24 DECEMBER, LAPLAND, FINLAND
Christmas Eve
At our very last breakfast on the Winter Wonderland Express, Princess leans across the table and says, ‘I can’t help but feel like we’re huge failures when it comes to solving our break-up mystery.’
I’m only half listening, distracted by the view outside, a snowy wonderland with whitecapped mountains in the distance. It’s postcard perfect. I can’t wait to explore Lapland.
‘Did you hear me, Aubrey?’ Princess asks.
I swing my gaze back to her. ‘The break-up, ah – yes.’
‘We’re absolutely hopeless detectives. Agatha Christie would be turning in her grave.’ Karen grimaces. ‘So far I have personally witnessed two couples get engaged and one announce they’re renewing their vows. You have to ask yourself, is it all the wine they’re consuming? Why is everyone so happy?’ She herself grins and is lit up from within, so different from the woman with the severe winged eyeliner and sad eyes that I met at the dinner table at the start of our journey. Love is all around. Or at least the hope of it is on the horizon.
‘Well… I have a theory,’ I say, all at once unsure if I should voice it. What if I’m wrong? But the Unlucky in Love Travel Club are the nurturing type and if I’m correct then this person could really use a little support right now.
‘Do tell,’ CJ says, munching on a freshly made buttery croissant. I’m certainly going to miss the five-star breakfasts when this holiday is over.
‘I don’t think it’s a couple on board at all.’
Barry frowns. ‘But… how can that be? Sabrina can’t expect us to guess if it’s someone we have no contact with.’
Jasper gives me a knowing nod. ‘Ah, I see where you’re going with this.’
‘Please share the details,’ Princess says, taking an unladylike swig of her breakfast mimosa. ‘Put the rest of us out of our misery.’
‘I think it’s Sabrina.’
‘Oooh.’ Karen’s mouth falls open. ‘What makes you say that?’
‘I have this feeling that Sabrina doesn’t usually fail at attention to detail, like she has on this trip. Five-star service is a tough industry to get into, because of the impossibly high standards they set, so I’m certain she is more than capable of handling this job. The way she mixed the wines up, and her level of distraction, leads me to believe that she’s the one who is suffering a heartbreak.’
‘Yes,’ Jasper agrees. ‘And obviously management has pulled her aside and warned her about her performance, which has only made it worse.’
I’ve had my suspicions for a while. ‘And she mentioned a suspected cheating scandal, the guy going rogue, so I wonder if she found out after we boarded the train. She was bright and bubbly early on, showing everyone photos of her boyfriend, hoping he’d get approval from his boss for time off, and then she stopped mentioning him altogether. She said she was tired and looked more listless than usual, which I put down to the intensely busy days that staff work – and that’s when she told us about the couple heading for splitsville.’
‘Ooh, the clues point that way for sure.’ CJ’s croissant is forgotten as she cups her chin. ‘How sad, if it’s true. She’s such a sweetheart. And he’s a fool if he did cheat.’
We lapse into silence.
‘Let me guess, another fiancé died? Why the long faces?’ Sabrina appears, coffee pot in hand.
‘Oh, ah.’
‘No!’
‘We’re sorry!’
‘Are you OK?’
‘You’re beautiful, too beautiful for him!’
Sabrina tilts her head to the side. ‘What? What’s all this?’
Another silence hits, gazes are dropped, cutlery examined. It looks like I’ll be the one to broach this most sensitive of subjects.
I take her hand in mine and give it a comforting squeeze. ‘We think we’ve figured out the mystery you set for us. We hope we’re wrong, but something tells me we’re right.’
She arches a brow.
