Page 53 of Escape to the Sun

Hannah glanced between Ruth and Teddy, appetite forgotten as she tried to make sense of the scene unfolding in front of her. She’d only just twisted her mind around the fact that the man Ruth had loved as a young woman, had clearly regretted losing, and hadn’t seen for three decades, was here. But that he was also the father of the man she herself had fallen headlong for?

And then, in usual filter-free Ruth fashion, she was announcing that Hannah and Louis also knew one another. Mercifully, she stopped short of details, the rise in Teddy’s eyebrows enough to quieten her.

‘You know Louis?’ Teddy said, attention firmly on Hannah.

‘We met at the beginning of this cruise,’ Hannah said. ‘I got an invite to visit the bridge and, well, obviously he was there…’

She tailed off, frowning with indecision about how much more she should say. Louis hadn’t mentioned that his father was on board – but he had said something about the two of them having a strained relationship.

Luckily, Ruth took up the reins, changing direction with her own revelation.

‘I can’t believe I never made the connection. I should have realised when I saw his name. Louis King. I’m so stupid. I even said how familiar he seemed to me when we were at that captain’s Q&A, don’t you remember, Hannah?’

‘Did you?’

‘And now it all makes sense. Because he’s another proper gentleman.’

Hannah imagined saying Louis wasn’t always a gentleman, hadn’t been earlier in her cabin when she’d asked him to take control of her and they had done things she certainly couldn’t talk about in polite company, even though the thought of it had heat coursing through her body, her attention totally lost for a moment.

‘Captain Louis told me how good my painting was,’ Millie piped up, and Hannah could have hugged her. ‘He’s a very nice man. We all really like him.’

Teddy nodded. ‘He has the makings of a proficient captain, if he continues to work hard.’

Hannah frowned. Louis already was the captain – it seemed unnecessary for his father to suggest he needed to work harder.

‘What are everybody’s plans for tomorrow?’ Keisha said, and Hannah added her to the hug list as the conversation moved on.

‘I don’t mind,’ Nathan said. ‘But we are going to spend all day on St Lucia, aren’t we, Mum?’

Ruth nodded, looking a little abashed. ‘Yes. We haven’t been making the most of the shore visits over the last couple of days, one way and another. But you are very welcome to join us in whatever we decide to do, Keisha, if you like?’ Ruth glanced across to the rest of Keisha’s family. ‘Although as it’s Christmas Day, you and your family probably already have plans.’

‘We’re getting together for a big dinner tomorrow night. Apparently, the ship goes all out with an authentic Caribbean Christmas meal as we sail past some big mountains, or something.’

‘The Pitons,’ Nathan said, nodding and grinning at her. ‘I looked them up – they’re a World Heritage Site and the symbol of the island. One is called Gros Piton and the other Petit Piton, ’cos the island used to be French. Then it was English, and now it’s independent.’

Keisha furrowed her smooth eyebrows and grinned back. ‘Great knowledge, Nath. Impressed.’

‘Cheers.’

‘But I’m sure they won’t mind me hanging out with you guys tomorrow if that’s OK?’ Keisha added.

Hannah watched Nathan grow in his seat by a good couple of inches and she smiled. It seemed things were looking up for all of them.

‘So long as I get to feed Portus, I’m happy to spend loads of time on St Lucia,’ Millie said, then she looked serious. ‘Mum, can I go snorkelling? It could be my Christmas present.’

‘We’ll work something out,’ Ruth said. ‘Now – let’s get some food, shall we?’

Food was on the agenda the next morning, too – Christmas Day in the Caribbean was marked on the Ballygowan with a phenomenal display of regional delicacies alongside the regular menu.

Once Hannah had worked her way through a plate laden with vibrant saltfish and chop-up, caramelised slices of plantain, fresh salad along with sliced ham with pineapple, she felt sure she would never need to eat again. It had been delicious, and she’d been unable to resist a slice of local bread with it all.

When Nathan – undaunted by the volumes of food on offer – returned to their table with a plate piled high with slices of bread pudding in one hand and a jug containing rum cream in the other, Keisha following behind him with plates for everyone, Hannah groaned and held her hand up in refusal.

‘No – you really need to try it,’ Keisha said as Nathan slid a piece onto a plate and pushed it in her direction.

‘Yeah. Keisha says it’s one of the things her gran makes regularly, but this is a special Christmas version with coconut, it’s a proper part of a Caribbean Christmas breakfast.’ Nathan shoved a jug across the table.

‘You need plenty of rum sauce with it,’ Keisha said, glancing around the restaurant. She grinned. ‘There’s my gramma now, at the counter. She’s going to tell them how much better hers is, I’m sure.’