“Oh,” Clemmie said, not having realized it would be quite so substantial. It was grayish white and rough in texture, hints of blues and greens in the crevasses.
“Our understanding is that it’s around twenty thousand years old,” Mr. Coleridge said.
“Truly?” Clemmie asked, unable to fathom such a long period of time.
They found a seat close to the windows. The food was served on side tables in buffet style, but Clemmie was too distracted by the glacier to think of food right now. Oliver didn’t have the same awe, and had taken himself off to peruse the side tables.
“Well, it surpasses Rome.”
“Is that what you study, Mr. Coleridge?” Clemmie asked. “The Roman Empire?”
“It is. But it is a largely unstudied history in the Alps. We knew the Romans were here, of course. In fact, a regiment was permanently stationed here, to protect the empire against the marauding Gauls. The Tropaeum Alpium was erected more toward the French side of the Alps to celebrate their victory over this area.”
“Fascinating,” Clemmie said. In truth, she wasn’t particularly fascinated by Romans, but she liked it when people had passions, and the way their faces lit up when they spoke about it.
“There are stories about them in this part of the Alps too. In fact, there is a legend of a battalion getting lost in the area during bad weather, and never being found. If I were an adventurous sort, I would go in search for them. Perhaps that is what Mr. Schonberg is here to search for? It would be quite a find if they were to be covered. Some say the glacier swallowed them.”
Mr. Weber was roaming with a coffee pot and approached. “It is said they haunt the valley,” he said with a wink. “Some swear they can hear them marching on a dark misty day. It is said it was the mist that swallowed them.”
“How awful,” Clemmie uttered.
“Utter nonsense, of course. But it is true that they got lost somewhere here and were never seen again. Most likely they tried to cross the glacier and fell into a crevasse.”
“That can happen, and they haven’t been the only ones,” Weber said. “The glacier is very dangerous and venturing onto it should only be attempted with an experienced guide.”
“I think I will stay off it entirely.”
“There’s a viewing platform just up the mountain. It provides the most wonderful view of the entire glacier. Well worth a visit.”
“That sounds like something we could attempt,” Oliver said, returning with two plates of cheese, toast and cold meats. “If the weather clears up, we should find it.”
“At midday, the weather is likely to clear,” Mr. Weber said. “We may even see some sun today.”
“Then perhaps it will be the perfect day for me to continue my journey,” Mr. Coleridge said.
“And it has been a pleasure to have you,” Mr. Weber said before continuing with his coffee pot to the other tables.
“It is new, this hotel, but I think I’ll try to stop here when I return come autumn.” They ate for a while in silence. “I suppose it’s time to get going. It’s been a pleasure to meet you both. I hope you have an inspiring time in Italy, as I’m sure you will. You’ll have a marvelous time, and it’s a good time of year to go. Not too hot. You don’t want to spend your entire time in Italy hiding from the sun.”
“Thank you,” Oliver said and rose to shake his hand. “It’s been a pleasure. Happy journey. I hope your travels are smooth.”
“Mrs. Rowland,” Mr. Coleridge said with a quick bow before he walked out of the room. It felt strange that he was leaving when they’d just met him.
Oliver sat back down again and stared out the window. “Perhaps we should go for a tramp up the valley with that German gentleman.”
“I think I’ll leave you to contemplate such ventures,” Clemmie said with a smile, “but you could ask.”
Chapter 4
AFTER BREAKFAST, CLEMMIE took a moment to peruse the library, which had books in several different languages. Having selected an Italian one, she wondered if she should start trying to learn the language. Between her German and French, perhaps she could figure out the structure of it. A tutor would be marvelous, but that would have to wait until they reached Venice. Or were they going to Florence first? Clemmie didn’t know the plan in detail.
A noise drew her attention and she saw Oliver pop his head inside the door. “There you are,” he said as he approached. “I found Mr. Schonberg, and he’s happy for me to accompany him. Turns out his English isn’t that terrible. Not perfect, but it’s perfectly easy to understand him.”
“That’s wonderful,” Clemmie said, feeling a little slighted as they wouldn’t be going to the viewing platform as she’d hoped. On the other hand, it was marvelous that Oliver got to accompany an experienced tramper to explore the area. It would be too much for her. “I hope you have a lovely time.”
“I’m sure I will,” he said, kissing her on the cheek. “Why don’t you rest today? I know the journey has been difficult for you.”
“Yes, of course,” she said with a smile. It was clear he was excited about the prospect of venturing through such rough terrain. “Be careful.”
“Never fear,” he said with a broad smile. That smile was the one she loved the most. It showed he was truly excited about something, and she’d seen it directed to her a few times. Alright, maybe there was a little irrational jealousy that traipsing up a mountain received similar excitement. “Found anything?”
“I thought I might try my hand at Italian.”
“Brilliant idea. You seem to have a knack for
