The Watchmaker's Daughter: An utterly gripping and heart-wrenching World War II historical novel by Dianne Haley

Author:Dianne Haley [Haley, Dianne]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781803142432
Publisher: Bookouture
Published: 2022-04-24T16:00:00+00:00

FOURTEEN

PHILIPPE

Philippe stood at the top of the Grand Chamossaire, the highest peak above the village of Villars-sur-Ollon, and glanced down at the sheer rocky drop a few metres to his left, moving his skis to point down the slope. The sky was a brilliant blue against the snow-covered mountain. A thick layer of cloud had settled over the valley below him and even the village of Leysin, usually visible from the Grand Chamossaire, was submerged in the clouds.

He waited for the rest of his unit to clamber out of the funi-luge and collect their skis. Installed just before the start of the war, the barge-shaped sledge could carry a dozen people from the Col de Bretaye up to the top of the Chamossaire, its occupants having nothing more to do than drink in the view while the cable system did all the hard work. It had been designed to attract tourists, but the only people on the slopes this early in the morning were soldiers. Every man had to be able to ski competently and know the terrain sufficiently to play his part in the event of an invasion.

He looked across at the jagged peaks of the Dents du Midi and, beyond the ridge, at the blunt white top of Mont Blanc shining in the early-morning sun. He breathed in the icy mountain air and filled his lungs with its sweet freshness. It was good to get out of the warren of tunnels in the Fort for a few hours. Even though they were used to living so close to one another, eating and sleeping together in stuffy and poorly lit conditions, whenever he came outside he realised how strange an existence they were forced to lead. For a moment, he dreamed of never having to go back in there again, never having to spend another hour across the table from Favre, watching every word in case he revealed his suspicions, waiting for Favre to drop his guard and make a mistake. He just needed more evidence to ensure the other senior officers would believe him when he finally spoke. Every time he saw them joking and laughing with Favre, his chest tightened at the thought of how hard it would be to convince them.

The tense atmosphere in the Fort was making everyone uneasy and suspicious. Whoever had leaked information about the location of the new artillery had still not been identified and mistrust pervaded every corner of the place. It flared up in petty arguments. Philippe pulled on his gloves more tightly and flexed his fingers. But even though he strongly suspected it was Favre who was responsible, he simply did not have any real evidence.

‘What are you waiting for?’ Christophe shouted at him. ‘Lead the way.’

Philippe slung the rifle over his shoulder, grabbed his poles and launched himself over the lip at the top of the slope, his skis floating through the fresh powder snow. He pointed his skis straight down the mountain, gathering speed as he carved

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