After the Exhibition: A Jack Haldean 1920s Mystery (A Jack Haldean Mystery) (35 page)

A wild hope gripped him. ‘Betty! Aren’t you on board the ship?’

‘I couldn’t leave, Jack.’ He could hear the hesitation in her voice. She sounded nervous. ‘There’s a lot to keep me here. Colin doesn’t need me. He’s got his future. You believed me and …’ She hesitated once more and he could hear the smile in her voice. ‘Ages ago you invited me out to lunch. Is the invitation still open?’

Unable to speak, Jack gazed at the telephone, then silently punched the air in delight.

‘Jack? Are you there?’

‘Lunch,’ he said with a broad grin. ‘That sounds fun.’