“O-oh, you’d really like to know, would you?” Cora asked with a sly little smile and a quick little adjustment to her jaunty hat. “You definitely haven’t been on the ship long to not know about him. He certainly isn’t subtle.” She shut up and took another careful, agonizingly slow bite of her supper, cutting a miniscule sliver of steak with very proper knife and fork work, dragging it across the plate to add potatoes to the fork, raising it, then lowering it out of respect as they watched the young woman run crying away from the scene of the “crime” and the pleading man run after her, then raising it all over again to take her bite.

  Drops of red wine fell to the floor like blood.

  “That woman is very wealthy. Her father is a third prince.” Cora said, after finishing chewing her bite. She was clearly relishing the gossip a lot more than the meal. “Not terribly needed as far as succession but, a ravishing businessman. She is his only child, and heir.” Here the old woman raised her eyebrows to see if they were all getting her point. “The man is her fiancé.” Here she lowered her voice to a conspiratorial whisper that could still be heard loud and clear. “And a heartless, gold digging, philanderer.” She leaned back in her seat again and shrugged. “Yet she keeps taking him back.”

  “Wow,” Aster said. “I bet her family is none too pleased about the situation.”

  “I’m surprised they haven’t sent someone after him.” Cora said. “She is clearly in his thrall, and nothing in the realm of the ordinary can break her out of it.”

  “What do you figure – What does she see in him?” Prin wondered. “Surely he has some good qualities?”

  Elwin took Prin’s hand in his and gave it a squeeze. It was sweet how he always wanted to see the good in people. And not just think the obvious, that rather than the man having good qualities, it was more likely the woman was an idiot. Elwin recognized he had become more cynical about people in recent weeks. But the evidence showed what it showed.

  Cora looked at them both shrewdly over the rim of her wine glass, perhaps calculating the gossip potential of two nobodies who were apparently in some kind of relationship. Finding the potential lacking, she turned back to Aster. “You will see, my dear, the wealthy have just as many messy problems as everyone else.”

  “And you know about all of them, right?” Aster clinked her glass with Cora’s and grinned. “My kind of lady!”

  Cora gave a soft chuckle that she tried to suppress with a handkerchief pulled, like a magician, out of her sleeve. It turned into a cough which took several minutes to subside.

  “Are you okay?” Aster patted the woman’s back, gently though, as though afraid she was made of hollow glass. She leaned in close, her eyes dark with concern.

  “It’s nothing . . .” The old woman managed when she could catch her breath. “Just what age will do to you eventually. If you’re lucky enough to get that far. And yes, in answer to your question, I do know all the secrets around here. And if I don’t know it yet, I’ll find out.” She winked.

  After they finished eating Cora decided to show them more of the ship, what there was to do, and see, and eat. Although, really Elwin suspected it was just an excuse to continue telling them all the dirty dirt on the rest of the wealthy revelers.

  “Those are the St Germains, they are completely bored with each other and seem to be having separate vacations in which each pretends the other doesn’t exist. They also have two horrid little children that they also pretend don’t exist.” She said, as they passed a well dressed man and woman walking as far apart as possible while still technically together.

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  The woman turned to look with a little glare to see who was talking about her, and her mouth parted slightly but she whipped around quickly and walked faster after she saw who it was.

  The old woman had a little smile she couldn’t hold in. “They’re all a bit afraid of me.”

  Soon they got to the shopping area and there were several boutique shops selling everything from shoes, to hats, a variety of clothing, and even nautical themed jewelry.

  “Hmm.” Aster stopped in front of the clothing store and eyed up the mannequins in the window.

  Cora looked at Prin and Elwin. “For the young men, eh?”

  “Do you think anything in here will do?” Aster asked.

  “I wouldn’t wear it but . . . for them, in a pinch? Surely.” Cora said.

  Aster took her arm. “Come and help me shop! You obviously have excellent taste.” She urged her through the doorway and Elwin and Prin followed along.

  “We don’t have money for this.” Prin said. “Sorry.”

  “Aster must have a plan.” Elwin said.

  “Don’t worry. My treat.” Aster said, she smiled at them over her shoulder in a way that brooked no protest.

  Aster bustled around the room gathering options and making Elwin and Prin try them on, while Cora took a seat in an armchair provided by the employees, and commented positively or negatively on various items. It was clear she was enjoying herself, but wouldn’t be the type to admit it.

  At last the outfits were chosen. Elwin was wearing evergreen pants in a rather starchy and uncomfortable fabric, but the shirt was better: tan colored soft cotton with some abstract swirling stitched embellishments in rust and teal on the sleeves.

  Prin was wearing brown pants and a sky blue shirt with a pattern of blue birds and flowers. It suited him well and brought out his eyes.

  It was clear Aster wasn’t perfectly pleased, off the rack attire aimed at tourists probably not up to her exacting standards but she seemed willing to settle for it.

  At the register she pulled out a gold coin and the clerk refused it, saying it was not in a currency that they were trained to accept.

  Cora stepped in and added the purchase to her outstanding line of credit on the ship.

  As they left the shop, Aster looked upset and embarrassed. As though having the old woman pay for their things was not part of her plan. Although Elwin did wonder.

  She apologized profusely.

  “Nonsense, dear. It’s not your fault.” Cora took up her arm again. “The money is nothing to me, don’t even worry about it. And your friends were in need. Call it my good deed for the week.” She laughed, as though the idea of doing a good deed a week, herself of all people, was preposterous.

  Perhaps leaning on Aster a little more heavily, but showing no further signs of exhaustion, Cora resumed her tour.

  Elwin thought that Prin had been rather quiet, perhaps fatigued, but he was walking along without complaint looking at things or staring into space, very dapper in his new clothes. So Elwin didn’t like to say anything.

  As they approached the other side of the below decks area of the ship, the atmosphere began to change dramatically and younger more raucous people, mostly men, began to be seen milling around in the hallway, laughing and smoking pipes and cigarettes.

  “We have probably gone far enough in this direction.” The old lady said derisively. “There is nothing for us here. Just drinking and gambling parlors.”

  Loud and familiar laughter spilled from an open doorway and Dru stumbled out, clearly day drunk and seemingly having a good time. Someone inside called to her and she went back in, as though giving in to their urging to stay a while longer.

  “Oh! There she is.” Prin said. “That’s our . . . friend? Our friend, Dru.”

  “Speak for yourself.” Aster said dryly.

  The old woman looked surprised. “If she’s your friend, you should tell her not to be hanging about in there.” She glared coldly at a young man who dared to look in her direction. “In any case, come along, you lot.” She turned around smartly and led them back through the hallways and up onto the deck.

  The sun was low in the sky, trapping the people walking and lounging on the deck in amber light.

  “I think that about covers the most important areas of the ship.” Cora said. “I had best be heading back to my room. At my age this is almost my bedtime.”

  “Will we see you tomorrow?” Aster asked.

  “Of course! I certainly hope so anyway. If you don’t see me, it may be probably assumed that no one ever will again.” She said dryly.

  “Don’t talk like that. Plenty of life in you yet.” Aster said.

  Cora snorted. “That’s what you think. Just don’t let the vultures pick my bones if I die on the deck.” She waved as she turned and headed away to her own room.

  “No promises!” Aster called playfully after her.

  When Cora had disappeared from the deck again, Aster went between Elwin and Prin and looped an arm through each of theirs. “See, boys? It always pays to make friends with rich old people. They know all the best gossip and stories.” She said, just as though she had planned it all along.