They laid Amah to rest near Jock and Philip, and covered her grave with the flowers the women had collected. Jim had discovered that her actual name was Suria, which meant sun, and so he asked the head man to make sure it was carved into the stone that would mark her final resting place.

Philip and Suria had come home, and Jim was convinced that Jock’s spirit was here too.

He followed Jeremy and Jane as he drove Sarah and Sybil back to Singapore that afternoon. It had been a sad journey altogether, and he doubted any of them would return to the house in the jungle again.

‘So, what are your plans, Sybil?’ he asked as he crossed over the repaired causeway onto Singapore Island.

‘There’s nothing left for me here, so I’m going back to Australia,’ she replied. ‘I’ve been away from my little James too long and I miss him horribly. I was hoping Jane and Sarah would come with me, but it seems they have their own plans.’

Jim raised an eyebrow as he met Sarah’s gaze in the rear-view mirror. ‘Oh, yes?’

‘Jane and I will go back to Beach View, and then she’s off with Jeremy to Washington. I’m not sure what I’ll do, but if my old job’s still there, I’ll probably take it up again and see how I feel about things in the new year.’

Jim didn’t think this sounded at all exciting and he could see by the dullness in Sarah’s eyes that she didn’t either. The girl was clearly feeling lost and not at all sure about anything at the moment – but he suspected that had a lot to do with her chap Delaney that Peggy had told him about.

‘What about you, Jim?’ she asked. ‘Will you be staying on here?’

‘For as long as the army wants me,’ he replied. ‘I was hoping to be home for Christmas, but it doesn’t look as if I will be.’

‘You must give me anything you want me to take home for you, Jim. It’s the very least I can do after you’ve been so good to us.’ She looked out of the window. ‘Oh, can you drop me here? I need to send that telegram to London.’

‘I’ll wait for you, so there’s no need to rush,’ he said.

‘I actually need to stretch my legs, Jim, so I’ll walk back to the bungalow.’

Jim manoeuvred through the traffic and parked.

Sarah smiled her thanks, stepped out of the car and headed for the post office. She’d already worked out what to say, so once she’d reached the front of the long queue, the task was done within minutes.

Returning to the street, she decided to stop off at Raffles to let Elsa know they were back – and perhaps treat herself to a Tom Collins in the Palm Court.

The reception hall was quiet and orderly despite the presence of so many military men, and as she crossed it, she smiled at the sight of the enormous and over-decorated Christmas tree that was standing in one corner. Christmas was a season she usually loved, but she doubted she could dredge up much enthusiasm for it this year, as it would only remind her of the last Christmas in Malaya when Philip, Amah, and her darling father had been with them.