Henry was up ahead on a ridge, turning to watch them, waving like a victor.

‘Damned fool!’ Renzo snapped. ‘He’s actually pleased with himself.’

Henry was dancing up and down, a mad manikin in the growing shadows. ‘Come on,’ he called. ‘It’s great up here.’

‘You come down,’ Joan called back.

‘Hush,’ Renzo said frantically. ‘Don’t you know better than to shout in these mountains? Do you want to start an avalanche?’

‘Hi!’ bawled Henry from the ridge. ‘Come on up.’

‘Stay here,’ Renzo said. ‘I’m going to get him. Don’t make any loud noises.’

He disconnected the rope that linked him to Mandy and began to head up the slope, while Henry danced and shouted.

‘He really is going to cause trouble,’ Peter said.

As if to confirm it, there was a soft rumble from the distance. Although little more than a sigh, it had a threatening sound in this place where silence was normal.

‘I’m getting out of here,’ said Peter. ‘Let’s go, Joan. Mandy?’

‘We can’t just abandon Renzo,’ she objected. ‘He knows what he’s doing.’

‘He might, but Henry doesn’t. Joan-’

‘Yes, I think I’ll go too.’

‘Mandy?’

‘I’m staying here,’ she insisted. For her, there was no real decision to be made.

‘OK. See you around.’

In moments the others had uncoupled themselves from her and hurried away. Up ahead, Mandy could see Henry beginning to ski down until he reached Renzo. Even at this distance she could tell that he was on a ‘high’.

She began to move up to join them, arriving just in time to hear Henry say, ‘You’ve got no sense of fun, man.’

‘The thing about fun is that you need to be alive to enjoy it,’ Renzo said, quietly firm. ‘Now shut up and come down with us.’

Henry made a face behind his back, looking to Mandy for silent support. But she shook her head. He glared and when Renzo tried to hook him up to the rope that would connect them he backed off hurriedly.