In the cabin on the corner Anna selected her most spectacular dress. A gold sequinned number, muted and matt, demure enough not to be sleazy, but cut high enough in the leg and low enough in the neck to give a hint of what lay beneath. As she carefully applied her make-up, she thought of Paula next door, and her awful blotchy, practically burned skin and terrible straw hair. She smiled as she dashed the bronzer along her cheekbones. Maybe she would suggest accompanying Paula to the salon tomorrow, get a deep-conditioning treatment put on her hair.

Taking one final look in the mirror, she scooped up her clutch bag and Paula’s tote that she had swiped off the top of the locker earlier and strode the few feet down the hall to Paula and Tommy’s cabin. Raising her hand, she rapped smartly on the door.

It opened immediately, and Anna’s heart lurched a little as she surveyed the pleasing form of Tommy. He was dressed in a smart black suit and a crisp white shirt, with no tie. He managed to look casual but also as though he fitted right in.

She smiled, stuck out a hand and gripped his firmly. ‘Hi, you must be Tommy. I’m Anna, your wife very kindly invited me to join you for dinner.’

He smiled back, showing white teeth, and ushered her inside. ‘Come on in, we’re just waiting for Paula. God knows what she does in there that takes so long,’ he laughed. ‘She comes out and I don’t see much of a difference.’

Interesting. Anna raised her eyebrows. His first words were a put-down of his wife. Ordinarily, it would be a warning sign. This was, after all, the man Anna intended on leaving the cruise with in ten days’ time. Most women with their eye on a guy would be put off by a man who spoke about his wife so dismissively. But Anna wasn’t here for hearts and flowers. Language and attitudes didn’t matter, not in the long run. She figured if she could live with old William the way she had, time spent with Tommy Ellis would be far more fruitful, despite his attitude to his current wife.

Tommy moved over to the semi-circular bar area and held up a bottle of gin. ‘Drink?’ he asked.

Anna was about to accept when the bathroom door clicked open and Paula emerged, her eyes almost as red as the skin on her face.

‘Oh, Anna, hi,’ she said. With a resigned shrug of her shoulders, she smiled. ‘This is the best I could do.’