Page 76 of The Cruise

She sobbed, and Selwyn moved to sit beside her and enfold her in his arms. ‘Shush, it’s okay,’ he said, his voice soft, tone warm. ‘It’s all right, I’ve got you.’

The door to the Captain’s bedroom opened, and Peter came out. He was followed by a medic and a nurse.

Selwyn looked up. ‘What happens now?’ he addressed Peter.

Peter quietly told them the Captain would be taken to the ship’s morgue. As Barbados was the next port of call, the medical team would notify the Bajan authorities to make a public health declaration. Peter turned to the medic, who nodded her head.

‘Do we know his next of kin?’ Selwyn asked.

‘Yes, there’s a nephew and he will be informed straightaway,’ Peter said.

‘Oh, I can’t bear to think of him in the morgue,’ Bridgette sniffed, ‘all alone, and so cold.’

The nurse came forward and, kneeling, took Bridgette’s hand. ‘I’ll look after him,’ she assured. ‘It will be my honour to perform the last offices, to bathe and dress him in a shroud.’

‘Thank you, my dear.’ Bridgette looked up. ‘You’re very kind. I’m just a silly old woman who has lost yet another good person.’

‘We understand,’ the nurse replied.

‘You’d b-better tell the others.’ Bridgette sniffed and gripped Selwyn’s hand. She turned to the nurse. ‘But I think the Captain would prefer a T-shirt to a shroud,’ she added with a poignant smile.

Selwyn rose to his feet. ‘Don’t move, I’ll be back in a moment.’ He walked over to Peter and whispered, ‘May I see him?’

Peter looked at the medic, who nodded, and Selwyn slowly entered the Captain’s bedroom. The room was dimly lit, but a ray of sunshine broke through a parting in the drapes. The light shone warm and steady, illuminating the body lying on the bed. The Captain’s hands were folded neatly beneath the slogan on his T-shirt, and Selwyn smiled when he read the wordsTitanic 1912 Swimming Team.

The old boy had the last laugh.

Selwyn reached out and, very gently, touched the Captain’s hands. ‘Goodbye, sir, it has been an honour to know you.’

But the older man’s hands were cold, and his face bore little resemblance to the mischievous man they’d known in the latter days of his life. His spirit had been lifted, leaving an empty shell of skin and bones.

Selwyn heard Flo’s voice in his ear. ‘He’s safe now,’ she said, ‘in the hands of the Lord, who will look after him and guide him on his final journey.’

To his surprise, Flo’s words brought Selwyn comfort. ‘Thank you, my dear,’ he said.

Selwyn turned to leave as the curtains fluttered and the sunbeam began to fade, but a shiver suddenly ran through his body. Flo was whispering.

‘Thank you for taking me to places I ought to have gone – to experience in death all the things I missed out in life.’

Selwyn smiled and, glancing out, saw waves roll rhythmically like an aquatic heartbeat. He imagined the Captain’s soul slowly sinking into the depths of his beloved sea. He knew that the spiritual cruise the Captain now embarked upon would be his finest journey.

ChapterThirty-Two

As theDiamond Starcontinued to Barbados, news of the Captain’s death was spoken of in hushed whispers amongst the passengers. That afternoon, arrangements had been made to move his body, and corridors and lifts were closed to offer privacy on the route to the medical centre. Peter assured Bridgette that the Captain’s belongings would be carefully packed and kept securely by the Bajan police, who would liaise with the Captain’s nephew as soon as he arrived on the island.

‘Well, I suppose that’s that.’ Bridgette sat at the Captain’s favourite cocktail bar with Kath, Anne, Jane, and Selwyn. ‘And I propose a toast,’ she said, ‘to the Captain!’

‘The Captain!’ Everyone raised their drink as they stared at the empty stool, where someone had placed his captain’s hat.

Knocking back two fingers of the elderly gentleman’s favourite malt, they sat silently for a few moments before Bridgette spoke again. ‘I expect it will take ages for him to be flown back to England,’ she said. ‘I hear that the paperwork can be terribly slow.’

‘Especially if the local authorities decide that there needs to be a post-mortem,’ Selwyn added, remembering his conversation with the medics.

‘I hope he enjoyed his last cruise,’ Anne said. She felt miserable and wondered if she could have done more to make the Captain’s last few days happier.

‘I think he had a blast,’ Jane said, smiling. ‘With Bridgette’s sparkling company, especially the time they spent together in the comfort of his suite.’

As the group turned to stare at Bridgette, her face flushed and she slid off her stool. ‘Well, I am afraid I must love and leave you all, as I have a talk in the Neptune Lounge. The show must go on, as they say.’

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