Murder on the Marmora Read Online Free PDF

spending eleven days afloat was not one that appealed very much to her.
    “I hope that we will be able to maintain our privacy on board,” she said.
    “We can’t stay in our cabin throughout the whole voyage, Louise. Sea air is bracing. We need to get our fair share of it.”
    “Yes, I know, but I don’t want to spend too much time in the public eye.”
    “Noblesse oblige.”
    “I’ve never enjoyed being stared at by all and sundry.”
    “Then you certainly don’t take after your father,” he observed with a grin. “If the King were here now, he’d probably be chatting in the engine room with the chief engineer or standing on the bridge to give the captain advice on how to sail the ship. He had to wait such a long time to succeed to the throne that he’s determined to enjoy every moment of it, and to meet as many of his subjects as he can.”
    “Father thrives on public occasions. I hate them.”
    “You prefer hearth and home, dear, and I love you for it.”
    “Thank you, Alex.” She looked around. “Where are the girls?”
    “Still glued to the porthole in their cabin, I expect.”
    She was about to rise. “Do you think that we should check on them?”
    “No,” he said, easing her gently back into her seat. “They canlook after themselves. They’re terribly excited about the whole trip. Maud, especially. She can’t wait to see the Pyramids. Try to relax, Louise. When they remember that they have parents, they’ll come looking for us in their own good time.”
    She sat back in her chair. “You’re probably right.”
    “I’m always right. That’s why I married you.”
    Princess Louise smiled for the first time since they had come aboard. She reached out to take his hand and gave it an affectionate squeeze. He smiled back at her. A moment later, there was a knock on the door then it burst open. Their two teenage daughters came bounding into the cabin. Fife raised an eyebrow in amusement and turned to his wife.
    “What did I tell you?” he said.
    When she handed the passenger list back to him, it took Dillman only a second to pick out the name that had startled her. He did his best to reassure Genevieve but she was only half listening to what he said. Staring ahead of her, she tried to work out the implications of what she had discovered.
    “You may be worrying unnecessarily,” he said.
    “I don’t think so, George.”
    “It may not even be him.”
    “It is. I’m certain of it. I saw him earlier.”
    “You
thought
you saw him, Genevieve. Appearances can be deceptive.”
    “Not in this case,” she said ruefully. “Look at the number of his cabin. It’s on the same deck as my own. He was coming out of it when I caught sight of him.”
    “Maybe it’s another man with the same name and a similar build.”
    “It was Nigel. There’s no question of that now. He’s not only on the same ship as me, his cabin is actually in the same passageway as mine. That frightens me.”
    “Why?”
    “I’m not sure,” she replied, rubbing her hands together. “I just know that it does.”
    “It’s not like you to be frightened by anything.”
    “This is different, George.”
    “Is it?” he asked, taking her by the shoulder and leading her to a chair. “Sit down for a moment,” he advised. She lowered herself into the chair and he crouched in front of her. “That’s better. Now, let’s try to get to the bottom of this, shall we? What is it that’s upset you so much?”
    “Somebody from my past whom I’d rather not meet.”
    “That could cut both ways, Genevieve.”
    “What do you mean?”
    “Mr. Wilmshurst must have his own share of guilt about what happened.”
    “Don’t you believe it!” she said with vehemence. “Nigel doesn’t know what guilt is. He’s completely amoral. He never accepts that he’s to blame for anything.”
    “Yet, in this case, he certainly was.”
    “Up to a point.”
    “That’s not the way you explained it to me,” he said. “According to you, he