Yikes, I can’t let her think we’re both suffering when I’m not really a widow and she truly is. ‘I’m so sorry for your loss, Princess. That’s tragic, losing three husbands.’ How old is the glamorous woman? Her complexion is smooth, as if she’s had a little surgical help, but done sparingly to appear natural so it’s hard to pinpoint an age. But to be married thrice, perhaps she’s older than she looks.
Truth bomb time. I suck in a breath for courage. ‘Miles, you see, he didn’t really die.’
‘Yes, yes, darling, save the whimsy, I’ve heard it all before. He’s transitioned. He’s gone to a better place. You don’t have to use all those platitudes with me. Some husbands live and some die. It’s the luck of the draw. I’ve been cursed, so I can’t love another man without fear he’ll meet his maker just like the others.’
Cursed, as in someone put a spell on her? I itch to repeat her words back and ask for clarification, but she’s already outlawed that. ‘Can you tell me a little bit more about… that?’ I say, almost laughing at how robotic I sound.
She lets out a sigh, as if it’s a long story but pushes on nonetheless. ‘All three of my beloveds died. Can you believe that? I plucked up the courage to open my heart and take the leap into love, time and again, only to have them ripped away from me. I must be cursed; what other explanation is there? When you’re filthy rich like I am, self-made by the way, before you go thinking this is some inheritance plot, or that I rely on a man to keep me in the style I’m accustomed to. You have to be aware there’s an extreme amount of envy out there. Whoever is behind this took away what I value most – love.’
I’m not sure about the science behind this. ‘If you don’t mind me asking, how did they die?’
We amble from the bar and go through another carriage. ‘Natural causes, all three. Please tell me how such a thing is remotely possible, unless I’ve been cursed by a jealous rival?’
I slip behind Princess as we dodge couples. ‘Yes, ah – a jealous rival cursing you makes sense. Or—’ Dare I try and help this poor woman? ‘Could it also be that they had underlying health conditions that led to their deaths?’ I’m no forensic pathologist but surely a cause of death was determined at the time, and the findings weren’t death by jealous rival!
She holds out her arm to me, and I link mine through as she practically drags me forward to the library carriage. ‘Isn’t that a bit farfetched? Underlying health conditions! No, Ricky, my first husband, died in hospital the day after he had major surgery for an unrelated matter, after years of refusing to take medications. Arturo, my second husband, died on his way back from a visit to the convenience store to buy cigarettes. Smoked like a chimney, that man. I was always at him to cut back, to quit. And my third husband, Miguel, drifted off peacefully in his sleep the day before his eightieth birthday. Four years ago, to the day.’
‘I’m sorry for your loss, Princess, but may I also ask, do you think it’s possible that Ricky’s avoidance of medication for years coupled with a major surgery, Arturo’s chain smoking, and Miguel’s advanced age might have been a precursor for their deaths?’
She gives me a look that implies I’m totally off my rocker. ‘No, definitely not! They were all fit and healthy men, despite their vices, of which they had many. I’ve been cursed, plain and simple. I don’t dare give my heart to another man, lest he also dies of “natural” causes. It’s safer that way. I’ll die alone and I’ve made my peace with that. Until that day comes, I’ve dedicated my life to enjoying decadent pursuits, like travelling on opulent carriages such as this.’
Princess is the five-star type of traveller, one who only travels in luxury, probably the most coveted kind of tourist, who enjoys all those perks that come with lavish holidays, like flying first class or by private jet, butler services, personal shoppers – the list is endless.
‘Who is your rival, do you know? Do you have a suspect list or…?’ I can’t believe I’m asking such a thing but here we are.
She lets out a world-weary sigh. ‘It could be anyone. Over the years many people have been jealous of my success, and so they aim for my heart in an effort to take me down. Haven’t you heard the saying “jealousy is a curse”? Well, I’m the living definition of it.’
‘Right. I… see.’
If you believe Princess, her success and wealth is the root cause of her solo existence because a jealous rival has cursed her and made a future relationship impossible. The mind boggles that such a thing is possible but it’s obvious she truly deems it so.
When Princess talks about her husbands, real love shines in her eyes. I’m not sure what I can say to make her trust in love again, it’s not my place, but I sense that the woman yearns to have a committed travel buddy, someone to enjoy these exotic five-star adventures with.
I’m not quite sure what to say and wrack my brain for a positive spin to lift her spirits. I eventually muster, ‘The love of travel is almost an affair of the heart itself.’ We come to the library carriage, and Princess pauses before the door to face me.
‘That’s a nice way to look at it. If I didn’t have these holiday escapades, I’d be a very morose woman indeed. Travel is the best part of my life, and I’ve still got so much of the world to see, so many places to leave a part of my heart in.’
Perhaps Princess and I have that in common – falling for a place, an adventure, a city with bright lights and dazzling faces can be a heady thing. It’s a different sort of love story but a love story all the same. Is it enough to sustain a person though? In order to sustain that high, you have to keep moving, keep searching, and those connections made along the way fizzle out, are forgotten. Friendships tail off as time moves on. I wonder if this has an impact on Princess. While travel can light up your soul, it can also be intensely lonely at times after all those goodbyes.
‘It’s such a big place,’ I muse, ‘this world of ours.’
Princess flashes a smile. ‘Made smaller when you meet likeminded people along the way.’
That’s the thing about travel – it strips back those protective layers, and you become a person who lives in the moment, who says yes, and once you jump out of your comfort zone in such a fashion, the way you view the world changes. Is that the mistake I made – hoping that I could be the Aubrey that Miles wanted when in reality that version of me isn’t quite real?
I let the thought slide and focus on Princess. ‘And not one travel fling?’ I tease.
She gasps, as if scandalised. ‘And risk his life? No! My heart is closed to men and hidden out of sight high on a shelf. Instead, I flirt with everyone who comes my way, because flirting doesn’t kill anyone. I’m almost certain of that. And I can get away with it now that I’m seventy-five.’
My eyebrows shoot up. ‘You’re seventy-five?’
‘Didn’t we agree you wouldn’t do that terribly annoying repeat-after-me thing?’
I grin. ‘Sorry, I forgot. It’s a surprise, is all. I’d have guessed you were mid-fifties.’
‘Want to know my secret?’
‘Sure.’
