

She gasped. There, at her feet, was the Mindstone. The ancient artefact the rebel leader had used to gain power in their country. It pulsated with a sickly red light. Gloria knew better than to try and touch the thing. What was Tod doing with it, anyhow? She'd have to ask him, first thing in the morning. Much as she hated the idea of being in the same room with it, she was too exhausted to find somewhere else to sleep.

A while later, Tod crept into the room. He needed his toothbrush, among other things. Gloria was snoring slightly, so, not wanting to disturb her, he moved as silently as he could. He found his sponge bag; and felt, as much as saw, the stone, calling to him from where it had fallen. Tod snatched it up, and stuffed it into his sponge bag.

He glanced at Gloria. Had she seen it? He concluded, probably not. If she was as uptight about it as Jade was, then she wouldn't have just gone to sleep with it lying there. Would she?

Gloria stirred, and muttered in her sleep. Tod crept quickly out of the room. Gloria was dreaming; a disturbing dream in which the Mindstone showed up in a number of unexpected places, almost as if it were stalking her. It was in the microwave; it was in the dustbin; it was under her pillow, in her handbag, on top of the toilet when she really needed to go and she had to go round to Mrs Bosley next door and ask to use her bathroom. Gary had been holding it out to her and asking, "Is this yours?"

Consequently, when she woke up, the memory of it lying on the floor, having fallen from Tod's suitcase, seemed to be only another part of her dream; especially as, when she looked, it was no longer there. It didn't even seem worth mentioning to Jade at breakfast. It had been nothing but a silly dream.

**

Tina and Katie were on their skis again by the afternoon, pretending to be incredibly impressed by the McPherson boys' story about their mother being kidnapped and rescued by the Chain Gang, and their assertion that they were half brothers of the famous Fox.

Elaine McPherson and Jean-Paul Reynard parted more amicably than either of them could ever have imagined possible. "I beg your forgiveness for how our marriage ended," Jean-Paul said to Elaine, as she stood a little way off from the car. Davey and the boys were busy tying the skis onto the roof-rack. "It was unforgivable of me to do that to you."

"Not quite unforgivable. I think I am just about managing to forgive you," she replied. "I'm sorry it didn't work out, that I couldn't adapt. I must have been as much to blame."

"You are still beautiful. If you did not have Davey, I might suggest trying again."

"A nice idea. Only I don't think it would work now, even if I didn't have Davey. You're right, though. We can be friends, now, and we have a fine son. I'm glad about that."

*****

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A royal palace is burning. The King and Queen are dead. The only hopes for an ancient dynasty flee to England for their lives.

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Gary Winchcombe, the experimental "super-cop" pursues a notorious gang of bank robbers, and starts to discover that his friends and neighbours have secrets he never could have imagined.

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