‘You don’t need to fish for them, Evie. You deserve them.’ His mouth formed a smile but his eyes looked sad. ‘You do however need to go into this crazy enterprise, as you call it, with eyes wide open. Penang is a beautiful place. Quite magical. But Malaya’s not an easy country to live in if you’re not born to it. The climate in the Straits is hot and humid all year round and it can take a long time to adjust. Some people never do. Felicity certainly didn’t.’

Evie looked at him, shocked.

‘She struggled from the moment she arrived and never settled. It was a constant source of tension between the two of them. Maybe I shouldn’t be telling you this, but I think you’ve a right to know.’ He reached into his pocket and pulled out a packet of cigarettes and offered her one. It was the only time she’d seen him smoke. She shook her head.

‘When Felicity married Doug she thought she’d signed up to a life in the Home Counties. Two years later Doug’s bachelor uncle died, leaving him the rubber estate on Penang island. He was determined to take it on. He hated his job in the City and the thought of owning land and making a living from it appealed. Like you, he wanted adventure.’ Arthur lit his cigarette and drew on it slowly. ‘Felicity took some persuading. She didn’t want to leave her friends and family, and was nervous about moving overseas. She was expecting Jasmine at the time which can’t have helped. But Doug can be very persuasive. He swept her up in his enthusiasm and they went off.’

Evie was rapt with attention, waiting as Arthur took a second slow draw on his cigarette before stubbing it out. ‘Trying to give the blessed things up,’ he said. ‘From the moment they arrived it was a disaster. Felicity hated Penang. She felt isolated on the rubber estate, so Doug bought a house in George Town for her to use when she wanted. But she disliked that even more. There may have been more for her to do in town but the humidity can be suffocating in the lowlands. She had a very difficult time with Jasmine’s birth and was in poor health from then on. She appeared to lose all her zest for life.’

None of this squared with the eulogy to Felicity that Veronica had given. She’d described her as a human dynamo, not a wilting flower.

Arthur swung his legs round and leaned back into the deckchair so Evie could no longer see his face. ‘Veronica and I were posted to Penang around the same time the Barringtons arrived. As we’re similar ages, naturally we became friends. It was sad to watch as Felicity faded away. She was always ill. One thing after another. Coping with a baby was too much for her so she left the care of Jasmine to a servant and grew more and more listless. It was as though she had no interest in anything or anyone. Almost as if she were willing herself to die. An extraordinary business. She contracted malaria and had no strength to fight it. Doug sent the child away to be cared for by the nuns and threw himself into running the business, so we rarely saw him in town any more. Jasmine was just three or four. ’