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can be sure there’ll come a time when I call in my marker,” he added before returning to A Life of Roosevelt.
    *   *   *
    “Have we docked already?” asked Sebastian as he and Samantha joined his parents for breakfast.
    “Over an hour ago,” said Emma. “Most of the passengers have already gone ashore.”
    “And as it’s your first visit to New York,” said Sam as Seb sat down beside her, “and we only have thirty-six hours before we sail back to England, we haven’t a moment to waste.”
    “Why will the ship only be in port for thirty-six hours?” Seb asked.
    “You can only make money when you’re on the move, and besides, the docking fees are horrendous.”
    “Do you remember your first trip to New York, Mr. Clifton?” asked Samantha.
    “I most certainly do,” said Harry with feeling. “I was arrested for a murder I didn’t commit, and spent the next six months in an American prison.”
    “Oh, I’m sorry,” said Samantha, recalling the story Seb had once told her. “It was tactless of me to remind you of such a terrible experience.”
    “Don’t give it a second thought,” said Harry. “Just make sure Seb isn’t arrested on this visit, because I don’t want that to become another family tradition.”
    “Not a chance,” said Samantha. “I’ve already planned visits to the Metropolitan, Central Park, Sardi’s, and the Frick.”
    “Jessica’s favorite museum,” said Emma.
    “Although she never got to visit it,” said Seb.
    “Not a day goes by when I don’t miss her,” said Emma.
    “And I only wish I had known her better,” said Sam.
    “I took for granted,” said Seb, “that I would die before my younger sister.” A long silence followed, before Seb, clearly wanting to change the subject, asked, “So we won’t be visiting any nightclubs?”
    “No time for such frivolity,” said Samantha. “In any case, my father’s got us a couple of tickets for the theatre.”
    “What are you going to see?” asked Emma.
    “Hello, Dolly!”
    “And that’s not frivolous?” said Harry.
    “Dad considers Wagner’s Ring Cycle a tad too trendy,” explained Seb before asking, “Where’s Uncle Giles?”
    “He was among the first to leave the ship,” said Emma, as a waiter poured her a second cup of coffee. “Our ambassador whisked him off to the United Nations so they could go over his speech before the afternoon session.”
    “Perhaps we should try and fit the UN in as well?” suggested Sam.
    “I don’t think so,” replied Seb. “The last time I attended one of my uncle’s speeches, he had a heart attack shortly afterward and failed to become the leader of the Labour Party.”
    “That’s something you haven’t mentioned before!”
    “There’s still a lot you don’t know about our family,” Seb admitted.
    “Which reminds me,” said Harry. “I haven’t had the chance to congratulate you on being elected to the board.”
    “Thank you, Dad. And now that I’ve read the minutes of the last meeting, I can’t wait”—Seb looked up to see an anxious look on his mother’s face—“to meet my fellow board members, especially the admiral.”
    “A one-off,” said Emma, although she was still wondering if the next board meeting would be her last, because if the truth came out she’d be left with no choice but to resign. However, as the memory of that first morning at sea began to fade, she relaxed, and she was feeling a little more confident now that the Buckingham had docked in New York. She glanced out of the window. As far as she could see, there were no press hounds hovering at the bottom of the gangway, barking and baying while flashbulbs popped. Perhaps they were more interested in the result of the presidential election. But she wouldn’t breathe a sigh of relief until the Buckingham had set sail on its return journey to Avonmouth.
    “So how do you plan to spend your day, Dad?” asked Seb, breaking into his mother’s reverie.
    “I’m having lunch