Three days after Douglas had come to see her, she summoned Aunty Mimi to the drawing room and gave her instructions to clear Felicity’s things out of her former bedroom.

‘I don’t care what you do with them. Burn them if you like. Give them away. Sell them. But I don’t want them in this house any more.’

Aunty Mimi’s face contorted into a look of defiance. She started to speak but Evie lifted her hand for her to stop.

‘The tuan has told me he had instructed you to clear out that bedroom, yet you didn’t, so you’d better do it right away. And I don’t want to hear any argument.’

‘But Missy Leighton say no touch any-sing. It Mem’s, not yours, Missy Leighton say.’

‘Do you work for Mrs Leighton? Does Mrs Leighton pay your wages?’

The old woman shook her head.

‘Then you will do as Mr Barrington and I tell you. I am the mem in this house now.’

Aunty Mimi was affronted, and said, ‘Missy Leighton say you no stay Penang. You go home England soon.’

‘Aunty Mimi, I am going to tell you this now and I don’t want to hear any more from you.’ Pointing towards the bottom of the garden where the servants lived in a series of rooms in a single-storey structure, Evie said, ‘If you prefer to take your orders from Mrs Leighton you had better go out to your room, pack your bags and ask Mrs Leighton to give you a job, as you will no longer have one here.’ Evie grew taller as she spoke, taking confidence from the sound of her own voice. ‘I have absolutely no intention of going back to England. You need to empty the contents of that bedroom immediately as I will be using it. I want you to move my clothing in there as soon the items in the wardrobes and dressing table have been cleared out. Everything! The small bedroom which is Mr Barrington’s room will eventually be the baby’s bedroom.’ She paused for breath. ‘Is that absolutely clear? You can put anything belonging to Mr Barrington in the room I have been using.’

‘Yes, Mem.’ There was the ghost of a smile playing across the Chinese woman’s face. ‘Velly good.’

As Aunty Mimi left, Evie exhaled slowly, relief flooding through her. She’d had enough of creeping around, afraid of her own shadow. Things were going to be different from now on. Doug’s words had taken her by surprise. She wasn’t ready to forgive him. Not yet. But there was a possibility that eventually she might.

In the meantime, she would be making the rules. The first one was that he return to George Town every single weekend. She intended him to sleep apart from her. It was too soon to contemplate taking him back into her bed. He had first to prove that he was ready to play the part of father to Jasmine, if he was to be permitted to do the same for their child. If he wanted a family, he could damn well act like a husband and father. If he wanted her to believe that he cared about her, he had to show it.