She sighed, wondering if her presence had affected James. She couldn’t recall ever doing anything to offend him, so just didn’t understand why he was – and always had been – so on edge around her? But the wondering didn’t last long. As soon as her head hit the pillow, Annabel felt herself sucked into a deep and dreamless sleep.
CHAPTER 11
Singapore
June 1938
‘You didwhat?’ Clara shrieked. It was the day after the Raffles Hotel dinner and the girls were in Dorothy’s bedroom. Still feeling fragile, Dorothy was lying prone beneath the ceiling fan, a damp flannel on her forehead.
She winced; partly in mortification at the memory of the previous evening and partly because of the throbbing pain in her head. She was not used to drinking such strong cocktails and this hangover was the worst she had ever had. She closed her eyes and sighed. ‘You heard me! Please don’t make me say it again; I’ve never been so embarrassed in my life!’
Clara burst out laughing, then regained her composure as she saw the crestfallen look on her friend’s face. ‘Oh, you poor thing!’ She leaned across and rubbed Dorothy’s shoulder, giving her a sympathetic smile. ‘But did you have fun? I saw you dancing with Douglas.’ She raised her eyebrows briefly at this. ‘Then Mummy had one of her headaches and dragged us all home! Honestly, I don’t know why she couldn’t just let me stay and get a lift home with you. Mothers!’ She shook her head in frustration.
Dorothy sat up and took a sip of water. ‘I barely had time to have any fun.’ She screwed up her eyes and rubbed hertemples. ‘But before I made my hasty exit and redecorated the flowerbed, Douglaswasvery nice to me,’ she continued cautiously. ‘He’s a wonderful dancer. And he’s so handsome.’ She looked up and saw disapproval etched all over her friend’s face. ‘I know you don’t like him, Clara, but don’t worry; I doubt he’ll ever want to talk to me ever again after what happened. He’s so grown-up and, well . . . sophisticated, I suppose. He’ll never want to dance with a stupid girl who can’t even hold a conversation, let alone her drink!’ She hid her face in her hands and moaned.
‘Oh, Dorothy!’ Clara soothed. ‘Don’t worry, I’m sure it will soon be forgotten. And it’s not that I don’t like Douglas, exactly.’ She sighed. ‘I’ve just heard things about him that . . . Well, let’s just say things that have earned him his nickname of Dangerous. Just be careful, that’s all I’m saying.’
Dorothy fell asleep after Clara left. She awoke to find Ah Ling gently touching her shoulder.
‘Miss,’ she began as Dorothy blinked her eyes open. ‘You have visitor.’ The maid’s face widened in a bright smile. ‘He handsome man, miss! He bring you flower. Come now, put on nice dress.’ Ah Ling held up the new royal blue tea dress she had already picked out.
Dorothy screwed up her face. She couldn’t face seeing anyone, never mind a handsome man bringing her flowers. Who could it be? Matthew maybe? It couldn’t possibly be Douglas. ‘Oh, Ah Ling, I feel dreadful and I look an absolute mess! Can you make an excuse? Tell him I’m ill?’
‘You so beautiful, miss, no need worry. I help you. Come, come!’ The maid encouraged her out of bed and sat her in front of the dressing table.
‘First, you drink this,’ Ah Ling said, handing Dorothy a small glass containing an amber coloured liquid.
Dorothy took the glass and wrinkled her nose as she sniffed the hot drink. It was an intriguing mix of sweet and sour, with a tang of an unfamiliar spice.
‘What is this?’ she asked. She looked closely. ‘It’s got bits floating in it!’
‘Salted plum and ginger tea, Miss. I make it for you,’ Ah Ling said with a nod. ‘It traditional Chinese cure, it make you better.’
Dorothy raised her eyebrows. ‘Thanks, Ah Ling, that’s very kind of you. The way I’m feeling today, I’m willing to try anything!’
‘Bottoms up!’ the housemaid said as Dorothy sipped the tea. Dorothy narrowly avoided spilling it everywhere, amused by another of Ah Ling’s unexpected British phrases.
A few minutes later, wearing her new dress and with her hair pinned up, Dorothy pasted on a smile and slowly descended the stairs. She wasn’t sure exactly what Ah Ling had brewed in the traditional remedy, but for the first time that day, she was finally feeling some relief from the nausea and headache. The housemaid was an absolute godsend.
Male voices were coming from the drawing room, talking and laughing, but fell silent when Dorothy entered.
‘Ah, here she is! Hello Dodo!’ Her father came over to kiss her on the cheek. She cringed at his use of her family pet name when she saw who was in the room, it sounded so childish. Dangerous Douglas stood up from his chair by the window and also made his way over to her.
He was looking dazzlingly handsome; clean shaven, fresh faced and smelling divine. He was dressed in smart linentrousers and a crisp, white short-sleeved shirt. He held out a bunch of pure white orchids.
‘A little something for the patient.’ He smiled down at Dorothy and gave her a wink. ‘I was sorry you were unwell last night. I do hope you’re feeling better today?’
Dorothy thanked him and her father muttered that it must have been something she’d eaten. ‘I’m much better today,’ she said. ‘Thank you for asking.’ She smiled up at him.
‘Well, that is good news,’ he continued. ‘Because I was wondering if you might fancy a bit of fresh air? I need to take my motor out for a run and I was thinking about a drive along the coast. We could head out east towards Changi Point. There’s a delightful little café by the beach where we could stop for refreshments.’ He turned to Anthony and asked, ‘If that’s alright with you, sir?’
Her father cheerfully gave his consent and, before Dorothy knew it, Ah Ling was handing her a headscarf and she was on her way out to Douglas’s car. It was a beautiful machine, polished chrome with immaculate white bodywork. With the roof folded down, the smart red leather interior was glowing in the sunshine.
Douglas opened the door for her. Her heart raced as she tied her headscarf and slid on her sunglasses. She caught a glimpse of her reflection in the mirror and was pleased with what she saw. Alongside the handsome Douglas, she really did look the part; a perfect Joan Crawford to his Clark Gable, just like in the movieLove on the Run.
They set off at a steady pace along the residential roads. When they reached the highway, Douglas opened up the throttle. It was another hot, sunny day and Dorothy loved the feel of the cool breeze on her face and the pure thrill of it as they sped along. Douglas was a skilled driver, manoeuvring the motorcarwith deft precision as they followed the road through the town and out along the coast.
They left the city behind, then passed through rural kampongs and plantations before eventually reaching Changi, a small fishing village at the far eastern end of the island. It was a busy spot with locals going about their business and street hawkers calling out, offering cold drinks and freshly cooked fish. Dorothy was fascinated, it was unlike anything she had seen before. She made a fuss of the children who came to say hello, delighting in their smiles and ignoring their grubby faces.
