Escape to the Sun

Chapter 1

Hannah followed the man into the cabin, turning a circle in the luxurious room as he rolled her suitcase to the foot of the bed. A painting on the wall depicted somewhere in the tropics, the verdant colours upbeat, promising adventure, fun and joy. A shame she was radiating the opposite vibes.

She could see the glinting chrome of bathroom fittings through an internal door. Cushions covered in vibrant fabrics adorned every soft surface. There was a discreet balcony, sliding doors with cream tub chairs standing sentry.

At least they’d stopped short of sprinkling the bed with rose petals, or shaping a pair of towels into swans, beak to beak in an expression of everlasting love. That would have made her cry.

‘This is lovely,’ she managed to say.

Martin – according to his shiny name badge – hovered by the cabin door. It seemed he was feeling as awkward as she was.

‘I hope you have a wonderful cruise – if there’s anything you need, please don’t hesitate to contact a member of the crew,’ he said, before he made a tactical withdrawal.

Hannah couldn’t wait to lock the door behind him. The whole thing felt like swimming through treacle, as if her decision to come on this cruise went against the laws of nature.

She sank onto the bed and closed her eyes against the riot of colour pulsing from every accent fabric.

This had been a massive mistake.

Her mobile bleated from a pocket, and she pulled it out, squinting at the screen. A cursory glance was sufficient, and she frowned, stabbing at the side button and holding it in until the phone finally went dark.

With a sigh, she resisted the urge to throw it across the room. Instead, she dumped it on the soft Egyptian cotton of the duvet cover and closed her eyes again. Ian could try to phone her as many times as he liked; it wouldn’t make a scrap of difference.

And while she’d been super enthusiastic the previous year when they’d started making plans for a romantic winter wedding – booked to take place less than a fortnight before Christmas – he’d been dead keen on the idea of heading off straight afterwards on a cruise in search of winter sun.

But not just somewhere in the Mediterranean – no, he suggested they take the trip of a lifetime, to begin their married life together in style.

Stretching out side by side on sun loungers, with an unparalleled view of the Caribbean.

Snorkelling amongst exotic fish, dining under the stars and making love in a luxurious cabin – it had sounded amazing.

And it promised a chance to take time out from working in her parents’ deli – something she’d been doing without a break for so long.

She’d leapt at the idea.

Maybe that was why she hadn’t bothered to take out holiday insurance when she’d made the booking.

It had been one of those jobs she’d never quite got around to.

And anyway, why would they need it? They were getting married and taking the trip of a lifetime!

Hannah had been convinced nothing could go wrong.

Ha. So na?ve – she realised that now it was all way too late.

On top of the dramatic last-minute abandonment of their wedding, her life unravelling faster than a woolly jumper with a loose strand caught in a bus door, she had no way to recoup any of the money she’d already paid out.

That, plus a fair dollop of belligerence – Ian had wanted to take this trip, so she wanted to make sure he didn’t – ensured she’d headed for the docks, and here she was.

On a honeymoon, without a honey. And by the look of the cloud cover as she’d boarded the ship, no likelihood of a moon either – not tonight, anyway.

Why hadn’t she just stayed home?

All thoughts about making the best of a bad situation faded.

Even the idea of snorkelling with the exotic fish of the Caribbean – something she’d begun dreaming about as soon as she’d realised it was one of the possible activities – seemed stupid, now.

She should be here with Ian, safe and happy, wrapped in his arms as they watched the scenery slip past, beginning what he had led her to believe would be their perfect married life…

She hadn’t realised the humiliation of being here solo would sting so badly. She stifled a laugh – what had she described herself as? Na?ve – she wasn’t sure that word really covered it.

Too late to do anything about it, she thought, as she stared through the window, trying to work out why the dock looked like it was moving, then realising it was the ship. They were pulling away.

No chance of changing her mind now.

The cruise was underway.

Louis had run through all the usual pre-departure checks.

Safety procedures improved annually, had done almost continuously during the time he had been crewing commercial shipping, and everything had to be right before they could cast off.

It wasn’t as though any of the procedures were unnecessary – everyone in the shipping business could reel off names of the worst seaborne disasters – and Louis had been sailing, in one form or another, his entire life.

He knew just how easily things aboard a vessel, however large or small it was, could go wrong.

As the bright blue and yellow of the large IKEA building faded into the background, Louis did his best to conjure enough saliva to swallow.

He might have been sailing for decades, but this was the first time he had stood as captain at the helm of this class of cruise ship, with over two thousand people on board.

Thinking about the numbers made his mouth go even drier, because, even after all the training and years as first officer, this was the first time he was absolutely in command – and ultimately responsible for the safety – of every member of the crew and all the passengers.

Another captain’s sudden illness had become his unexpected opportunity to climb the ultimate rung on the ladder. Ultimate in every way.

No pressure.

Louis could feel sweat prickling, did his best to sound confident as he issued instructions to get the Ballygowan out of the dock system and into the clear water of the English Channel beyond.

Follow procedure, triple-check everything, leave nothing to chance. If he applied the mantra to this trip nothing would go wrong. Unlike the rest of his life, which had a habit of going awry at every available opportunity.

With the shipping lanes in the Channel negotiated and a course plotted, Louis accepted the offer of a coffee from one of the ship’s porters, Martin, and began the difficult process of relaxing into the sailing.

‘They’re calling it an “Arctic Americano” in the restaurants. All the drinks have seasonal names – did you know they were doing that? It’s a fun idea, already making the passengers laugh. I think we’ve got a lively bunch on board,’ Martin said.

‘To be expected, I suppose,’ Louis said. ‘Lots of people wanting to celebrate Christmas and New Year in style.’

Martin grinned. ‘I can’t quite believe I’m on this trip myself – I’m looking forward to some gorgeous weather after all the gloomy stuff we’ve had lately.’

Louis nodded. The weather in the UK promised a wet and windy festive period – when didn’t it?

And he had to admit to himself that the idea of wall-to-wall sunshine and a possible pina colada on a day off did appeal.

Not that the captain had an official day off when cruising, but the idea was one that brought a smile to his lips.

‘And we’re almost up to capacity,’ Martin continued. ‘One thousand, three hundred and twenty-four people all desperate to enjoy the islands.’

Louis did a quick mental calculation, then frowned. ‘We’re a passenger short, aren’t we?’

Martin nodded, then glanced around as though he didn’t wish to be overheard. He leant in towards Louis. ‘Strangest thing, actually. I took her luggage up to 70-69 for her – she didn’t say much. Looked a bit shell-shocked if you ask me. So, I’m none the wiser about why she’s alone.’

Louis’ frown deepened, then he grasped the relevance of what Martin was alluding to. He had yet to work out if the cabin number had been specifically chosen, or whether the ‘69’ part of it had been purely the work of chance.

‘She was on her own?’ Louis asked, to give himself a moment.

‘I know.’ Martin’s eyebrows arched. ‘It threw me to begin with, but she didn’t explain, and it’s none of my business why she’s in the honeymoon suite by herself, is it?’ He shrugged. ‘Anyway. Apart from that, every cabin is at capacity.’

As Martin took his leave and Louis sipped at his coffee, habit kept his gaze on the seascape in front of him.

But before he could stop himself, his mind slipped away, back to the only time he’d got anywhere close to the idea of wanting to marry anyone – and all over again he was doused by all the accompanying pain and rejection he’d experienced during his subsequent break-up with Annie, all those years ago.

It was also at moments like this that a quote from one of his all-time favourite films made its presence felt.

Louis was in that cavern with Indiana Jones, staring at the choice of cups – one of which was the Holy Grail.

But which one? And in his mind’s eye, the Grail Knight was adding to the pressure by suggesting Indiana must ‘choose wisely’.

Made for a fantastic line in a film. And yet it proved to be magnificently difficult to achieve in real life, certainly where girlfriends were concerned. At least, it seemed that way to Louis.

Maybe choosing wisely had proved too lofty an aim for the lady in 70-69, too. Or maybe it wasn’t anything to do with her ability to pick a partner – perhaps illness or something even worse had befallen whoever should have been her travelling companion.

Whatever the reason for her solo trip, Louis was the captain of this ship, and his role as captain wasn’t a permanent status – he was only in charge until Captain Crowther made a full recovery from his operation – so Louis needed to make the most of the opportunity to prove himself to the Blue Line Cruising bosses.

Louis spun around to catch the porter before he left the bridge.

‘Martin?’

‘Yes, Captain?’

‘Do you think our guest in 70-69 would appreciate an invite to visit the bridge?’

‘I can’t imagine why not.’

‘Could you find me one of those invitation cards and I’ll add a note,’ Louis said, reaching into the chest pocket of his white shirt for a pen.

With the card signed and Martin on his way to suite 70-69 with it in his hand, Louis turned his attention back to the waves, and an update on shipping news from his first officer.