Chapter Thirty-Four
The cruise may be ending but the next journey is just beginning.
Dinner on the final night of the Arctic cruise was an informal affair with the dress code relaxed, and as Henry stepped out of the shower and laid out his clothes, he paused for a moment and considered the reindeer jumper.
Deciding that it was too casual, he opted for a smart shirt and jacket.
As he dressed, he realised he was stepping into a chapter of life he’d never anticipated.
So much had shifted over the past ten days as his feelings for Joy grew steadily, then in the last twenty-four hours exploded.
Henry had never felt this way before, and he was astounded by how good he felt.
Suddenly, he had the wind beneath his elderly wings and was flying in a wonderful direction, soaring into something new with Joy, with a mutual longing they both wanted to embrace.
Henry couldn’t imagine a day without her now and knew that she felt the same.
There was a special kind of pleasure in falling in love in later life and knowing that it was returned.
He wondered if the magic of the aurora borealis had brought them together.
Was it destiny written in the Northern Lights?
For under that curtain of celestial light, their love hadn’t just flickered. It had blazed.
‘Goodness, I’m coming over all poetic.’ Henry smiled as he straightened his collar and grinned at his reflection. ‘Whatever would Audrey say?’ But in his heart, he knew that his friend would be delighted that he had, in her words, finally found a good woman.
Henry was sure that Joy’s marriage had been troubled.
Common sense told him that much. She never spoke of Tom, deftly sidestepping probing questions.
At first, Henry had taken it for grief, but now he sensed something more profound, more complicated.
One day, he felt certain she would tell him the truth of it, in her own time.
Until then, he would ask nothing more than she was willing to give, but from now on, he would do everything in his power to ensure that their days together felt safe and were filled with the happiness Henry thought she had long been denied.
As Henry dimmed the lights in his cabin, he noticed the absence of the usual towel sculpture on his bed. In fact, he hadn’t seen Jennifer all day. A flicker of concern crossed his mind. Perhaps the housekeeper was unwell.
He opened the drawer at his desk and pulled out an envelope.
Inside was a card wishing Jennifer a happy New Year alongside two neatly handwritten sheets of company stationery.
He found himself wondering if New Year celebrations in the Philippines were as lively as they would be in Ireland, with fireworks and the kind of revelries he eagerly anticipated in a few days.
How sad that Jennifer wouldn’t be at home with her family, but instead, at sea, working hard to ensure the comfort of a new set of passengers.
Taking a pen, he wrote her name on the envelope and left it propped up on a book on the desk, where he knew she would find it.
‘Happy New Year, Jennifer,’ Henry whispered as he left the room, ‘to you and your family.’
Jennifer lingered in the alcove at the end of Henry’s corridor.
She watched him leave his cabin and disappear down the hallway towards the lifts.
When he was gone, she let out a sigh, then tightened her grip on her trolley and began to wheel it slowly forward.
Her heart felt heavy, and she was filled with a sadness she couldn’t explain.
Mr Henry, the older guest travelling alone, had been unusually kind and warm.
Jennifer was used to being invisible. Most guests barely acknowledged her, and some not at all.
But Mr Henry was so courteous and interested in her life, and Jennifer had dared to hope, just a little, that he might be different.
Perhaps there would be a connection between them that might lift her from the achingly long days and months she spent far from her beloved family.
But Mr Henry had let her down, and his affections lay elsewhere.
Placing her trolley by the door, Jennifer reached for a stack of fresh towels and made her way into his room.
She would do her duty and make everything as nice as could be, after all, it was her job to ensure that the guests had everything they needed.
Straightening the bed, she plumped up the pillows and placed a chocolate on each one.
Perhaps his lady friend had a sweet tooth.
She sighed, and reaching into a pocket, added two more.
As Jennifer turned to close the curtains and dust the desk, she noticed an envelope propped against a book.
Frowning, she studied the handwritten name and realised it was for her.
Sitting down, she carefully undid the seal before removing a colourful card with a wintery scene, then smiled when she read the handwritten words on the inside.
Maligayang Bagong Taon!
Henry had found a translation for Happy New Year, and inside he’d written a note thanking Jennifer for her kindness, and that he hoped the enclosed would in some small way make her life a little easier going forward.
A handful of hundred-euro notes fell onto her lap alongside two pages of notepaper.
As Jennifer began to read, tears welled in her eyes and her breath caught.
She shook her head and tried to make sense of what she was seeing.
Her fingers trembled as she scanned the lines to be sure she hadn’t misunderstood.
As the stillness of the room engulfed her, she closed her eyes and pressed the note to her chest.
‘Oh, Mr Henry,’ Jennifer whispered, ‘what have you done …’
Dressed in their finery despite the informal dress code, Barbara and Kenneth, buoyed by several drinks in their suite, promenaded through the ship.
Barbara’s diamonds dazzled as she flashed a smile at guests, offering nods as they made their way to dinner, like royalty on a grand tour.
Kenneth gave a cheerful wave to a passing couple he didn’t know, while Barbara clicked her kitten heels as though moving across a stage.
Kenneth wasn’t quite back in her good books, but he’d been granted visiting rights, and the show must go on, she reminded herself.
She would play the part, at least until something more diverting came along.
As they passed the desk at guest services, a voice called out. ‘Mrs Montgomery Jones, there’s a message for you!’
Barbara paused. If it was the message she’d been expecting, how could she keep it from Kenneth?
‘Come on, Babs,’ Kenneth urged, ‘don’t keep them waiting.’
Before Barbara had a chance to intervene, Kenneth stepped forward and took the envelope from the young crew member’s outstretched hand. Barbara attempted to snatch it away, but her husband was too quick.
‘Allow me,’ he said smoothly in a tone that made Barbara’s stomach tighten.
She lunged to grab it, but Kenneth stepped away. He tore the envelope open and read on. ‘Well, how intriguing,’ Kenneth said, his eyes cast down as he handed her the opened note.
‘Kenny, I can explain …’ Barbara’s heart thudded as she took it, already forming excuses. Then her eyes darted over the note.
Once.
Then twice.
A pause. Barbara’s lips parted, ‘Oh, I’m …’ she faltered.
‘It’s all right, Babs,’ Kenneth said with a shrug. ‘Not what you were expecting?’
She looked up at him, stunned, not with guilt but with disbelief.
Printed on official stationery, the short note read:
Congratulations! Mr & Mrs Montgomery Jones
You are the grand prize winners of the captain’s Gala Raffle
On behalf of all the crew on the Emerald Dream, we hope you enjoy your hamper!
Barbara blinked.
‘You thought it was from the captain, didn’t you?’ Kenneth asked, his eyes dark.
Barbara said nothing.
Offering his arm, Kenneth stepped forward. ‘Don’t worry, Babs, I knew all along. We know each other too well.’
Barbara’s cheeks were flushed as she took his arm. ‘Kenny … I’m sorry,’ she whispered.
‘Shall we?’ he asked and led her away from the desk. ‘We don’t want to keep our table waiting. After all,’ he added, ‘we’re both winners tonight.’
In the Triton Lounge, there wasn’t a spare seat when Simon, in his smartest uniform, stepped onto the centre of the stage.
‘Good evening, friends and fellow travellers,’ he began and looked out at the expectant faces.
‘On behalf of myself, Captain Lindholm and all the crew of the Emerald Dream, we hope that you’ve had an unforgettable holiday.
I can hardly believe that we’re at the end of it already.
’ He dug into his pocket and pulled out a card.
‘But before we part ways, this is the moment many have been waiting for, and I’m about to announce the winner of the captain’s Gala Raffle, which was drawn earlier today. ’
There was a shuffle as guests dug into their pockets to retrieve their raffle numbers.
Simon held up a card. ‘The grand prize winners of a magnificent hamper are … . Kenneth and Barbara Montgomery Jones!’
Simon looked around for the lucky winners and gritted his teeth.
He silently cursed his own handiwork as Kenneth and Barbara paraded triumphantly up the aisle.
The whole fiasco, with Simon’s subtle manipulation of the draw, had been designed to keep the Montgomery Joneses happy and to send them ashore with smiles instead of complaints.
He watched them relish their unearned glory and congratulating them both, Simon thought of more deserving winners.
But sadly, he’d had to engineer that the prize inevitably went to the ship’s most persistent complainers.
There was a polite ripple of applause and a lukewarm reception as Kenneth and Barbara gave a wave and returned to their seats. ‘She thinks she’s royalty!’ Nora was heard to call out.