‘You should’ve used an app, Trissy,’ Ginny said. She’d found another packet of sweets, hidden at the bottom of her bag. She took a couple, then handed the bag down to Paul.
‘Jesus. I told you, I know what I’m doing,’ Tristan said. He grabbed a couple of sweets from the bag that Paul was offering. ‘The apps are no good for this kind of thing anyway. Didn’t you read that article about Ben Nevis? Idiots using Google Maps being directed to walk off a cliff. Like those Uber drivers who can’t read road signs, and drive you in circles because the app said so. Technology is making people stupid, guys. You need to stop relying on it all the time. I’ve got this, OK?’
Cat finally spoke. ‘Can you maybe just check again, Tristan? I don’t know why I’m feeling so weird, but I could really do with a proper rest.’ She paused. Popped one of Ginny’s sweets in her mouth. ‘I think we all could.’
Ginny watched her sister as she chewed the sweet. She did seem fine. Maybe she hadn’t been about to fall after all. Maybe this was just her way of getting some attention. Cat always did have to make more of an effort than Ginny ever did.
‘Fine.’ Tristan pulled the map out of the plastic wallet on his lanyard and opened it out again.
Ginny was watching him. Taking in his facial expressions. Tristan was a decent liar, most of the time. But as that receipt had proved, he was clumsy. And in these situations, his face gave him away.
He frowned, tracing a finger down the map, then glancing down at the supposed route into the valley from where they sat now. Then he was back on the map. And his angry-impatient face switched to a possibly-made-an-error face. She knew it well, and she smiled to herself anticipating how he was going to get himself out of this. One thing that Tristan really, really hated was being wrong – and what he hated even more was having to admit it.
‘O . . . K . . .’ he said, at last. ‘Slight change of plan, I think.’ He looked up, briefly catching Ginny’s eye, then looking back down again when he registered her smirk. ‘This descent looks pretty hardcore and I’m not sure we’re quite tooled up for it.’ He pointed at Ginny’s trainers. ‘Those things, for a start, will not make it down this way.’
‘You told me they were fine. Now you’re saying it’s my fault we can’t go down this way? How about if you hadn’t brought us the wrong way in the first place, and then maybe Cat wouldn’t have nearly died, and—’
Tristan stood, his nostrils flaring. ‘Shut up, Ginny. You didn’t want to come in the first place, did you? You’re loving this. I made a mistake, OK? Are you happy with that?’
‘No, I’m not happy. I’m bloody starving.’ What the hell was he playing at?
‘OK, OK. Let’s just sort this, shall we?’ Paul stood up and walked over to Tristan. ‘Can I see the map? Maybe I can help?’
Tristan looked uncertain for a moment, still desperately battling to keep control. But in the end, he relented. ‘We need to head back up the way we just came, past the lake. That’s where we veered off track. Then we round that small peak, and we’ll be on the proper path again.’ He shrugged. ‘Then it’s just a winding route down to the Refuge. I’m thinking less than an hour—’
‘Less than an hour? How many hours are we already out by, Tristan? I thought we were meant to be back at the hotel drinking champagne in the hot tub by four. It’s three now, and we’re—’
‘Ginny, will you shut the hell up about the damn hot tub? We’re on an adventure now. Deal with it.’
Ginny raised an eyebrow at Paul’s outburst. She was about to answer back, but decided she quite liked seeing Paul wound up like this. It was exciting. Maybe it was an adventure. She was regretting being childish about the trainers though. Of course she’d known that they weren’t really suitable. She’d gotten away with it so far, but from what Tristan had said at breakfast, there were a few trickier parts towards the end. Hopefully she’d be fine.
Paul pulled Cat to her feet. She looked a bit brighter since having the energy gel and a few sweets. Less shaky, but still a bit pale. Oh shit, Ginny thought, I hope she hasn’t got a bug or something. She could do without that getting spread between the four of them. She had a new set of recipes to start on Monday and a huge Waitrose delivery arriving. Last thing she wanted was to be feeling ill.
The four of them made it back the way they’d come, then found the turn where Tristan had led them a merry dance. He was right, it was plain sailing after that, if a bit sore on the quads as they began their long, steep descent. Ginny stayed at the back, happy not to have to talk to anyone for a while. Tristan took pole position, his control regained. Ginny watched Paul and Cat as they followed close behind him. They were talking too quietly for her to hear, but they were engrossed in conversation about something. Paul occasionally took hold of Cat’s elbow, making a big show of helping her – although she seemed much better now and frequently shrugged him off, like she didn’t want him touching her at all.