The captain appeared, and Dermot hurried over to him. She watched him duck his head as he spoke to him. The police came on board not long afterwards. She listened as Tommy explained to them haltingly that she had been located safe and sound.

‘I haven’t actually been off the ship,’ she chipped in. ‘I came out here earlier, but it was too cold for me.’

Their gazes lingered not on her, but on Tommy, expressions of quiet fury on their faces at the time he had caused them to waste. Tommy’s face blazed bright red.

Satisfied, she wandered back through the doors. He fell into step beside her. At the elevator, she pressed the down button.

‘What’re you doing?’ he asked.

‘I’m going to get some dinner,’ she replied. ‘It’s been a long time since lunch.’

His lips flapped uselessly as he fought for words. ‘Don’t you think you should tell me what happened? Where you’ve been?’ he asked roughly, his voice granite and steel, cold and black.

She sighed. ‘You made an error, Tommy. I’m sorry if you feel stupid, but that’s not my fault.’

He blinked at her, speechless.

The lift doors swished open. She went inside and pressed the button for the restaurant, leaving him outside in the hallway, something else on his face now as he gazed in disbelief at the stranger in front of him.

She piled her plate high from the buffet and took a seat in the corner of the restaurant. It was late, and there were not many other people in there. Those who were finishing their meals cast glances at her, but nobody approached her table.

The tannoy crackled and sparked into life. Paula paused and lifted her head to listen.

‘Good evening, fellow passengers, we are truly sorry for the delay in setting sail this evening, and we thank you for your patience. The Ruby Spirit is now ready to leave…’ A pause, as though the captain expected a cheer or a rapturous round of applause. ‘We will be easing out of Skarfabakki harbour and travelling at a rate of around eighteen to twenty knots.

‘Our next sky-bound adventure will be seen in the early hours of tomorrow morning, when Jupiter and Venus will be visible in conjunction. This usually takes place roughly once a year, but tomorrow will be your second chance this year to witness this special event.

‘These two planets are actually millions of miles apart from each other, but to the naked eye, they will appear to be as close as you can get.’

Paula let out an ironic laugh. The captain could have been describing her and Tommy. To the outside world, they were in perfect sync. Reality was another matter.