Page 71 of Old Girls on Deck

I didn’t voice the opinion that it was a good job he wasn’t, because that would have been unhelpful. And when Joe and Luke found out what had happened, neither would I.

‘There must be an official, or a policeman or something? So we can ask for help,’ I said.

Trying to be proactive I went and looked around the reception building, only managing to find a collection of full trash bins behind the cafe and a broken chair. A large man in a food-stained white apron came out with a bag of rubbish and jammed it into one of the containers, barely glancing in my direction before going back inside and slamming the door behind him.

When I got back to my companions they were sitting on a bench looking dejected, while the last few stragglers from the ruins walked away.

‘Right, we need to get some help,’ I said, ‘perhaps there is a tourist information place around here. Or a taxi firm to take us back to the boat.’

For a moment the three of us looked at each other.

‘I don’t think I can walk very far,’ Evelyn said, ‘sorry. Now I’ve sat down it’s going to take me a while to get going again. Jill, you’ve got a mobile.’

I pulled it out and switched it on again.

‘Who shall I ring?’

‘The ship. There’s bound to be someone there,’ Diana said, ‘we can explain what’s happened. They will know we haven’t come back on board and that something’s up.’

‘Anyone know the number?’

We all spent the next few minutes rummaging around in our handbags and backpacks for some useful scrap of paper that might have a contact phone number on it.

‘I only have the number for Radio Wonderful, on this email from Fiona the Fixer,’ I said at last, looking up from my phone.

‘Well perhaps we could ring them?’ Evelyn said.

‘Good idea.’

I dialled the number and waited for it to connect.

After a very long time it was answered.

‘Hello, Radio Wonderful. Here and happy and ready to make your day,’ someone said.

They didn’t sound any of those things. Just very young and bored.

‘It’s Jill Parker, I won the cruise competition. And I’d like to speak to Fiona please.’

‘Which Fiona? There are five,’ was the reply.

‘Fiona the Fixer. She works with Steve Groove,’ I felt my heart rate slow a little, it was going to be okay.

‘She’s gone. Try tomorrow morning. She’s in at six, although sometimes she’s late so maybe leave it till six thirty. But then she’s usually very busy with the show, so probably best to leave it until about eleven when Steve goes off the air. Thanks for your call and have a Radio Wonderful day.’

‘But we are stuck in Pompeii, we’ve?—’

I realised whoever it was had rung off. Honestly, young people have no idea of phone etiquette.

The thought of waiting until eleven o’clock tomorrow was horrible.

I rang back three times and got only the busy tone and then my battery died.

‘Any luck?’ Evelyn said.

‘No,’ I replied, wondering what to do next. ‘Can anyone speak Italian well enough to get us out of this?’

Diana looked blank.