Peggy smiled as she glanced at the shopping bags. ‘But it seems you’ve bought up half of London, too, so it must have been worth it.’

‘None of it is very exciting,’ Sarah said. ‘It’s not as if we’re going on a pleasure cruise.’ She wriggled her stockinged feet and gave a sigh. ‘The temperature in Singapore will be in the mid-eighties and probably quite humid, so I’ve stocked up on cotton underwear and night things, a couple of lightweight day dresses, a linen skirt and two cotton blouses. I found a very nice pair of sunglasses and managed to get some make-up in Harrods. Anything else I need can be bought there.’

‘So you’re all set then,’ said Cordelia.

‘I suppose I am,’ she replied, ‘but to be honest, I’m not really looking forward to it.’

‘That’s hardly surprising,’ said Peggy. ‘Neither of you know what you’ll be faced with, and the place is bound to have been changed beyond all recognition after the Japs took it over.’

Sarah nodded sadly. ‘It’s not the homecoming either of us dreamed about, and I dread to think how Mother will cope if neither of them have survived.’

‘Jock is a Fuller,’ said Cordelia firmly. ‘The men in my family are as tough as old boots. I’m sure he’ll come through.’ She drained her glass and set it down. ‘Let’s not dwell on things we have no control over, it’s too depressing. Where will you all stay out there?’

‘Pops owned a bungalow we used for holidays on the Raffles Road, but it was flattened by the Japanese during their first attack on the island. I’m hoping that the Bristows’ bungalow is still standing – we used it after Elsa had left for Sydney with her girls and the Brigadier moved into army quarters. It became a haven of sorts while Pops was trying desperately to get us passage on a ship.’

‘And what if it isn’t available?’ asked Cordelia. ‘The Bristows might need it for themselves.’

‘That’s certainly a possibility, so to be on the safe side, I went into Thomas Cook’s this morning to see if they could book us into Raffles. It was no go, unfortunately, as the hotel has been requisitioned by the British Forces to accommodate their administrators. It seems they’ve taken over most of the hotels in readiness for the release of the Allied prisoners, so if the bungalow isn’t available, we’ll probably be camping out somewhere.’

She sipped the sherry. ‘But there’s one piece of good news. The flying boat will be leaving from Southampton instead of Poole, which will mean a much shorter train journey. Evidently, it was decided that the bigger harbour in Southampton was better placed, and a whole new pier and customs house are in the course of being constructed.’

‘Well, that’s a blessing,’ said Peggy. ‘Poole’s miles away down in Dorset, and it would have taken you an entire day to get there.’

Cordelia’s mind was clearly still on their accommodation, for she changed the subject back. ‘I don’t like the sound of you camping out, Sarah. What about your home on the plantation? Surely you could go there?’