‘Why?’ she asked. ‘You two have been dancing with a black Aussie girl for the past hour.’ She glanced from one to the other; she’d danced with both young men. ‘You got a different set of rules about that, have you?’

‘Oh.’ Josh was stumped for an answer. He looked at Beau, who appeared equally stumped. They’d both thought the pretty, olive-skinned girl was something exotic, or at least that she hailed from somewhere exotic, way down here in the Southern Hemisphere. They’d even shared whispered guesses about where this exotic place might be. ‘A South Sea island?’ they’d wondered. ‘Tahiti perhaps?’ ‘Yes,’ they’d finally agreed, ‘I’d say she’s Tahitian.’ Josh and Beau had never travelled far from home.

Their obvious bewilderment delighted Percival Summers, who threw back his head and let out a hearty laugh.

Betty joined in the man’s laughter. Then she crossed to him. ‘I’m Betty, that’s Jill,’ she said. ‘We only live a few blocks away, would you boys mind walking us home?’

‘My pleasure, ma’am,’ Perce answered, and Betty took the arm he offered.

Selwood’s eyes darted nervously from his friend to the white soldiers, but he was given no time to object. Jill’s arm was suddenly tucked into his and the four of them were walking away, leaving Josh and Beau standing in the street at a loss for words.

The following day, Betty recounted the story to Val. ‘You should have seen their faces,’ she laughed, ‘they didn’t even know they’d been dancing with a black girl. Talk about naïve! And you should have seen Jill, too. Bold as brass she was. God, you would have been proud!’

Yes, Val thought, I’ve no doubt I would have been. But there’s still a word of advice that needs to be offered. ‘You make sure you two stick together when you go to these dances, Betty,’ she warned, ‘you look after Jill.’

‘Course I will,’ Betty scoffed, ‘I do every time. Safety in numbers and all that, we know the score. You don’t need to worry about us, Val, we’re safe as houses, Jill and me.’

You are, Val thought, yep I’d put money on that, but I’m not so sure about Jill. ‘Good girl,’ she said. No point in voicing her misgivings.

Val was actually grateful for Betty’s influence upon Jill. The shy, reclusive Aboriginal girl who had first come to work at The Brown’s had blossomed over the past two years, gaining confidence and social skills she’d never possessed. Val was convinced this was due to the strong friendship that had been forged between the two girls. Betty’s mere presence was liberating and instructive; she was the perfect example of a strong, accomplished young woman who knew how to handle herself in these modern times.