Page 13 of Midnight

She pushed past her to open the door. ‘Aaron?’

But he wasn’t there. The large double bed was freshly made, undisturbed. A bottle of rosé champagne – her favourite brand – was in the corner, the pink foil poking out of a polished chrome ice bucket. Their suitcases were lined up neatly against the porthole, which Olivia avoided looking out of.

‘I must return to the reception. Are you OK to be left here?’

There was a jolt and a shudder, and Olivia momentarily lost her footing. ‘What was that?’ she asked.

‘The ship’s engines,’ said Elisabet. ‘Looks like we’re getting ready to go.’

6

Olivia took out her phone. The screen read 15:44. It wasn’t quite all-aboard time yet. She dialled Aaron’s number, grateful she still had reception, but the line rang out to his voicemail.

She typed out a message.I’m in the cabin. Number 16 – where are you?

Aaron was always glued to his phone. It wouldn’t take long for her to hear back.

An announcement came over the tannoy, and Olivia recognized Elisabet’s voice. ‘Welcome, passengers of the MSVigil. This is your cruise director Elisabet Eklund. On behalf of the captain and the crew, I want to thank you for your speed and efficiency in boarding this afternoon. As we are at full capacity ahead of schedule, the captain has decided to leave port early. We would like to invite you to the upper deck for hot drinks and our sail-away party.’

There was a good chance that was where she would find Aaron – he loved any excuse for a party, especially with so many people on board he needed to mingle with. At least, she hoped that was the case. The thought that he wasn’t on board at all was too dreadful to contemplate. She pushed it away, determined to remain positive.

She left the cabin and made her way to the bow. While the interior was lush and designed for comfort, the outerdeck had a functional green-painted weather-proofed floor – a reminder that this was first and foremost an expedition-class vessel. There were already plenty of passengers out enjoying the fresh air, wrapped up in their identical crimson Pioneer-branded jackets. Everyone on board had been given one – a gift to start their Antarctic journey. A table was set up in one corner, laden with lanyards divided by their room names. Under cabin sixteen, she spotted their name tags: Olivia Campbell and Aaron Hunter-Williams. So if he was on deck, he hadn’t picked it up yet.

‘Can I help you?’ asked the crew member behind the desk. He had a strong Antipodean accent, a deep golden tan and a bemused expression as she dithered over picking up her name tag. ‘I’m Liam, your excursion leader on board.’

Her cheeks flushed. ‘I’m looking for my boyfriend, Aaron Hunter-Williams?’ When Liam looked at her blankly, she continued. ‘He’s the one who’s organized the showcase?’

‘Oh, with you now! I’m afraid I haven’t seen him. So that means you must be Olivia Campbell.’ He picked up the lanyard and passed it across to her. ‘Are you part of my excursions team?’

Olivia could hardly hear for the pit of worry that had opened in her stomach. Aaron wasn’t there. She did, however, spot Elisabet standing on the deck above, clipboard in hand, like a general overseeing her charges. ‘Excuse me,’ she muttered to Liam without answering his question.

She took the stairs quickly, the spiked anti-slip metal digging into the bottom of her trainers.

‘Elisabet, have you seen Aaron?’

‘I’m sorry, Miss Campbell, I’ve been in my office since I left you at the cabin.’

‘Can you tell me if he came back on board? I’m worried that I can’t find him.’

‘It’s a big ship; I’m sure he’s here somewhere.’ Elisabet smiled, but Olivia noticed a quavering in between her brows. The cruise director was staring down at her iPad, her fingers swiping across the screen. Her smile widened when she found Aaron’s name. ‘Yes, look.’ She turned the iPad around so Olivia could see. ‘We have Mr Hunter-Williams logged in as on board.’

Olivia put her hand on her chest. ‘Oh, thank goodness. Can you tell me what time he returned?’

‘He boarded at ten thirty-four a.m.’ Her voice drifted as she came to the same realization as Olivia.

‘That’s when we arrived this morning. He left again this afternoon.’ Olivia’s mouth went dry.

Elisabet remained ever the consummate professional. ‘Come with me. We can do a ship-wide announcement and ask him to meet us at reception. He knows so many people on board; he probably got swept up in conversation.’

‘I’d appreciate that,’ she replied through gritted teeth, barely holding on to her mask of politeness. Underneath it, she felt like she was breaking down.

‘It’s the least I can do.’

But fifteen minutes after the announcement, and there was still no sign of him. She kept looking at her phone, willing it to ring, or for a message to pop up. Her nails were bitten down to the quick.

When she couldn’t wait any longer, she accostedElisabet at the desk once again. ‘Can you try the Pioneer office in Ushuaia? That’s where he said he was going,’ said Olivia.

‘Absolutely,’ replied Elisabet, already picking up the phone and dialling.

---