He glanced back over his shoulder and managed to get a good look at Lady Exner’s new companion. From behind the mound of packages he could see that she was young and pretty. As he reached for his boarding card he realized that his immediate instinct was that she was also very sharp. This would not be easy.

In the background he could still hear Lady Exner. She was thanking someone for driving her in. “. . . I do hope you get home without further difficulty, Edwin. There’s a little tea left in the thermos on the back seat ... oh dear, Regan tells me I drank it.”

There was just one couple ahead of him at the first-class entry. A tall, lanky man with silver hair and a small blond woman. The ship’s photographer was about to take their picture. Hardwick cursed under his breath. He did not want his picture taken, but it might look conspicuous to refuse it. He would insist on keeping on his dark glasses.

When the photographer snapped the picture he turned his head to the side. He tried to sound genial when the photographer said, “Let’s take another one.”

“No. Really. One’s enough.”

He walked up the ramp and stepped onto the ship. Members of the staff had formed a receiving line to greet the boarding passengers. Piano music was playing in the background. He hung around near the top of the ramp until he saw Lady Exner posing excitedly for the photographer, her arm draped around her young companion, a sea of packages at their feet. The couple he had followed up the ramp were standing near him. The woman was laughing. “It should be an interesting trip, Luke.” You bet it will be, Hardwick thought grimly.

Chapter 9

AT SEA

THE CAMELOT SUITE was one of two ultra-deluxe penthouses at the top of the ship. Lady Exner fluttered around admiring the pale blue motif as Regan began unpacking. Her own two suitcases she set aside, electing instead to take on the awesome task of organizing the wildly eclectic contents of Veronica’s luggage.

She decided that Veronica must have emptied every closet in Llewellyn Hall into the numerous Gucci bags. One oversized valise she opened and closed immediately. It smelled of mothballs and was filled with heavy woolen garments, tweed walking suits, fur-lined boots, woolen gloves and a black velvet cape. “Veronica, are you sure we’re not on the World Cruise?”

Veronica was examining one of the closets. “Regan, if we should hit an iceberg just as the Titanic did, we must rush directly here for our life preservers. Do you think we should try them on now? . . . What did you ask? ... Oh dear . . . that’s one of the bags I lent Penelope. Philip must have gathered it up by mistake.”

Regan felt relieved.