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hard work. In her view, he wasn’t. He expected everything to land in his lap without any effort on his part. If she caved in and gave him money, he’d know that all he had to do was run to her every time he had a problem. He’d get nowhere in life. Part of her wanted to help him, as every mother wanted to help their child, but another part knew that she had to make him see the wisdom of standing on his own two feet. He was no longer a child.
    It was going to be difficult for them to enjoy this cruise. She would spend the trip feeling guilty and Tom would feel aggrieved and annoyed with her.
    She put down her book and searched through her bag for her phone. She must stop being so pessimistic. It wasn’t too late to phone Laura. It was kind of Laura to book this cruise and she should be more grateful.
    She found Laura’s number and hit Call.
    Laura answered almost immediately. “Mum, what a lovely surprise. I’d almost given up on you. I thought you might be tired after the sightseeing.”
    “Your brother said exactly the same thing. I’m in fine fettle. I’ve had a wonderful day and a lovely evening chatting to some of the passengers. I thought I’d give you a quick call before I settled down.”
    “I spoke to Tom,” Laura said, “and he was telling me that one of the passengers died. How awful. I thought it might have put a bit of a damper on everything.”
    “A dreadful thing to happen, yes, and it must have been a shock for her family. But in a funny way, it’s given passengers something to talk about. A common interest.”
    “It all sounds a bit morbid to me. I’m sorry it happened on your cruise. I so wanted everything to be perfect for you.”
    “I’m having a wonderful time, darling. Truly. Everything all right with you?”
    “Fine. I’ve been visiting Mrs. Blackman. I told you she was in hospital? That she’d broken her hip?”
    “Yes. How is she?”
    As Laura gave her an update on her neighbour’s health and treatment at the hands of the National Health Service, Ruby stifled a couple of yawns. She felt better for calling Laura, less guilty at any rate.
    “By the way,” Laura said, “it was such a hassle driving down to your place last month that I decided to take the train this time. I’ve booked the tickets and I’ll be arriving on the Friday night and catching the train back on Sunday afternoon. That will be good, won’t it?”
    “Friday? Which Friday?”
    “The day after you get back. And I’ll want to hear all about your holiday.”
    Ruby silently counted to ten. She’d assured both children that there was always a home for them with her if they needed it. And there was. What there wasn’t was a blasted hotel that they booked into whenever they felt the urge.
    She wasn’t going to cause any unpleasantness but she had a childish urge to stamp her feet and tell the world she wanted to be alone.
    “That will be nice, darling,” she said. “I don’t think I have anything planned for that weekend.”
    “Good. Look, it’s getting late, Mum, and I’m sure you’re tired. Call me tomorrow, around five or six o’clock, and we’ll have a good long chat.”
    “I’ll see what I’m doing,” Ruby said, “but don’t worry, I’ll call you when I can.”

Chapter Seven
    After saying good-night to Ruby, Dylan stayed in the bar. Although he didn’t spot anyone who looked like a killer, he did see a crew member taking cigarettes from his pocket as he headed outside. Dylan followed. He pushed open the door and a blast of icy air nipped at his face. He instinctively looked up, but clouds had rolled in and there were no stars, no moon and certainly no aurora borealis to be seen. The only lights visible were those dotted along the Norwegian coastline.
    “Another smoker?” the chap asked. “Good to see us outcasts sticking together.”
    “Me? No. I’ve just come out for a breath of fresh air. You’re English then?”
    “Welsh. And proud of it.” He grinned at Dylan. “I’ll