Page 86 of The Cruise Club

Betty crossed her arms. ‘He said it was all in good fun and not to be so serious.Fun?I told him that the only fun thing was seeing him squeezed into those budgie smugglers and that he looked like a hot dog ready to explode. Then I left as quickly as I’d arrived.’

Carmen finally laughed as the image of Holden in his too-tight leisure wear burned into her memory. ‘Oh, Mum, I’m so sorry,’ she said, ‘it must be an awful blow for you to realise that Holden isn’t all he seemed to be.’

‘You might think it’s funny, but Holden has some very odd ideas,’ Betty grumbled, ‘and if I’m completely truthful, he’s like a dinosaur on the dance floor. My poor old feet are trampled.’

Carmen marvelled at her mother’s ability to change her mood so swiftly. Holden was no longer the blue-eyed all-American man, and now, Betty was ripping him to pieces.

‘Why don’t I make you more comfortable and get you settled in bed?’ Carmen suggested. ‘I’ll order some cocoa too, and things will look brighter in the morning.’

‘Never mind cocoa, pour me a large measure of brandy,’ Betty snapped as she leaned forward for Carmen to unzip her dress. ‘My poor old nerves are in pieces.’

Carmen sighed. Already her mother’s bad temper had returned. But as Carmen reached for the hook at Betty’s collar, she noticed something was missing. ‘Mum,’ she slowly asked, ‘where are your pearls?’

Chapter Thirty-Five

Carmen was wide awake. Having settled Betty with two herbal sleep aids and the brandy she’d insisted on, her mother was away with the fairies in no time at all. As Carmen crept out to the sound of loud snores, she let herself into her own room and sat down at her desk. Her mind was buzzing with lost memories as the chaos of Betty’s confession refused to let go.

Her dad. The man she’d always considered steady and kind, had been living a profoundly different life from the one she remembered. Had his marriage to Betty meant anything at all?

Carmen might have had siblings. A brother or sister to befriend and share the burden of Betty with as she aged. She thought about her parents as young lovers and the vows they must have made, then the life they built together as they welcomed a baby to their family. Had it all been a façade for Des?

And then there was Marion. The other woman.

As a child, Carmen had called her, ‘Aunty Marion’. Awave of anger rose in Carmen’s chest, but it was quickly followed by a deep sadness that Betty had lived all those years, pretending that all was well. No wonder she was so bitter.

Tears dampened Carmen’s eyes, but she held them back even with the realisation that the image she had of her father was crumbling fast. For all his talk of making dreams come true, he’d been unable to fulfil his own.

‘Oh, Dad,’ Carmen sighed, ‘why didn’t you have the courage to change things? You might have given everyone a chance to be happy.’

Carmen stood and stepped onto her balcony. Her bare feet were cold against the metal floor. Gentle waves glinted under the pale moonlight, and the night felt vast and endless. Betty’s confession had shaken Carmen, but here, in the stillness, she thought of Ruskin. Their kiss felt like a hundred years ago, but as she touched her lips, the warm feeling returned and wrapped around her like a hug. She thought of his laugh and the way her hand fitted in his, his steady voice and how his eyes softened when he looked at her. Whatever lay ahead, whether fleeting or enduring, she would grab what happiness she could. Life was messy and unpredictable, but here, on this balcony, her heart felt full of hope despite the storm that raged around her mother.

And for now, that was enough.

Carmen headed to the bathroom to take off her makeup, and while brushing her hair, she recalled her mother’s missing pearls. Don, Debbie and Dicky Delaney had all lost jewellery, Theo too and more recently, Neeta. Remembering that Ruskin had told her Peter had asked for his help, sherealised she needed to inform Ruskin that Betty had joined the list of passengers with missing items.

Carmen distantly remembered Theo telling her that he struggled to sleep at night and she glanced at her watch. Perhaps he was awake? She longed to tell him of the latest developments and reached for the phone. After a few rings, he answered.

‘Theo, it’s me,’ Carmen spoke softly.

‘Hello, Cinderella. You don’t need to whisper. I’m wide awake and intrigued to hear your news.’

Carmen remembered that she’d cursed Theo when he left her alone with Ruskin, but suddenly, she wished that he was beside her.

‘Shall I come to your room, and we can snuggle like roomies while you reveal all about Ruskin?’ Theo asked.

‘Would you?’

‘I’m on my way.’

‘What a surprise,’ Theo said as he sat beside Carmen on her bed.

‘Oh goodness, Theo, I feel terribly sorry for my mother. She thought Holden was someone she could enjoy herself with.’

‘But not at an upside-down pineapple pensioner party. Do you think Betty will be heartbroken that Holden wasn’t the man she thought he was?’

‘I don’t know,’ Carmen shrugged, ‘she seemed to regain her bad temper quite quickly, especially when she described the party and Holden’s revealing outfit.’

Theo began to laugh and, unable to help herself, Carmen joined in.

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