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“Then you’d better keep an eye on that door, and if anyone comes out, make sure you don’t lose sight of them. I’m going to check on Crann down in cabin class and see if he’s got anything to report. If not, I’m going to try and catch a few hours’ shut-eye. I’ll take over from you at two. If anything happens that you’re not sure about, don’t hesitate to wake me.”
* * *
“So what have you got planned for us when we get to New York?” asked Sebastian.
“We’ll only be in the Big Apple for thirty-six hours,” replied Sam, “so we can’t afford to waste a moment. In the morning we’ll visit the Metropolitan Museum, followed by a brisk walk around Central Park and then lunch at Sardi’s. In the afternoon we’ll go on to the Frick, and in the evening Dad’s got us a couple of tickets for Hello, Dolly! with Carol Channing.”
“So, no time to shop?”
“I’ll allow you to walk up and down Fifth Avenue, but only to window-shop. You couldn’t even afford a Tiffany’s box, let alone what I’d expect you to put in it. But if you want a memento of your visit, we’ll head across to Macy’s at West Thirty-fourth Street, where you can choose from a thousand items at less than a dollar.”
“Sounds about my expenditure level. By the way, what’s the Frick?”
“Your sister’s favorite art gallery.”
“But Jessica never visited New York.”
“That wouldn’t have stopped her knowing every picture in every room. You’ll see her all-time favorite there.”
“Vermeer, Girl Interrupted at Her Music.”
“Not bad,” said Sam.
“One more question before I switch the light off. Who is Sebastian?”
“He’s not Viola.”
* * *
“Sam’s quite something, isn’t she?” said Emma as she and Harry left the grill room and walked back up the grand staircase to their cabin on the premier deck.
“And Seb can thank Jessica for that,” said Harry as he took her hand.
“I wish she was with us on this trip. By now she would have drawn everyone, from the captain on the bridge, to Braithwaite serving afternoon tea, and even Perseus.”
Harry frowned as they walked silently down the corridor together. Not a day went by when he didn’t reproach himself for not having told Jessica the truth about who her father was.
“Have you come across the gentleman in cabin three?” asked Emma, breaking into his thoughts.
“Lord Glenarthur? No, but I saw his name on the passenger list.”
“Cou
ld he be the same Lord Glenarthur who was married to my great-aunt Isobel?”
“Possibly. We met him once when we stayed at your grandfather’s castle in Scotland. Such a gentle man. He must be well over eighty by now.”
“I wonder why he decided to come on the maiden voyage and not let us know?”
“He probably didn’t want to bother you. Let’s invite him to dinner tomorrow night. After all, he’s the last link with that generation.”
“Nice idea, my darling,” said Emma. “I’ll write him a note and slip it under his door first thing in the morning.” Harry unlocked the cabin door and stood aside to let her in.
“I’m exhausted,” said Emma, bending down to smell the lilies. “I don’t know how the Queen Mother manages it day in and day out.”
“It’s what she does, and she’s good at it, but I bet she’d be exhausted if she tried a few days of being chairman of Barrington’s.”
“I’d still rather have my job than hers,” said Emma as she stepped out of her dress, and hung it up in the wardrobe before disappearing into the bathroom.
