Chapter 6
As far as attendance went, Mr. Julius Beresford had no grounds for complaint that night: every single passenger on the ship had turned up for his wife’s cocktail party and, as far as I could see, every off-duty officer on the Campari was there as well. And the party was certainly going splendidly; already, at seven forty-five, practically everyone was already on his or her second drink, and the drinks served up in the drawing room of the Campari were never small ones. Beresford and his wife had been moving round, speaking to each of the guests in rotation, and now it was my turn. I saw them approaching, raised my glass, and said, “Many happy returns, Mrs. Beresford.”
“Thank you, young man. Enjoying yourself?”
“Of course. So is everybody. And you should be, most of all.”
“Yes.” she sounded just the slightest bit doubtful. “I don’t know if Julius was rightly mean, it’s less than twenty-four hours…”
“If you’re thinking about Benson and Brownell, ma’am, you’re worrying unnecessarily. You couldn’t have done a better thing than arrange this. I’m sure every passenger on the ship is grateful to you for helping to get things back to normal so quickly. I know all the officers are, anyway.”
“Just as I told you, my dear.” Beresford patted his wife’s hand, then looked at me, amusement touching the corners of his eyes. “My wife, like my daughter, seems to have the greatest faith in your judgement, Mr. Carter.”
“Yes, sir. I wonder if you could persuade your daughter not to go visiting in the officers’ quarters?”
“No,” Beresford said regretfully, “It’s impossible. Self-willed young lady.” He grinned. “I’ll bet she didn’t even knock.”
“She didn’t.” I looked across the room to where Miss Beresford was giving Tony Carreras the full benefit of her eyes over the rim of a Martini glass. They certainly made a striking couple. “She had, with respect, some bee in her bonnet about something being wrong aboard the Campari. I think the unfortunate happenings last night must have upset her.”
“Naturally. And you managed to remove this?”
“I think so, sir.”
There was a slight pause, then Mrs. Beresford said impatiently, “Julius, we’re just beating about the bush.” “Oh, now, Mary, I don’t think…”
“Rubbish,” she said briskly. “Young man, do you know one of the principal reasons I came along on this trip? Apart” — she smiled — 'from the food? Because my husband asked me to, because he wanted a second opinion from you. Julius, as you know, has made several trips on your ship. He has, as the saying goes, had an eye on you for a job in his organisation. My husband, I may say, has made his fortune not so much by working himself as by picking the right men to work for him. He’s never made a mistake yet. I don’t think he’s making a mistake now. And you have another very special recommendation.”
“Yes, ma’am,” I said politely.
“You’re the only young man of our acquaintance who doesn’t turn himself into a carpet to be trampled on as soon as our daughter appears in sight. A very important qualification, believe me.”
“Would you like to work for me, Mr. Carter?” Beresford asked bluntly.
“I think I would, sir.”
“Well!” Mrs. Beresford looked at her husband. “That’s settled…”
“Will you?” Julius Beresford interrupted.
“No, sir.”
“Why not?”
“Because your interests are in steel and oil. I know only the sea and ships. They don’t mix. I have no qualifications to work for you, and at my present age I’d be too long in acquiring them. And I couldn’t accept a job for which I’d no qualifications.”
“Even at double the money? Or three times?”
“I’m grateful for the offer, sir, believe me. I do appreciate it. But there’s more to it than money.”
“Ah, well.” The Beresfords looked at each other. They didn’t seem too disturbed over my refusal; there was no reason why they should. “We asked a question, we got an answer. Fair enough.” He changed the subject. “What do you think of my feat in getting the old man here tonight?”
“I think it was very thoughtful of you.” I glanced across the room to a spot near the door where old Cerdan, sherry glass in hand, was sitting in his wheel chair, with his nurses on a settee by his side.
They too had sherry glasses. The old boy seemed to be talking animatedly to the captain. “He must lead a very shut-in life. Much difficulty in persuading him?” “None at all. He was delighted to come.” I filed away this piece of information; my one encounter with Cerdan had left me with the impression that the only thing that would delight him about such an invitation would be the opportunity to give a surly refusal. “If you’ll excuse us, Mr. Carter. Hosts’ duties to their guests, you know.”
“Certainly, sir.” I stood to one side, but Mrs. Beresford planted herself in front of me and smiled quizzically.
“Mr. Carter,” she said firmly, “You’re a very stiff-necked young man. And please don’t for a moment imagine that I’m referring to your accident of last night.”
They moved off. I watched them go, thinking all sorts of thoughts, then crossed to the hinged flap that led to the rear of the bar. Whenever I approached that flap I felt it was not a glass I should have in my hand but a machete to help me hack my way through the jungle of flowers, potted shrubs, cacti, and festoons of creepers and hanging plants that transformed the place into the most unlikely looking bar you’d ever seen. The interior desiguer responsible had gone into rhapsodies about it, but it was all right for him he didn’t have to live with it; all he had to do was to retire nightly to his semi-detached in south London where his wife would have had him out the door if he’d tried on any such nonsense at home. But the passengers seemed to like it.
I made it to the back of the bar without getting scratched too much and said to the barman, “How’s it going, Louis?”
“Very well, sir,” Louis said stiffly. His bald pate was gleaming with sweat and his hairline moustache twitching nervously. There were irregularities going on and Louis didn’t like irregularities. Then he thawed a bit and said, “They seem to be drinking a fair bit more than usual tonight, sir.”
“Not half as much as they will later on.” I moved to the crystal-laden shelves from where I could see under the back of the bar and said, “You don’t look very comfortable to me.”
“By God, and I’m not!” and indeed there wasn’t much room for the bo’sun to wedge his bulk between the raised deck and the underside of the bar; his knees were up to his chin, but at least he was completely invisible to anyone on the other side of the counter. “Stiff as hell, sir. Never be able to move when the time comes.”
“And the smell of all that liquor driving you round the bend,” I said sympathetically. I wasn’t as cool as I sounded. I had to keep wiping the palms of my hands on the sides of my jacket, but try as I would, I couldn’t seem to get them properly dry. I moved over to the counter again. “A double whisky, Louis. A large double whisky.”
Louis poured the drink and handed it across without a word. I raised it to my lips, lowered it below counter level, and a large hand closed gratefully round it. I said quietly, as if speaking to Louis, “If the captain notices the smell afterwards you can claim it was that careless devil Louis that spilt it over you. I’m taking a walk now, Archie. If everything’s o.k., I’ll be back in five minutes.” “And if not? If you’re wrong?”
“Heaven help me. The old man will feed me to the sharks.” I made my way out from behind the bar and sauntered slowly towards the door. I saw Bullen trying to catch my eye but I ignored him; he was the world’s worst actor. I smiled at Susan Beresford and Tony Carreras, nodded civilly enough to old Cerdan, bowed slightly to the two nurses the thin one, I noticed, had returned to her knitting and she seemed to me to be doing all right and reached the doorway.
Once outside, I dropped all pretence at sauntering. I reached the entrance to the passengers’ accommodation
