Do you think Edward and Marianne ever came this way? asked Clare as they walked along a path at the side of the valley. Quite possible, replied Bruno. "This leads up to the fields where our family used to live in the summer. And know Aunt Marianne loved it up there. Is that where we're going then? but we're going further on, "Well, we'll go past it further into that valley.' Bruno pointed to somewhere in the distance. Clare walked on with a steady rhythm. They were well away from Zermatt now and the air was very clean. It was a warm April morning, nature was enjoying the spring sunshine and Clare was in love not with Bruno, but with the landscape. She wanted to breathe in all the beauty and keep it there. The contrast to London was too much for her to think about. She'd worked late the night before on her article. She'd decided to write it more or less as it was as a slice of her family history and as a reminder of how society used to be. She hadn't named Gordon Younger or the Grunwalder a local guide and a local girl' seemed enough but her family were in the article. There was no way round that. She had written the whole story very simply, without unnecessary detail, and felt pleased with it. It was a powerful piece
Now, with that behind her, she was able to enjoy the day The path climbed steadily across land that until recently had been covered in snow. The flowers that had been waiting under the frozen ground for months were beginning to appear, and the birds had woken up to the fact that with the arrival of spring they had to get busy It's a brilliant time of year,' said Bruno. Full of energy and new life. Makes you glad to be alive, doesn't it?' He stopped on the path and put his arms round her. She was lifted up and turned round. Stop she laughed. "My head's going round. He put her down. "Nobody's done that to me since I was about eight," she said breathlessly. No, well, it's not something I do every day. Bruno was still holding her. "I'm in a strange mood today. I don't know a sort of weight has been lifted Your grandfather probably feels the same, she said "Yes, I think he does. He looked peaceful this morning when I left.' He gave her a kiss on the nose and said, Come on, I'll show you the family's summer place. They left the path and climbed up the green hillside Bruno took her hand and pulled her up the last bit. They stood with their backs to the wooden house looking down into the valley I could live here," said Clare. The view is incredible A bit far from the supermarket, but it is wonderful, isn't Does it still belong to your family?' asked Clare. Yeah, but we don't use it very much, replied Bruno come up here for picnics during the summer sometimes, that's about it now.