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PROLOGUE

OCTOBER 1964

Brendan didn’t knock on the cabin door, just turned the handle and slipped inside, looking back as he did so to be sure no one had seen hiin an elderly peer’s rooht Not that anyone would have commented

“Are we likely to be interrupted?” asked Brendan once he had closed the door

“No one will disturb us before seven to left to disturb”

“Good,” said Brendan He dropped on his knees, unlocked the large trunk, pulled open its lid, and studied the complex piece of machinery that had taken him over athat there were no loose wires, that every dial was at its correct setting, and that the clock started at the flick of a switch Not until he was satisfied that everything was in perfect working order did he get back off his knees

“It’s ready,” he said “When do you want it activated?”

“Three am And I’ll need thirtyhis double chin, “if I’et to my other cabin”

Brendan returned to the trunk and set the timer for three o’clock “All you have to do is flick the switch just before you leave, and double-check that the second hand is , then you’ll have thirty minutes”

“So what can go wrong?”

“If the lilies are still in Mrs Clifton’s cabin, nothing No one on this corridor, and probably no one on the deck below, can hope to survive There’s six pounds of dynamite embedded in the soil beneath those flowers, far more than we need, but at least that e can be sure of collecting our money”

“Have you got my key?”

“Yes,” said Brendan “Cabin 706 You’ll find your new passport and ticket under the pillow”

“Anything else I ought to be worrying about?”

“No Justbefore you leave”

Doherty smiled “See you back in Belfast”

Harry unlocked the cabin door and stood aside to allow Emma to enter first

She bent down to smell the lilies the Queen Mother had sent to celebrate the launch of MV Buckingha up “I don’t kno the Queen Mother es it day in and day out”

“It’s what she does, and she’s good at it, but I bet she’d be exhausted if she tried a few days of being chairton’s”