Douglas was less delighted, especially when dirty little fingers began poring over the car’s bodywork. He shooed the children away, then gave instructions to a nearby hawker and handed over some notes from his wallet. He was obviously entrusting the man with the safekeeping of the sedan. Then Douglas put on his Panama hat, offered Dorothy his arm and escorted her the short distance to the café.
‘Oh, this is charming!’ Dorothy gushed when the owner showed them out to the back of the building and onto the terrace. From the road, the café hadn’t looked anything special, a simple, rustic building with a tin roof. But the view from the back, out across emerald-green waters to the islands in the distance, was spectacular. The tables were covered in black-and-white-checked fabric with vases of bright pink ginger flowers in the centre.
Douglas ordered tea for them, as well as something Dorothy had never heard of before. ‘They’re calledkueh,’ Douglas explained as the waiter brought over a plate of brightly coloured little desserts. ‘Local Malay sweets, made from pandan, coconut, rice and tapioca. Not exactly your classic Victoria sponge, but they’re not too bad.’
Dorothy tucked in and found herself enjoying the flavours, even if the glutinous texture was a little rubbery. She sipped the black tea and sat back in her chair. She was enjoying the feeling of being out exploring in a new country, eating new food with a very handsome new man. Douglas was easy company and conversation flowed effortlessly from their upbringings back home in England – hers in London and his on his family estate in rural Wiltshire – to their musical tastes, hobbies and passions.
‘So tell me, what brought you out here?’ she asked, curious to learn more about him.
‘Ambition, I suppose.’ He shrugged with a wry smile. ‘I wanted to make a name for myself, not just live off my parents’ money. And, much as I loved growing up at Highcliffe Manor, after I finished at Oxford I just couldn’t wait to get away from home and see a bit of the world. I started working at McKinley’s in London a couple of years ago and when the chance of promotion and foreign travel came up last year, well, I jumped at it!’
After a while, he glanced at his watch and waved to the café owner for the bill. ‘I wish we could stay longer, but I’m afraid I’ve got a couple of things I need to attend to this evening,’ he explained.
‘Oh, please don’t apologise, it has been so lovely. Thank you for inviting me.’ She smiled at him then finished the rest of her tea.
‘Thankyoufor coming. An afternoon with a delightful young lady; the pleasure is all mine, I assure you.’
He took one of the pink flowers from the vase on the table and presented it to her with mock formality. ‘A pretty flower for a pretty lady.’ Dorothy grinned and felt a warm glow inside as she took it from him.
‘Gosh, after I made such a fool of myself last night, I’m surprised you even wanted to talk to me again, never mind invite me out for tea and pay me compliments!’
He studied her for a moment and she instantly regretted her candour. She should try to be more grown-up, more sophisticated, surely that was what a man like Douglas liked. Casting her mind back to the exquisite hauteur of his former flame, Maria da Costa, Dorothy suddenly felt horribly child-like and gauche. She felt her colour rising and suddenly wanted to go home.
Douglas seemed to sense her unease and reached across the table. With his index finger, he slowly traced the outline of her cheek. ‘But you are, you know; very pretty indeed.’ His touch felt like a bolt of electricity and Dorothy felt herself back away. Awkwardly, she stood up from the table, a nervous smile on her face. She had no experience of men like Douglas and had felt on much safer ground discussing their favourite authors and movies than with him flirting and flattering her.
They got back to the car and Douglas nodded his thanks to the hawker. He was about to open the door for Dorothy when he looked down and noticed that she was still carrying the flower he had given her.
‘You brought it with you?’ He seemed amused. ‘Oh, Dorothy, you are such a sweet one! I don’t know quite what to do with you. So young and innocent; so utterly adorable!’ He bent down and, without warning, brushed his lips against hers. She closed her eyes, but the kiss was over before she knew it and Douglas was opening the car door for her. Dorothy got in, pulse racing, desperately wanting more.
CHAPTER 12
Singapore
Monday 1st April, 2019
It was nearly lunchtime when Annabel finally awoke the next day. Her mouth was dry and her nose was feeling stuffy from the air conditioning. There was a fresh glass of water on the bedside table – presumably thanks to Gloria – and she gulped it down.
As predicted, jet lag had played havoc with her system and she’d spent most of the early hours tossing and turning. Despite her exhaustion, sleep had proved elusive. She had eventually nodded off again at around 6 a.m., with the help of Emma’s magic tablets, and had slept soundly through the rigmarole of the family’s morning routine.
Her head felt fuzzy and she reached for her handbag in search of painkillers. Then she checked her phone. There were several messages, one from Emma, checking that everything was alright, one from Jenny, another from her brother and a couple from Luke. She sighed at Luke’s tone as she read these last ones. It started off conciliatory then seemed to grow frustrated as the hours had passed and she hadn’t replied. Maybe she should have told him that she was out of the country. But then she stopped herself: was it really any of his business anymore?
A wave of homesickness suddenly swept through her, making her stomach sink. What was she doing here? Was it really Dotty’s history that had brought her, or had it just been a convenient excuse to run away? It suddenly felt daunting being so far away from home, but the thought of returning to Bath and resetting her life without Luke and Dotty was equally stomach-churning. She felt as if she were in limbo.
Annabel enjoyed a long, refreshing shower, then dressed and padded through the silent apartment to the kitchen. She still felt exhausted and was glad of the peace and quiet. As she opened the fridge in search of cold water, another door opened into the kitchen and Gloria emerged from her room, smiling and wishing her good morning.
Annabel was soon settled at the dining table with cereal, orange juice and a much-needed coffee. There was something comforting about the gentle presence of the lovely Gloria, who felt like something of a grandmother figure in the family. Steady and efficient, she quietly got on with the business of running the home and keeping everything ticking along behind the scenes.
‘How long have you been in Singapore, Gloria?’ Annabel asked when the older lady reappeared with a platter of fruit.
‘Twenty year, ma’am.’
Annabel was shocked. ‘Gosh, you’ve been away from home a long time! Do you have a family?’
‘Yes, ma’am, three children, ma’am; all in Philippines. All grown up, have their own children now. My sister, she take care of them when they are little.’
Annabel tried not to let her shock register on her face. ‘You must miss them very much. It must have been hard for you to have been away from them for so long.’
‘Yes and no, ma’am,’ Gloria replied, after briefly considering the question. ‘No job in Philippines. Is good money working here. I pay for my children go to university, give them good future, ma’am. And very happy here with Mrs Emma, she very kind boss.’ Her face broke into a wide smile. ‘She pay for me go visit my family twice a year, is very nice. Some of my friends here, their boss not nice’ – her brow furrowed at this – ‘but I have second family here, ma’am, I’m very lucky.’
