SILK WICKEDNESS 19

‘I might.’

‘See you later, then.’

Claudia went back to her room, sorted out a few things for the laundry and wrote a long letter to a friend now

living in Canada. After that she went to the pool, did twenty lengths and then sat in the shade with the whodunnit, feeling vaguely bored and restless.

Over a toasted sandwich lunch with Anoushka at the pool, she turned the conversation after all. ‘I never had all that trouble with snow ski-ing. With snow ski-ing at least you start upright.’

Anoushka was sitting beside her in a black swimsuit that screamed ‘expensive ’. The cut was very simple: just one shoulder-strap, high-cut legs and a very low back. She looked much older than sixteen, but that was also due to a figure that owed absolutely nothing to stick-insect supermodels.

‘I never had trouble with either of them.’ Anoushka shrugged. ‘I can’t even remember when I started snow skiing. I suppose I was about three.’

‘Lucky old you. It must be lovely to learn these things when you’re too yo