Chapter 21:
After their little encounter with the Brackenreids, the six of them had headed to the hotel and had each been taken to their rooms by the employees. The hotel was magnificent. Walid Champagne did not do things by halves… He had reserved the best of the best for his customers. Julia had been amazed by her room. She had never seen this and that was saying something. She had always been used to such things. It had to be said what was, she was born with a golden spoon in her mouth. It was just the truth. Her parents had taken them to every possible place with her sister and their family had always been wealthy for generations and generations.
However, this time, she was overwhelmed. A gigantic double bed, a luxury bathroom and a breathtaking view of the Sitka Mountains and Swan Lake. She opened the window and breathed in the fresh morning air. What was she going to do today? It was very early, and she was going to have brunch at a local restaurant. But she did not know anything. Where would she go?
She tightened the black scarf around her neck and buried her nose in it. She inhaled. It was William Murdoch's scarf... He had so kindly lent her his scarf... For three whole days he had made her angry. He had made her angry and he had made her see red. As soon as they met, they looked at each other defiantly, as if they were going to be competitors. She had watched him hang out with Miss Colleen Forbes and she had been…upset?
She opened her eyes after inhaling the young man's musky, woody scent. What was happening to her? Why did she have these outrageous and incomprehensible reactions when it came to the detective? She had a hard time understanding… well yes… she understood perfectly, but she was not ready for that. She had been alone most of her life. Work had been her only companion…
After a while, she decided to go downstairs and go out to eat. She walked for a long time, completely lost in thought. She thought for a moment of Magnus Duval, who seemed to have become attached to her. He had not mentioned what had happened between them in her compartment two nights before. But for her, it had not been important… She had no feelings for this man, even if she still felt affection for him.
She sighed. In fact, she feared having hurt his feelings when he saw her in the company of William Murdoch.
After a while, she stopped near a lake, surrounded by a vast forest. She sat down on a bench that faced Swan Lake and gazed at it for a moment. It was breathtaking… She was really lucky. She felt far from everything. Physically of course, but also mentally. Far from her house, from her unjust colleagues, from Aymeric, her "friend", Matthieu, her superior, Monica, her maid and the employees of her house.
She felt far from her successful professional life but also from her dull and uneventful life that she had in Toronto.
The silence was exhilarating and intoxicating, the mere sound of water rippling slightly and birds fighting for what little food they could find in this freezing region.
Later, at the end of the day, the young woman was in her room. She was quietly taking a bath while observing the landscape. She never got tired of it.
She had lunch at a local restaurant and then walked around the town of Sitka again. She had not met anyone. Neither employees nor passengers of The Winter Mist. She had no idea where they were. Well, in reality, they were traveling together, but they did not know each other. Even if they had been able to get to know each other, they were each going their own way. She knew some had family in Sitka, for example, so they had to be with them.
After a while, she fell asleep. The reality was that they had all risen very early and sleep had easily overtaken her. She woke up with difficulty when she thought she heard a knock on her locked bedroom door. After a while, when her hearing returned and she was sure it was not a dream, she looked around. In her nap, she had dropped her book in the tub. She picked it up, huffing in frustration and annoyance at her own stupidity. She then got out of the water which had become completely cold, and she quickly put on her bright burgundy red bathrobe, with a plunging neckline. She quickly wrung her hair out and tried to make herself presentable quickly thinking that an employee was coming to bring her a room service card or something.
She quickly walked towards the door, barefoot.
"I'm coming!" she exclaimed at the door.
She quickly opened it wide, and half closed it when she saw with amazement William Murdoch on the doorstep, dressed in a black suit always neat.
"Doctor Ogden! Excuse me I…" the young man's voice trailed off as she saw him quickly glance at her unusual state of dressing.
"Oh...I'm sorry I... was taking a bath." she explained with embarrassment trying to zip up her robe a little more to hide the dip of her chest.
"I'm sorry…I didn't mean to disturb you."
"No…no, please come in." she invited gently as she opened the door wide again.
"No… I will wait, you are in no condition to receive me." the young man stammered, confused.
"You are welcome. I'm just going to put something else."
The detective finally gave in and strode unsteadily into Julia's hotel room.
"Please excuse me for all my business. My suitcases were taken up when I was out, and I didn't have time to put them away."
"No, please. It's the same for me, actually." laughed William lightly to lighten the mood.
"You can sit down; I'll be right back."
Julia rushed into the bathroom where her bath water was still hovering and did not close the door to be able to hear the young man.
"I had come to you… invite you to dine with the Brackenreids and myself at the hotel restaurant. What do you think?"
The young woman quickly took off her bathrobe under which she was naked, not having had time to put anything on before opening the door. She then got dressed as quickly as possible with the clean clothes she had placed on the edge of the sink. She then returned to the room, fully dressed, and sat down in front of a mirror to braid her hair and style it. She saw William's gaze on her reflected in the mirror. She smiled at him.
"I will be glad of this. What time is it please? With my watch gone and this sun constantly shining, I no longer have any bearings." she joked.
She frowned when she saw a grimace form on William's face. But she paid no more attention.
"It's around 8:00 p.m."
"Already?!" she exclaimed in total surprise.
"Yeah…it goes fast." he replied, getting up from the sofa he was sitting on. "Are you ready?"
Julia finally nodded and followed William out of her room. She locked it behind her and followed him into the main room. She gazed in wonder at countless tables in a gigantic space, full of golden light and silvery chandeliers. She was surprised to spot a large number of passengers from the train she thought had slipped away somewhere else. She could see the Novak brothers in the distance on a table discussing with the Savard couple. She spotted Amandine Wang, the young Asian woman with long raven-black hair, chatting with Mathias Rojas—or Matt, as he had asked her to call him. Finally, she was able to see Hiram Lagacé and Lazare Lamoureux at the Champagne table and she was very surprised. Alecia Champagne and Lazare Lamoureux at the same table? It was rather unexpected in view of their potential relationship.
She finally saw the Brackenreids and followed William to the table. She greeted them kindly and thanked them for the invitation.
Note: Thanks for reading! It is a pleasure! Thank you very much for the two nice comments I received on my previous chapter, it makes me very happy. Hope you enjoy the sequel :)