It was interesting to meet him in the flesh, for she’d heard a great deal about Jim Reilly and his wife Peggy from her girls’ many letters, but she hadn’t expected him to be quite so handsome or charming. Yet it was fortuitous that he was here, and placed in a position where he could be a huge help in tracking down the men. Sybil had always believed that who you knew was far more important than what you knew.

She saw how easily he conversed in Malay with the porter, how the young women flashed their eyes at him as they sashayed past and how he smiled back appreciatively. He was a charmer, all right, and she suspected that Peggy must have had many uneasy moments while he’d been away, for it was clear that he had an eye for the ladies and that they were drawn to him.

However, she kept her thoughts to herself as he returned to her side. ‘You were going to tell me what Elsa’s still doing here,’ she prompted.

‘Like you, she came in search of her husband.’ he said softly before explaining her position with RAPWI and the overwhelming task that lay ahead of them.

Sybil frowned. ‘But what about her girls? Are they here too?’

‘They’re both married now, so she left them in Sydney,’ he replied, leading her through a labyrinth of corridors to Elsa’s office. ‘I’ll leave you both to catch up,’ he said, opening the door.

Sybil thanked him and stepped into the small, stifling room and tried not to show her shock at seeing Elsa looking so much older – in fact, she looked quite haggard, and her clothes were horribly rumpled. ‘Elsa, my dear,’ she said, approaching the cluttered desk. ‘I’m so sorry to hear about Reggie.’

Elsa rose to greet her and after a brief hug, tried to smooth out the creases in her skirt and tidy her hair. ‘I realise I must look a fright,’ she said, eyeing Sybil’s immaculate turn-out. ‘But I’ve barely time to breathe let alone worry what I look like.’ She gave Sybil a regretful smile. ‘I do wish you hadn’t come, my dear.’

‘I had to,’ said Sybil. ‘And my girls will be here soon. They’re coming over from England. Now I know you and Jim Reilly are in charge, I’m certain things will move on swiftly.’

Elsa shook her head. ‘It’s not that simple, I’m afraid.’

Sybil sat in the stiflingly hot little office and her spirits plummeted as Elsa told her in quite graphic terms what she could expect.

‘Singapore is in chaos and far from what you and I remember,’ said Elsa. ‘The Chinese fled or were killed, the Malays forced into slave labour. Without the ships bringing food and medicines, everyone would starve. The prisoners are only just beginning to be flown in from the jungle camps, and most of them are in dire straits and being sent straight to the hospital which is becoming quite overwhelmed. The Dutch, Australians and Americans are trying to repatriate their nationals as quickly as possible, but with more and more coming in every day, the task is painfully slow.’