‘Well obviously, we are on the same boat, Harriet,’ I said, beginning to feel a bit cornered.
‘You could sit with him at dinner, we wouldn’t mind.’
‘I don’t think I actually need any more to eat today,’ I said. ‘I might just get a glass of wine and stay in my cabin. Or go onto the top deck.’
‘Then expect Evelyn to come and get you,’ Anna said. ‘She’s terribly interested in what’s going on.’
‘Nothing is going… Oh, for heaven’s sake. Give it a rest,’ I said.
‘Someone’s very edgy,’ Anna said in an annoying sing-song voice. ‘I wonder why.’
‘Because you two are going on at me all the time, trying to make something out of nothing.’
‘We won’t say another word,’ Harriet said. ‘Do you know for a small fee you can get laundry done on the ship? Apparently it takes a couple of days, but I’m running out of things to wear. Knickers for one thing.’
‘Good idea,’ I said, glad that the topic of conversation had changed.
‘I bought another new dress in town today. I really am going to need a bigger suitcase,’ Anna said. ‘It’s white with black squiggles and hardly cost anything. I bet the colour will run in the wash.’
* * *
At seven thirty, despite not really being hungry, I followed the other two to the dining room, and we joined a corner table with Evelyn and Marjorie, which meant that there was no space for Jack to join us even if he had wanted to.
They were in fine form, having enjoyed their day, seen all the things they wanted to see and eaten some cake before they got back on the boat.
‘Such a lovely place,’ Evelyn said, ‘and everyone so pleasant, and most people could speak English, which really makes one ashamed, don’t you think? We’ve always made so little effort in school to learn languages. Perhaps it’s different now?’
Marjorie nodded. ‘I did an evening class to learn Esperanto back in the seventies. It seemed such a sensible idea but I gave up when I realised if I saidcu iu tie parolas esperanton? Mi bezonas kuracistonin Sainsbury’s, no one would reply.’
‘What does that mean?’ I asked.
‘Does anyone speak Esperanto? I need a doctor,’ Marjorie sighed.
We studied the menus, deciding on our choices. It seemed the chef was still back there in the galley working his magic.
‘I shall have thebrodetto, fisherman’s stew,’ Evelyn said, and we all decided it sounded like a good choice, even though I’d had fish for lunch.
‘Tomorrow we go to Susak for an hour and then on to Mali Lošinj,’ Marjorie said, ‘and in the evening Anjelica is going to sing again and talk to us about Greek music.’
‘Does she have a bouzouki?’ Harriet asked.
‘Why would she have one of those? Isn’t that a Russian hunting dog?’ Anna asked.
‘No, that’s a borzoi. A bouzouki is a sort of guitar I think,’ I said.
‘Well, in which case, I hope not,’ Marjorie murmured.
‘Nothing would surprise me.’ Evelyn chuckled. ‘I fully expect all of us to end up Zorba the Greek-ing around the dining room.’
‘Can we smash plates as well?’ Anna said, her eyes gleaming. ‘I’d love to do that.’
‘Better not unless they tell us to,’ Evelyn said. ‘Ah, here come Craig and Don and their wives. Belinda is looking very striking this evening in that lime green. It sets off her tan very well.’
‘She spends most of her free time on a sun lounger as far as I know,’ Marjorie said. ‘She’ll regret that when she’s my age and her skin is like an old school satchel. And here come’s your friend Jack, looking very toothsome. He’s going to sit with them. Perhaps he plays bridge after all?’
I looked over casually in Jack’s direction and yes, he did look suave that evening, his silver hair gleaming in the light from the chandelier above their table. And he didn’t look across at me once. Which for some reason I found rather disappointing.
The others chosegalaktobourekofor dessert, a creamy custard pastry. More than conscious I didn’t need anything, I had a fresh fruit platter.
