Chapter Three
Taste the world where the sea is your companion, and every course tells a story.
Dinner in the Emerald Dining Room was a formal experience, and as Joy entered, she noticed that everywhere sparkled with glamour, Christmas cheer, and abundant colourful decorations. A Christmas tree stood beside the reception desk which was framed in an archway of festive swags and tartan bows.
Joy wondered what Tom would have thought of the atmosphere, as she noted candlelight flickering on polished silver and crystal chandeliers, casting a warm glow over the guests as they arrived to take their place at tables set for the evening.
Stewards in smart uniforms moved efficiently, their steps whisper-like across the carpet as they glided from table to table.
Joy was wide-eyed as she stared at the dome-shaped dining area which hummed with gentle conversation against the backdrop of music from a string quartet playing soothing tunes from a balcony above the main room.
Fearing that it was a mistake to enter the room as a solo traveller, Joy was nervous as the ma?tre d’ greeted her, and instinctively she wanted to double-back to the safety of her cabin.
But it was too late to change her mind. Not wishing to sit alone, she’d chosen a communal table and allowed herself to be guided to table number twenty-eight, situated in a balcony position overlooking the extended restaurant below.
Her steps were hesitant, and she gripped her clutch bag tightly to her chest. When the ma?tre d’ pulled out a chair, Joy sat down with a shy nod to a couple already seated.
So far, so good.
Joy knew that Tom would expect her to join in, but he wasn’t the one plunging alone into a cruise with strangers.
She’d almost cancelled her dinner reservation, preferring to go to the buffet restaurant where food was served at all hours.
Choosing a table for one in a corner, Joy would have dined then headed back to her cabin to settle down with a book and bed.
But as she’d dressed, her phone had rung.
It was Susan checking on her mother to ensure all was well.
‘Now make sure you have a decent dinner, Mum,’ Joy’s daughter had instructed. ‘You’ve paid a lot of money for the cruise, so don’t go sloping off to the buffet where you can sit anonymously in a corner picking away at a salad.’
Joy had rolled her eyes but knew that her daughter was right.
She promised Susan that she’d take her place in the main restaurant at a table with other guests.
And yes, she would go to the show after dinner, too.
Smoothing her simple A-line dress over her slim hips, Joy had slipped her feet into ballet pumps and smiled dryly.
At least they would soon be far away, and the signal on her phone would no longer be available.
Wi-Fi on the ship was expensive, and Joy had no intention of upgrading her package to take ticking-off calls from Susan.
Now, as the dining room filled, Joy placed her clutch bag on her lap and turned to her dining companions.
‘Hello,’ a woman said, offering her hand, ‘I’m Leticia Scott, and this is my husband, Jim.’
Joy felt her hand pumped and noted that the woman filled her space at the table. ‘Pleased to meet you both,’ Joy said as she leaned in to acknowledge the couple. ‘I’m Joy Bradley.’
‘What a lovely name, and what a coincidence!’ Leticia beamed. ‘My name comes from the Latin word meaning joy or happiness, and everyone says that I’m full of joy.’
‘Too much joy, at times,’ Jim laughed.
‘So, you’re a Joy too,’ Leticia said. ‘I hope we’ll be cruise buddies.’
‘Oh, that’s interesting,’ Joy replied, feeling flummoxed by this woman’s instant engagement. Cruise buddies? Joy wasn’t sure about that.
She gave a half-glance at Leticia, noting her striking dress, a shade of red that perfectly flattered her dark skin.
Her lips, glossy and plump, were red too, and her large oval eyes seemed to light up the room.
Leticia’s hair was intricately plaited into cornrow braids threaded with pretty beads and piled elegantly high on her head.
On her wrists, an assortment of silver bangles gleamed.
Wearing a beige dress, Joy felt dowdy next to this vibrant woman and thought that she should have chosen something more glamorous or added a bright scarf.
But Joy lacked the confidence to stand out like Leticia.
It had abandoned her many years ago. She half-wished that she’d done more with her own hair, which, though still a vibrant shade of chestnut, was fashioned into an easy to manage cut that lay primly on her shoulders.
With her beautiful braids and colourful clothes, Leticia was larger than life, and Joy felt herself sink low in her chair.
While Leticia greeted another couple who’d joined the table, Joy stole a glance at Jim.
In a smart suit and open-necked shirt, Leticia’s husband was as handsome as she was vibrant.
But noting that Jim was sitting in a wheelchair, she wondered what ailed him.
When Jim turned and caught her eye, he removed his glasses and grinned, and Joy hoped his condition wasn’t serious.
A man sat down beside Joy, and she turned to introduce herself.
‘Kenneth Montgomery Jones,’ he announced.
His spicy aftershave was so overpowering that Joy wondered if he’d bathed in it. Dressed in a dark blazer with gold buttons, Kenneth wore a bow tie with a white shirt and as he moved his head, Joy saw the thick crown wobbled independently.
Was he wearing a wig? When Kenneth turned, his hair, the colour of a conker, was a split-second behind.
Kenneth summoned the sommelier with a snap of his fingers and Joy winced. She disliked seeing anyone treat staff disrespectfully.
When Kenneth’s wife, Barbara, leaned forward to say hello, Joy set her face in a smile.
Barbara’s bosom was bursting from a silver sequinned top, and her ash-blonde hair, neat in a chignon, was topped off with a black velvet band.
Joy couldn’t imagine the worth of Barbara’s dazzling diamonds and covered her own modest wedding ring with her fingers.
‘We were almost late for dinner,’ Barbara began. ‘Kenny and I were enjoying complimentary champagne and canopies in our Dream Suite and didn’t notice the time.’ She gave a snort that passed as a laugh and fluttered unnaturally long lashes.
Contemplating Barbara’s age, Joy studied her smooth, taut skin which looked as though it had been lifted, and her eyebrows seemed permanently raised. Instead of reducing her years, Barbara seemed to have fast-forwarded them, and Joy guessed she was in her early sixties.
Meanwhile, Kenneth was asking the sommelier what was drinking well, and Joy wondered if he meant the wine or the waiter.
Confirming his order, Kenneth turned to Joy.
‘Chateau de Pizay Morgon,’ he began. ‘A good red wine from Beaujolais. Babs and I often take holidays there,’ he added. ‘It’s made with the Gamay grape, don’t you know.’
Joy didn’t know at all and had no clue what Kenneth was talking about. She was about to tell him that she knew little about wine, but another guest was being shown to their table, and everyone turned as a man sat down.
‘Good evening, everyone,’ Henry Halliday said as a steward skilfully flicked a napkin and placed it on Henry’s knee.
Oh Lord, Joy thought, is the ma?tre d’ matchmaking?
She’d been placed on a table with two couples and a man who might be single like herself.
Thank goodness Henry Halliday was on the opposite side of the table, and she wouldn’t have to make small talk.
Between Leticia, Barbara and their spouses, Joy hoped that the dinner table chatter would be all the conversation they needed.
Tomorrow, Joy decided, she would ask to move tables. Surely, she wasn’t obligated to share with the same guests every night.
Their steward Jhamille introduced his assistant, Ryan, and they handed out menus.
Moments later, with choices ordered, the sommelier poured Kenneth’s wine, inviting him to sample it.
Kenneth held his glass to the light, making a grand performance of swirling, and Joy wondered if he was summoning up spirits.
Perhaps Tom would appear at any moment to haunt her, like a genie from a lamp!
Diplomatically silent, the sommelier stood alongside, waiting for Kenneth’s approval.
‘Mmm, a classic Cru Beaujolais. I detect blackcurrants and a hint of raspberry,’ Kenneth murmured, ‘there’s a slight edge and a fine tannin …’
Joy thought that Kenneth could be describing a glass of Ribena and holding up her own glass, nodded to Jhamille, who held a pitcher of iced water.
‘The acidity is almost playful,’ Kenneth continued, his eyes closed.
As the sommelier waited, his expression remained neutral, although Joy thought she detected an amused twitch at the side of his mouth.
‘But what about the body?’ Barbara interrupted.
Kenneth opened his eyes, ‘Generous and extremely ostentatious,’ he replied.
Joy caught Leticia’s eye, and it was all she could do not to smile as Leticia whispered that Kenneth might be describing his wife.
Leticia passed Joy a silver dish and as Joy spread butter on a warm, seeded roll, she considered her dinner companions.
Leticia and Jim might be fun, but Kenneth and Barbara would be more of a challenge.
As the first course arrived, the couple discussed their wine and made it clear that the bottle was for their sole enjoyment.
When Leticia ordered a bottle of prosecco and offered it to Joy and Henry, Joy accepted.
However, Henry said he’d prefer a pint of beer.
Kenneth raised his eyebrows. ‘Beer and fine dining?’ he commented, clearly not approving. As he shook his head, his toupee lifted slightly at the corners.
Turning to her starter, Joy tucked into crab paté, served with slithers of melba toast.