She feels at a loss, and a bit hurt. “I was wondering if you still plan to attend the Midnight Salon later? It’s nearly time. Perhaps you’d like to freshen up?”
“We’ll meet you there. Give us some time alone, will you?”
She regards Lillith in the low, romantic light. The ocean backdrop. The path of moonlight. But she can’t read her features. Or her one-eyed gaze. That’s the thing about an eye patch—it conceals a lot, and Poppyis unable to ascertain whether Lillith is a bit on edge, or content, or even a bit tipsy.
“Are you sure?” Poppy glances toward the exit, hoping the mystery man will return before she leaves.
“I’m sure.” Lillith’s tone is firm.
Poppy suddenly feels put in her place as a servant. Not a friend. Not a real companion. Not a confidante. Perhaps Lillith has a secret male companion and is keeping everyone, including Poppy, in the dark. Deep inside, her belly begins to ache, awakening a yearning for something she can’t even articulate to herself. She just feels it in her bones, her blood. A longing. A loneliness.
A resentment begins to build. Toward Lillith.
Why would the woman secretly purchase a voyage for a mystery man who signs his name A.G.? And if he’s not this Hendrick Lodewijk person—who is he?
Who, exactly, is Lillith hiding it from? The world? The media? Her family? Poppy?
The resentment deepens. Poppy is supposed to keep Lillith safe. How can she do this if her charge hides things from her?
“Fine,” Poppy says flatly. “I’ll see you at Dr. Marsh’s talk then.”
She returns solo to her cabin. And to her books. Like it’s always been.
Like it always will be.
Roshaan
Roshaan straightens a pile of books on one of the tables positioned beneath the mural of Aeolus, keeper of the winds. She’s been roped into helping ensure the first session of the Midnight Salon goes off smoothly. The books include copies of Dr. Gideon Marsh’s latest, along with several backlist titles.
He’ll sign copies at one of these tables after his talk. He’s already inside the auditorium with Sophia Kritikou, the ship’s “resident” archaeologist, preparing for their stage interview—a fireside-chat format designed to feel warm and intimate.
In the foyer outside the auditorium doors, a bar offers complimentary wine. Guests are already streaming in, some stopping to pick up refreshments on their way.
Roshaan notices Lillith McGregor entering without her assistant. She watches for a moment. The old woman looks tired tonight and is struggling markedly with her mobility. Roshaan is about to approach and offer assistance, but another guest steps in and takes Lillith’s arm.
Roshaan returns her attention to the books as Hendrick Lodewijk approaches the table. He stops, peruses the titles, then selects a hardback. He opens it, reads the front flap, glances up, studies the poster mounted on an easel beside the table. It shows a photo of Dr. Marsh with his most recent work,In His Grip: The Psychology of Women Who Sleep with Devils.
Two quotes from the book run down the side of the poster. The first:
Love is blindness. Men like Bundy, Unterweger, and Gacy managed to dupe the women closest to them because they saw what they needed most, and they met those needs with lies. They made their girlfriends and wives emotionally dependent. In some cases they made them complicit.
The second quote:
The women who stayed the longest teach us the most. Not about the killers, but about the invisible chains that can be forged in the name of attachment, trust, and hope.
“Are these books for sale?” Hendrick asks Roshaan in his Dutch accent.
“Complimentary,” she says with a forced smile—she’s utterly exhausted after dealing with Theo and his schemes, and her own terror of being caught. “Courtesy of theBlack Orchid. Dr. Marsh will be available to sign them after his talk.”
“So I can take one?”
“Of course.” She fiddles with her ring, extra conscious of the stone after Poppy’s comments. His eyes catch the movement.
“That’s a pretty stone.”
She curses herself and simply nods. Then she hears her father’s voice in her head.
Be polite, Roshaan. Nice girls say thank you. Good employees are friendly and keep the conversation going.
