had no idea, for he just stood and stared at her from those steady slate-grey eyes. But she rather guessed she had been forgiven when, turning from her, he grunted, ‘Gideon.’
She felt she should curtsy, then wondered if stress had made her light-headed. But she forgot everything save Justine when she spied in one of the open drawers a sweater she had lent her one time.
‘No. definitely no suitcases,’ Gideon announced, sounding positive.
‘If you’re thinking that they may have packed up and left—and you can’t wish it any more than I—I have to tell you, Justine in the main is so happy-go-lucky. She planned to buy anything she needed here—she’s just as likely to have arrived without luggage.’
‘Or followed Kit’s example and packed anything she might have thought of in a plastic carrier,’ he documented, adding, ‘As you remarked, a pair well met.’
They stayed another few minutes in the room but there were no more clues to be picked up; only a few toiletries were left in the bathroom. Ellena could feel her emotions on the brink of spilling over, and had not Gideon suggested they leave she would have made the suggestion herself.
They had chance of a private word with the hotelier, who promised he would contact them instantly, should his guests return. Then, again running the gauntlet of a couple of hardy pressmen, they returned to their own hotel.
Gideon Langford had a room opposite hers and, having escorted her up in the lift, he went into her room with her. ‘Will you be all right here?’ he enquired courteously.
‘Yes, thank you,’ she replied politely.
He didn’t leave straight away, but stayed to suggest, ‘You’ll want to phone your parents.’
‘My parents are dead,’ she answered tonelessly.
‘You’re on your own?’
‘No,’ she denied. No way was she ready to accept that Justine wasn’t coming back.
‘You live with someone?’ he asked sharply, and she just knew he meant some man.
‘I live alone,’ she responded curtly.
‘Goodnight!’ Gideon Langford turned away from her, obviously fed up.
‘I’m sorry,’ she found herself apologising. ‘I’m—on edge.’
He halted at the door and turned round, relenting, ‘We both are.’ And then proceeded to instruct, ‘Try and get some rest. Have anything you need brought to your room. With a few pressmen around, you’d better stay where you are until I come for you.’ He made to leave, thought for a moment, and then said, ‘I may be out some time tomorrow. I’ll contact you as soon as I get back.’
‘Where are you going?’
He hesitated, but then did her the courtesy of being honest with her. ‘Out to the avalanche site.’
‘I’m coming with you,’ she said at once, no please or thank you.
‘I don’t think—’
‘I’m coming!’ she butted in. If he thought she was going to stay here while he went there—where Justine and Kit might be—he could think again!
He shrugged, ‘Suit yourself,’ and left her.
Ellena supposed she must have slept at some time—it didn’t feel like it. She was up at six, showered and dressed and waiting for Gideon Langford’s call.
It wasn’t long in coming. He would see her in half an hour’s time. Meanwhile, he had some breakfast sent up to her room. Ellena wasn’t hungry, but drank some strong hot coffee and belatedly remembered work she was supposed to be doing that day.
She put through a call to Andrea in England and explained why, and where she was. ‘I’m not sure when I’ll be back,’ she warned.
‘Don’t worry about it,’ Andrea answered warmly. ‘Take as long as you need, Ellena,’ she suggested gently. ‘We’ll all be hoping for you.’
Gideon Langford, when he knocked on her door, was not in talkative mood. ‘There’s no news?’ she asked urgently.
He shook his head. ‘Ready?’
Wordlessly she went with him out of the hotel and to the waiting car, and said not another word in the hour-long drive to where the disaster had occurred.
There were some officials waiting for them, but when, after walking some way, they stood back and pointed and explained about the mass of snow, and the boulders and rocks it had brought down in its wake, Ellena could see for herself that anyone foolhardy enough to chance ski-ing in that area would not have stood a chance.
She felt what little colour she had in her face drain away, felt gut-wrenching pain and wanted to scream, and to go on screaming. She turned away, collided into someone. It was Gideon. His arms came around her. He held her. They held each other, two human beings in need of solace. She guessed that, like her, he had always looked out for his younger sibling and it had been a role taken on willingly. She wanted the holding to go on.
Ellena broke from him, her mind in a turmoil. Somehow she got back to the car; somehow Gideon was there too. The car was moving, she staring unseeing out of one window on one side, he staring unseeing out of the window on the other side.
They had been driving on the return journey for some while. Ellena was still feeling stunned, shaken, and still not ready to believe it, to believe that she had lost her sister, that poor little Violette had lost her parents, when suddenly it hit her that the. poor little scrap might have been orphaned.
‘Oh, no!’ escaped her on an anguished cry of sound, and as Gideon Langford turned from his non-contemplation of the view, she whispered, ‘What about the baby!’
‘Baby?’ he echoed, and sounded so startled that Ellena came to, realising she was not alone. ‘What baby?’ he questioned tautly.
She moved from her own non-contemplation of the view to look at him. And it was her turn to be startled. For clearly Gideon Langford had no idea that Kit had a baby daughter. A daughter of four months old.
Astonished, she realised that Gideon Langford had no idea at all that he was an uncle!
CHAPTER TWO
‘YOU didn’t know?’ Ellena gasped.
‘Baby?’ he clipped, clearly wanting to know more, and quickly.
There was no way to dress it up, nor, a shock though it might be to him, try to hide it. ‘Justine and Kit have a four-month-old daughter,’ she replied, and saw a muscle jerk in his strong, good-looking face. Saw him take what she had said on board—and realised that a dozen and one pertinent questions were on their way. But then she saw him flick a glance at their driver, who understood a little English—and Gideon turned from her to renew his non-contemplation of the view from the vehicle’s side window. He had obviously swallowed down those questions but Ellena did not doubt that she would be on the receiving end of them the moment there were no other ears around to overhear what they were saying. Gideon Langford,
