Douglas gave the impression of mulling over the question for a moment.
‘Well, you were an awfully sweet thing, you know!’ he said with a drunken smile. Then he continued, almost to himself, with a sneer, ‘And I couldn’t let that fool Matthew win!’
‘What? Matthew?’ Dorothy asked, confused. ‘Win how?’
Douglas rolled his eyes and sighed dramatically. ‘The idiot was going to propose. And I didn’t want him taking what I wanted.’ He shrugged. ‘So, I beat him to it!’
Dorothy closed her eyes, her face contorting in pain. How different her life would have been if she had married Matthew; kind, good, loyal Matthew. A tidal wave of regret crashed over her.
She took a breath and opened her eyes, staring hard at Douglas. ‘Answer me one question. With the truth, for once, Douglas. You owe me that. You were with her today, weren’t you?’
The pause was a moment too long. And in that moment, everything became clear.
‘Look, Dorothy, Maria was upset, alright?’ He sighed and took a deep breath. ‘She doesn’t know how she’s going to tell old Fish Face about the baby.’
Dorothy’s pulse thundered in her ears. ‘So itisyours?’ she whispered, closing her eyes against the reality that was engulfing her.
‘Put it this way, old Pemberton has been up in Malaya for the past seven months, so it would have to be a bloody immaculate conception for it to be his!’ The bawdy cackle at his own joke was the final straw. How dare he make fun of the situation? Of Bernard Pemberton? Of her?
Dorothy leapt to her feet and rushed from the room, desperate to get away from him. All day long, she had fought back her tears of grief, trying to be strong for her father. But now they fell with a vengeance, blinding her vision. In her haste to escape, she nearly collided with Ravi, who was returning with Douglas’s whisky. The poor boy had the foresight to duck out of the way and retreat to the alcove until the situation calmed down. Once too often, he had been on the receiving end of the master’s drunken temper.
‘Oh, come on, Dorothy, don’t be like that!’ Douglas had dragged himself out of his armchair and was following his wife towards the stairs, up which she was bounding, two at a time.
When she reached the top, Dorothy turned and called down to him between angry, bitter sobs, ‘I wasn’t ringing to “check up” on you. I was ringing to tell you that my mother died this morning!’
The news had an immediate sobering effect on Douglas and his face registered shock and concern. ‘Oh Dorothy!’ he called, rushing up the stairs behind her. He moved towards her and grabbed her by the arm.
Dorothy was surprised by his caring gesture, but his touch repelled her now. ‘Get off me!’ she yelled. And in one swift move, she pushed him away with all her might, turned and ran to her bedroom without a backward glance. It was as shetouched the door handle that she heard an awful thumping sound of something landing at the bottom of the stairs.
Ah Ling appeared in the doorway at that same moment, having been preparing the bedroom for Dorothy. Dorothy gasped and grabbed her hand. Together, the two women crept along the corridor and peered over the balcony. There, at the foot of the stairs, lay Douglas’s body; silent, unmoving and broken.
CHAPTER 22
Singapore
Thursday 4th April, 2019
Annabel stared at Julia in dumbstruck silence. She couldn’t believe what she had just been told: her kind, sweet, loving grandmother had pushed her first husband down the stairs to his death? It just couldn’t be true.
They were sitting in a small coffee shop near Julia’s office in Raffles Place, where she had suggested they meet during her lunch break. All around them buzzed office workers in smart suits, grabbing a quick bite to eat, a caffeine injection or a moment’s respite before continuing with their busy day.
Julia put down her mug and sighed, registering Annabel’s reaction. ‘I’m sorry, it must be very upsetting to hear all this.’
Annabel shook her head. ‘Not upsetting exactly, more confusing. It’s so strange that we’ve never heard any of this before. But maybe this explains why; it’s hardly surprising that Granny kept all of this secret, especially if she was responsible for a man’s death. When she got back to England I suppose she must have wanted to put all of this behind her, make a fresh start.’ Annabel picked up the teapot in front of her and topped up her cup.
‘Yes, I’m sure.’ Julia gave a sad smile. ‘And this is why Mama didn’t want me to tell you; she didn’t want to tarnish your grandmother’s reputation or have anyone thinking badly of her.She made that promise to Ah Ling, you see. But I felt strongly that you should know. I mean, you’ve travelled all this way to find out, I thought you deserved to know the truth. I hope it was the right decision?’
Annabel smiled and nodded reassuringly. The worried look on Julia’s face eased as she continued, ‘Ah Ling maintained that Dorothy acted purely out of self-defence on that night, and not violence. Douglas Llewellyn did not treat her well and they had been arguing right before he fell.’ She shrugged. ‘You might say he got his just deserts.’
‘But what happened next?’ Annabel asked, suddenly worrying for her grandmother. ‘Was his death considered suspicious? Were the police involved? Did Dorothy face charges?’
She was reassured by Julia’s vehement shake of the head. ‘No, nothing like that, don’t worry! Douglas Llewellyn was incredibly drunk on the night he died – all the household staff could attest to that – and the doctor recorded accidental death. It was assumed that Douglas had tripped at the top of the stairs and was too intoxicated to steady himself as he fell. He landed badly and broke his neck.’
‘Allthe household staff?’ Annabel asked. ‘Who else was there? Did anyone else see?’
Julia shook her head. ‘No, no one else saw it happen. But the staff were around and had seen the lead up to it, but Ah Ling said she was the only one who knew the truth because Miss Dorothy told her. She trusted her like a sister, you see, she was her confidante. And even though her husband had been cruel and unkind to her, Dorothy was racked with guilt at what she had done. She was a good woman. Ah Ling worried that she never forgave herself and would live with that guilt until the very end.’
Annabel shook her head sadly, remembering her darling grandmother and the last time she had seen her in the hospital. In those final moments, it consoled her to think that her grandmother had been at peace, thinking of Grandpa and their happy family. But had her mind drifted back to that fateful night in Singapore in 1941? Oh, poor Granny.
