Alice-Miranda in the Alps by Jacqueline Harvey

not,’ the taller man stammered. ‘He thought we were a reputable loan company.’
    â€˜Something must have tipped him off,’ the woman said. ‘Get out, the pair of you. Consider yourselves terminated, just as I will be.’
    â€˜But, Frau, he is desperate,’ the shorter man pleaded. ‘He will have to sell sooner or later.’
    â€˜You will stay away from the Baron. I should have known that if I wanted this job done properly I would have to do it myself. Get out! NOW!’ she howled.
    The men scurried from the room. The shorter of the two bumped into the coffee table on the way and let out a yowl of pain.
    Delphine slumped into the chair and looked at the crumpled note. ‘Idiots,’ she whispered.

‘I don’t ever want to leave this place,’ Millie said as her family and friends sat on a long table outside a restaurant perched high above the village and the lake. The children had spent the morning with Gunter while their parents, Mrs Shillingsworth and Mrs Oliver had enjoyed some time together on the slopes – all except Hugh. Cecelia had made apologies for her husband’s absence, citing some urgent business.
    When Alice-Miranda and her father had returned to the hotel the previous night, Cecelia had beenshocked to learn of the Baron’s predicament. Hugh had immediately scanned the contract and sent it to his lawyers to review. There was no mistake: the financiers were poised to seize the Grand Hotel Von Zwicky as soon as Florian signed the papers and there would have been nothing he could do to stop them. The Baron had been stunned at the news. In his desperation to raise the funds to keep his hotel running, he’d allowed himself to be enticed by crooks. After some research, they’d found the loan company didn’t even exist and it was impossible to trace who was behind it.
    Despite the Baron’s protests, Hugh and Cecelia arranged to lend him the funds to carry the hotel through the next few months. Hugh had also insisted on going with Florian to Zermatt to try to get to the bottom of things. There was just so much that didn’t add up. Why they had no guests was the biggest mystery of all.
    Hamish stared out across the glistening ski field. ‘I agree, Millie. This place is breathtaking.’
    â€˜How are the legs, Shilly?’ Cecelia asked. The woman had surprised them all by taking the lead on several runs.
    Mrs Shillingsworth rubbed the tops of her thighs. ‘Well, I’m bound to be sore, but it’s nothing that asoak in that gorgeous pool won’t fix,’ she replied with a smile.
    â€˜What about you, Mrs Oliver?’ Alice-Miranda asked. ‘Did you have fun out there?’
    â€˜Goodness, dear, I can hardly believe I remembered how to ski. I’ll leave you all to it this afternoon and go and spend some time with Cyril,’ Dolly Oliver replied. ‘I don’t want him to think we’ve abandoned him.’
    â€˜We made him a card,’ Alice-Miranda said. ‘It’s on the coffee table in our suite. Lucas drew the Cresta Run and Jacinta added Cyril flying up into the air. It’s a really good drawing.’
    â€˜We wrote a funny poem too,’ Millie added.
    Dolly chuckled. ‘I’m sure he’ll appreciate being reminded of the reason he’s spending the next week in bed.’
    â€˜Have you decided what we’ll do about getting home, ma’am?’ Shilly asked.
    â€˜No, and we might have a slight change of plans if everyone’s agreeable,’ Cecelia replied. She shot Alice-Miranda a knowing look.
    Hamish took a sip of his drink. ‘What do you have in mind, Cee?’
    â€˜Well, Hugh saw our dear friend Baron von Zwicky last night and it seems the hotel in Zermatt has some rooms available after all. So, we were thinking of catching the Glacier Express and heading over there for another week until Cyril is ready to fly again,’