James laughed, though it was a mirthless one and soon followed by his explanation. ‘In a way, yes. It was arranged, but it’s more complicated than that. We were in a very tight social circle, and Bella was very much lined up for Oliver in the same way that Eloise and that Vandervinter chap are. And Oliver and I are… were, very much alike in build and height, et cetera.’
‘Oh come on, James, that’s not what a marriage is based on. Someone’s build and height. If that were the case, you’d have Spencer out of the brig and marrying Eloise on the basis she’s not that different in appearance to Genie.’
This time James did let out a chuckle. ‘I’m explaining it all wrong.’ He waved his hand in the air and then picked up his cutlery again and got back to the task of eating his fish and chips.
‘Well, I’m sorry nonetheless,’ Fen said, intuiting that the conversation was in part over. ‘And if there’s anything I can do to help you back in London or wherever, then of course I shall do what I can.’
‘Because Arthur told you to,’ James winked, reminding her of the last thing Arthur had written in his final letter: Look out for James…
‘No, you brute!’ Fen reached over and lightly biffed him on the arm. ‘Because I’m your friend.’
Fen and James continued eating in companionable silence until, pudding having been discussed and decided against, they left the canteen with full bellies and, in Fen’s case, questions buzzing in their minds. There were three separate crimes to chew over, but the captain had advised her to think about only one of them: the jewellery theft. Although she was sure that she absolutely would not be able to oblige in that regard, she reckoned it might as well be the best place to go back to. And as a result of finding those earrings in Genie’s bedside table, she did wonder if solving one crime might lead to clues for at least one of the others.
‘I think I should go and find Eloise,’ Fen announced as she and James rounded the corner of the stairwell and headed back to the more superior rooms. ‘The fog’s lifted and she mentioned something about shuffleboard on the recreation deck when we saw her for coffee. Want to come?’
James nodded and they navigated their way to the wide, wooden-boarded deck at the stern of the ship. Below it were the third-class cabins and from it you could look up to the upper decks that only spanned half the length of the ship, including the deck which housed the lifeboats and the bridge.
The sun had finally fought its way through the heavy fog, leaving a sea mist that hung over the ocean in an ethereal way, like dewy cobwebs over autumn fields. The weak rays illuminated the deck enough to make it possible to play shuffleboard and quoits and all sorts of other deck-based games.
Some passengers were reclining in the comfortable long steamer chairs, covered in two or three blankets each, but happy to be out in the fresh air. Fen spotted Eloise and waved to her. She was playing shuffleboard with Frank Johnstone under the watchful eye of Mrs Archer, who was one of those reclining under a shroud of blankets.
‘Good afternoon, Mrs Archer, Eloise,’ Fen greeted them, and James did likewise.
‘Ahoy there!’ Frank waved them over and within moments Fen and James were initiated into the game.
‘Aunt Mariella has been asking after you,’ Eloise whispered to Fen. ‘I don’t think she wants me all alone with Lieutenant Johnstone.’
Fen struck the puck up the court and then relaxed over her mallet again. ‘I spoke to Spencer, you know.’
‘Oh yes?’ Eloise leaned in to listen, while keeping half an eye on the move Frank was about to make against James’s puck. ‘Is he whistling dixie in the brig?’
‘Indeed. Captain Lagrande has a signed confession from him…’
‘But? I sense a “but” coming…’ Eloise then cheered as Frank pushed James’s puck off the play area. ‘Oh well played, Lieutenant! He’s awfully good at this. It’s such a shame my family would never let me marry someone like him. Not smart enough for those snobs.’
Fen raised an eyebrow at Eloise, who waved it off.
‘Come on, I sensed a “but”.’ Eloise was giving Fen her full attention now. ‘Spit it out.’
‘I found some things in Genie’s room. These…’ Fen reached into her trouser pocket and pulled out the beautiful diamond earrings.
‘That’s where they were!’ Eloise took them from Fen’s open palm and held them up to the diffused sunlight coming through the mists.
‘So they are yours then? I thought I recognised them. Any notion as to why they were in Genie’s room?’
Eloise looked at her as if she were the village idiot. ‘Well, it’s simple, isn’t it? She stole them.’
33
‘Stole them?’ Fen took a step back from Eloise as she held the earrings out in her hand.
‘Yes.’ Eloise turned. ‘Look, Aunt Mariella, Fen has found my earrings!’
There was a snorting grunt from the recumbent figure of Mrs A on the steamer chair, so Eloise answered for her.
‘She’ll be terribly pleased. These are worth a fortune. Did you find anything else?’
‘Nothing quite so exciting as that, no.’ Fen thought this time she would keep the news of Genie’s pregnancy, and the epaulette, to herself.
‘Well, it’s frightfully sad, isn’t it, that she robbed us. What with us taking her into our confidences so much. I must say, I was having a lovely time with her that night – you know, the evening before the jewels were stolen and I suppose it all got a bit too much for her. The role play of dressing up became real play, I shouldn’t wonder, and she decided that Aunt M and I wouldn’t miss a few trinkets. And maybe she and Spencer were in it together and he got greedy and decided to run off with them on his own?’ Eloise looked back to where the
