‘Beauty is skin deep.’
‘So the saying goes.’
‘But it’s true, and you’re no old maid.’
‘You’re very sweet.’ She was clearly delighted by his flattery for her cheeks flushed. She struggled to compose herself. ‘What are you going to do today?’ she asked, folding her napkin.
‘Spend it with you. You don’t think I’m going to leave you on your own, do you?’
‘You obviously think I’m incapable of defending myself.’
‘On the contrary. However, I’m incapable of defending myself against the likes of Mrs Bullingdon and Mrs Linton-Harleigh. If you leave me on my own, I’m bound to be set upon again.’
‘Well then, I have no choice but to give you my protection. But I better warn you, I’ve brought out a pile of classics to read. I won’t be good company.’
‘I love the classics. My mother introduced me to the likes of Dickens, Austen and Thackeray at a very young age.’ She raised her eyebrows, impressed.
‘I was weaned on Winnie-The-Pooh and The Wind in the Willows. You know something, they’re far more delightful to read as an adult.’
‘Like Alice in Wonderland and The Wizard of Oz.’
‘Exactly. Very clever to write on two levels like that.’
Suddenly, there was a shriek from the table behind as Miranda tried to stand up but was held down by the napkin George had tied around her foot. Her parents looked at her in bewilderment while Mrs Bullingdon’s face flushed with embarrassment as the girl’s loud cries drew attention to their small party.
‘Good God child, what is the matter?’ Mr Linton-Harleigh exclaimed irritably. Miranda pursed her lips and dived under the table. She wrenched her foot free and emerged red-faced and scowling.
‘Nothing,’ she snapped. ‘Don’t look at me like that, Mama. And I’m not a child!’ As she passed George she stuck her nose in the air and glowered at him.
‘What was that all about?’ Susan asked him as the party left the room.
‘An offending foot that strayed where it shouldn’t,’ he replied with a grin. ‘Fortunately, it’s a big boat. I’d better keep well clear of her or I’m likely to find myself thrown overboard.’
George spent the day with Susan. They walked up and down the decks in the sunshine, lay on deckchairs sipping lemonade, and quietly read their books, commenting every now and then on something that amused them. They lunched together and gossiped about the brigadier and his wife and their ghastly friends who now considered him traitorous. In the evening they swam in the pool and drank cocktails on the deck watching the sun slip towards the sea as it sank beneath the surface to alight upon another continent the other side of the world.
A couple of days later, when the ship anchored just off the coast of Uruguay, they took a small boat into the port to wander among the shops and up and down the beach. It was soft and fine, quite unlike the sand in Devon.
‘Isn’t it beautiful here? Gone are the grey clouds and drizzle of England,’ said George, enjoying the sapphire-blue sky and bright sunshine.
‘The smell is what delights me,’ said Susan. ‘It’s thick and sweet like honey.’
‘I grew up by the sea. I’ve always loved it.’
‘It pulls at you, doesn’t it? Right here.’ She placed a hand on her chest. ‘It makes me feel my own immortality and question what there is beyond. I suppose death is like the sea. The horizon is only the limit of our sight. You have to have faith. I like to think heaven is there, beyond our senses.’
‘Will I see you again?’ George asked suddenly.
She laughed. The same laugh that a mother might give a child in order to indulge him. ‘Oh, George,’ she said and sighed.
‘Tomorrow we arrive in Buenos Aires.’
‘Let’s live that long first, shall we?’
‘Oh, we’ll live that long, I assure you,’ he replied tightly.
‘I know, you survived the war.’ She took his hand in hers. He held it reluctantly.
‘Don’t patronize me, Susan.’ His voice was angry but she still smiled which infuriated him all the more.
‘I’m not patronizing you, George. You’re asking me something I don’t know the answer to. It’s easier not to think about these things. To avoid them.’
‘Are you married?’
‘No.’
‘Are you meeting a lover?’
‘No.’
‘Don’t you want to see me again?’ He stopped walking and withdrew his hand, putting it into his pocket defensively. She put her head on one side and looked at him gravely.