The Moonlit Murders: A historical mystery page-turner (A Fen Churche Mystery Book 3) by Fliss Chester (best ereader for pc .txt) 📗

longer than she’d ever let them before, and they now bounced around her shoulders and down her back. Fen was delighted, however, with the new dress that she’d bought; although it wouldn’t help her last more than two minutes out in the cold and rain of the deck, it looked rather snazzy with her long string of pearls and new stockings on underneath. With lipstick applied – luckily her favourite Revlon red went perfectly – she was ready to head off to her first transatlantic gala dinner.

Swing music blared out of the saloon bar and Fen was nearly knocked over by a jiving couple as she navigated her way across the makeshift dance floor to where James was waving at her. He had taken a table in the dining room and asked Fen, Eloise – with Mrs Archer, of course – and Spencer and Genie to join him, along with the first officer of the ship, a Sebastien Bisset. Fen had found all this out earlier when a steward had knocked on her cabin door and handed over a note from James that had told her all of this, and ended with: So, see you in the saloon for drinks at 7 p.m. sharp!

‘Well, it’s seven on the dot and here I am,’ Fen presented herself to him.

‘Spot on.’ James let his hand rest on Fen’s shoulder as he greeted her.

Eloise and Mrs Archer were already sitting down at one of the smoky glass-topped tables and Mrs Archer, as Eloise had predicted, was wearing the Princeton tiara. Fen’s eyes were drawn to the sparkling halo of diamonds that hovered above her head. It was teamed with a pair of spectacular drop diamond earrings and a pearl choker, while her long white evening gloves were worn under some rather impressive rings and bracelets.

Eloise herself was looking stunning in a dark blue velvet evening dress with white gloves and diamond bracelets. She too had some lovely drop earrings and Fen had to draw herself away from admiring them to thank Mrs Archer properly for her passage.

‘It is kind of you to agree to accompany my niece on this journey,’ Mrs Archer replied, once Fen had thanked her profusely. ‘It’s nothing to me really, moneywise, you know. Although I hope you don’t mind me not upgrading your cabin to our class.’

Fen bowed her head to Mrs Archer, taking her meaning. Eloise raised her eyebrows at Fen but stayed quiet.

The older lady continued, warming to the sound of her own voice. ‘Of course, in return I do expect you to spend a proper amount of time in Eloise’s company and not shilly-shally all over this boat chasing soldiers or drinking cocktails.’

‘Aunt!’ Eloise exclaimed. ‘Fen is a grown woman, she can do as she likes.’

‘Not while she’s on my dollar, she can’t,’ Mrs Archer said, her lip curling up and settling in a frown as she finished.

‘I can assure you, Mrs Archer, I certainly won’t be chasing young men around the decks. Speaking of young men, you look very dapper, James,’ Fen said, changing the subject.

‘As do you, old thing.’ James nodded at her new dress and Fen coughed to hide the blush that she could feel warming her cheeks.

Mrs Archer’s frown stayed put, but Eloise grinned at her new friend, causing Fen’s blush to deepen even more.

A waiter came towards their table carrying a tray of drinks.

‘Aha,’ James said, as the waiter placed glasses of champagne in front of Eloise and Mrs Archer and a tumbler of what looked like soda water in front of him and Fen. ‘Hope you don’t mind, but I ordered for you. Gin and tonic. Watch out though,’ he warned, ‘I’ve instructed the barman on how to pour “family measures”, so it might be a bit winky.’

Fen took a sip and the strength of the spirit hit the back of her throat in such a way that she involuntarily winced.

‘See? Winky. You’ll get used to them. Family secret, more gin than tonic.’ He laughed and Fen took another tentative sip, getting used to the strength of the drink.

‘When will Bisset, Spencer and Genie join us?’ Fen asked, hoping that her voice didn’t sound too husky after sipping the throat-burning drink.

‘Who’s this Bisset fellow?’ Eloise asked, sipping her champagne.

‘First officer. One down from the captain, who sadly said he had to attend to other passengers tonight.’

‘I do wish you hadn’t invited those show people, Lord Selham.’ Mrs Archer touched her neck, as if checking her choker hadn’t vanished at the mere mention of the acting duo. ‘I don’t trust the look in their eyes – altogether too grabby, if you know what I mean.’

‘Come now, Mrs Archer,’ James rebuffed her. ‘They’ve been nothing but good company, I’ve found, and we should count ourselves lucky that they’re not spread thin entertaining everyone on this ship. In fact, when I asked Genie to join us tonight she said she had some plan up her sleeve involving the auditorium.’

‘No doubt wanting a private den to canoodle with that doctor fellow again.’ Mrs Archer raised her nose as if distancing herself from the ordure-like smell of such a thought.

‘Aunt M, really.’ Eloise laid a gloved hand on the older woman’s knee. ‘Be polite, here they come.’

Genie was resplendent in sequins once more and the teal boa made another appearance. Her hair was piled up high on her head and Fen wondered if the costume jewellery pins she had stuck into it at odd angles were her make-do-and-mend attempt at creating her own tiara. Spencer was slick as ever and looking about himself to catch whose ever eye he could, as if touting his own celebrity as he accompanied his beautiful fiancée across the saloon bar dance floor. He clicked his fingers in time to the music and swayed along to it, finally arriving at James’s table with a final sashay of his hips.

James ordered them drinks – a whisky and soda for Spencer and a glass of champagne for Genie, who had clocked what