Roy grinned instantly, happy again. "Thanks, Layla. You are a doll, even though you are way older than me. You are still beautiful," he said, and kissed her on the cheek before thrusting the pile of garments into her hands.

Layla muttered under her breath as she watched him go, feeling a mix of amusement and annoyance. It took her several hours of delicate work to get the clothes back to their original pristine white. It was gone midnight before she had carefully pressed them, hung them on hangers, and could take them along to Mark's and Alfred's cabins.

Mark was up on deck, taking the watch, and it was...