They all three chattered without formality. If Lucy was concerned that she might have crossed the professional line with them, she found she needn’t have worried. She followed Courtney’s finger picking out the landscape for some time, until his commentary was interrupted when the boat lurched unexpectedly. Everyone steadied themselves, and a champagne bucket and glasses collapsed onto the deck. The boat swung sharply toward the shoreline, the prow dipping as the engines were thrust into reverse for a second. The klaxon sounded three warning blasts, which made Lucy jump and the entire assembly turn to see the cause of the disturbance as they regained their balance. The sight from the upper deck caused a blanket of silence to descend over the revelers. A barge appeared from under the bows of their boat. It was one of the most beautiful vessels Lucy had seen, perfect in every detail, sleek, in red and gold. It elicited sighs and expressions of wonder from the Three Graces.

Even in amber-streaked light, Lucy could see its occupants with unusual clarity. Two rows of trumpeters lined the rails of the boat below them; the oarsmen pulled hard to bring the barge clear of the wake made by the hired boat, as it took evasive action. A gold-trimmed canopy sheltered a small gathering of people dressed as noblemen. One, resplendent above the others, stood out from the cluster; and beside him was a man in a dark robe with a chain of office.

A film scene, her professional eye told her; but the detail was fantastic. The cost must have been almost beyond the reach of even an expensive Hollywood production. What was this barge doing here on the Thames at Halloween? Perhaps the Italian ambassador was having a Venetian Carnival of his own. Or young celebrities? No one she recognized. There it was, on the river, watched by maybe two hundred people, blissfully unaware of the mayhem it was causing by cutting a swathe through the waters under the other craft. Mind you, most of the hospital staff were fast becoming so inebriated they wouldn’t remember what day of the week it was in the morning. All these hangovers in a good cause—she could hear Alex jesting about it, and giggled: then she shuddered suddenly. What was she looking at?

The dance lounge doors now opened below, as some of the dancers rushed to see what was happening from the upper decks. The noise levels escalated a hundredfold, at least in Lucy’s mind. Cutting clearly above everything else was the clarion blast of trumpets. A trumpet fanfare. She could hear it clearly across the modest distance between the two boats.

“What a Halloween outing,” remarked a camp South African voice to her right.

“It can’t be that, it looks too slick. So cinematic,” responded his partner.