Page 26 of The Cruise Club

As his eyes swept the room, a smile played on Ruskin’s lips as though telling the guests they were lucky to be in his presence. He raised a hand, and the room became silent.

‘I imagine you all want to hear wise words on writing?’ Ruskin gave a knowing chuckle and allowed a beat to pass. ‘No doubt, many of you would like to understand the secret to my success. How did I dream up stories that have sold worldwide?’ Ruskin shrugged and moved from the podium to slowly walk towards the audience.

Carmen sat forward and her hair fell softly onto her shoulders. As Ruskin came closer, she felt a magnetic pull as though being drawn into a world created by his imagination. Theo no longer sat beside her; instead, the Rainbow Sleuth had taken his place, and Carmen felt a fire of creativity burn in her pounding heart.

‘But first,’ Ruskin said as he scanned the crowd, ‘let me tell you about the space between the words…’

Spellbound, Carmen’s pen danced across the page as Ruskin talked about his life and what inspired him to write. He dropped nuggets of advice like gold coins, and Carmen collected them gratefully, each stroke of her pen capturing the wise and motivating words as his talk glued in her mind. Lost in the magic of his knowledge, nothing else mattered.

As the talk came to an end, she closed her notebook and took a deep breath. Ideas and plots filled her excited head. At last, she could start writing again! Ruskin Reeve had inspired her, and she’d begin what she set out to do on this cruise.

Maybe her writing block was over.

As Ruskin left the stage to thundering applause, Carmen turned in her seat. Beside her, the imaginary figure of the Rainbow Sleuth had gone, and instead, Theo, his head to one side, was slumbering quietly. Not wishing to disturb theman, Carmen placed her notebook in her bag and, with a smile that could light up the darkest night, slipped quietly out of the theatre.

The Mermaid Theatre was situated at the stern of the ship, and unlike the tiered seating in the Neptune Theatre, guests sat at circular tables grouped around the stage. The room was large, with two generous platformed areas and a well-stocked bar. Fran and Sid had chosen to sit by a window that offered stunning views during the day, and with Betty parked beside them, they ordered a round of drinks.

‘If the Corinth Cocktail is free, I’ll have two,’ Betty said to a server, ‘not too much ice!’

Her face was set in a permanent frown, and she sat upright in her chair, her bag like a shield, clamped to her knee. Betty’s silver-grey curls were drawn back with a tortoiseshell band.

‘I think I’ll have the same,’ Fran said, looking around. ‘Isn’t it lovely in here?’ she added, admiring the theatre’s theme, which blended with the ship’s colour palette, where bright and bold blues reflected the sea and sky.

‘It’s very bright,’ Betty complained. Dressed in a beige patterned blouse and slacks pressed to perfection, Betty’s feet tapped impatiently. Pink toenails peeped out from her summer sandals.

‘There’s a good crowd gathered,’ Sid said and picked up his beer. ‘This is where the Golden Oldies Gang meet each day for quizzes and the like.’

‘How exciting,’ Fran said, ‘I’m hopeless at quizzes, but it will be fun to join in.’ She watched as the server slid coasters onto the table, reached for the cocktails on his tray, and placed them carefully beside a bowl of salted nuts.

‘I’m not breaking my teeth on those,’ Betty snapped, pushing the nuts away.

Fran thought that Betty’s dentures could probably crush rocks, as she remembered the mounds of food she’d seen Betty consume in the last twenty-four hours. She watched the elderly lady reach for her glass and flip the garnish of mint before raising the drink to her thin lips and gulping it down.

‘Steady on!’ Sid smiled as he retrieved the mint. ‘That’s mostly vodka.’

‘And lime and honey.’ Fran took a sip. ‘It’s delicious,’ she said and grabbed a handful of nuts.

The room had begun to fill, and as passengers gathered around tables and found their seats, Colin and Neeta arrived.

‘Come and join us, we’re having cocktails.’ Fran inched her chair to make room. ‘That’s a lovely shirt.’ She grinned at Colin and admired the pineapple pattern print, which matched Neeta’s eye-catching minuscule vest.

Neeta pulled up a chair next to Sid. ‘Hello, Sidney,’ she whispered and fluttered her butterfly lashes.

‘Ahem…’ Sid nervously coughed. ‘I think the quiz is about to start.’

All eyes turned to the stage, and seconds later, Dicky Delaney appeared.

‘Hello Golden Oldies Gang!’ Dicky called out. He stopped in his tracks, waiting for a response. ‘Hello… Anyone out there?’

‘Hello Dicky!’ Fran enthused.

‘You’ll have to do better than that.’ Dicky grinned. ‘Are you all awake? Blink twice if you’re conscious.’

Laughter began as everyone watched Dicky with amused anticipation.

‘I hope you all had a second helping of lunch and are ready to stretch your brains because we are about to dive in at the deep end of trivia.’

‘Get on with it!’ a voice sliced through from the back of the room.

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