‘How tall am I?’

‘You’re an inch shorter than me, but you’ll end up an inch taller. You weigh around a hundred and forty pounds, and you’ve only just started to shave.’

‘How many people have passed us while your eyes have been closed?’

‘A mother with two children, one a little boy called Bobby, both American, and a moment later one of the ship’s officers.’

‘How do you know he was an officer?’

‘A deckhand passing the other way called him sir. There was also an elderly gentleman.’

‘How could you tell he was old?’

‘He was using a walking stick, and it was some time before the sound of tapping faded.’

‘I’m half blind,’ said James, as William opened his eyes.

‘Far from it,’ said William. ‘Now it’s my turn to ask the suspect some questions.’ James sat bolt upright, a look of concentration on his face. ‘A good detective should always rely on facts and never take anything for granted, so first I have to find out if Fraser Buchanan, the chairman of the Pilgrim Line, is your grandfather?’

‘Yes, he is. And my father, Angus, is deputy chairman.’

‘Fraser, Angus and James. Rather suggests a Scottish heritage.’ James nodded.

‘No doubt they both assume that in the fullness of time you’ll become chairman.’

‘I’ve already made it clear that’s not going to happen,’ said James without hesitation.

‘From everything I’ve read or heard about your grandfather, he’s used to getting his own way.’

‘True,’ James replied. ‘But sometimes he forgets we come from the same stock,’ he added with a smirk.

‘I had the same problem with my father,’ admitted William. ‘He’s a criminal barrister, a QC, and he always assumed I’d follow him in chambers and later join him at the bar, despite my telling him from an early age that I wanted to lock up criminals, not be paid extortionate fees to keep them out of jail.’

‘George Bernard Shaw was right,’ declared James. ‘We are separated by a common language. For you, the bar means courts and lawyers. For an American it means high stools and drinks.’

‘A sharp criminal will always try to change the subject,’ said William. ‘But a thorough detective won’t allow himself to lose the thread. You didn’t answer my question about your grandfather’s feelings about you not wanting to be chairman of the company.’

‘My grandfather, I suspect, is worse than your father,’ said James. ‘He’s already threatening to cut me out of his will if I don’t join the company after leaving Harvard. But he’ll never be allowed to do that as long as my grandmother’s alive.’

William chuckled.

‘Would it be too much of an imposition, sir, to ask if I might be allowed to spend an hour or so a day with you during the voyage?’ James asked, without displaying his previous confidence.

‘I’d enjoy that. Around this time of the morning would suit me, because that’s when my wife will be at her yoga class. But there’s one proviso: should you ever meet her, you won’t tell her what we’ve been talking about.’