‘Veronica, they won’t let us off the train. Apparently we’re to be taken straight to a ship and packed off to Australia. Can you speak to someone? Susan here doesn’t want to leave without Reggie. He’s driving down from Penang. And I want to stay with my friends.’ She gestured towards the platform where Mary had seated her mother on a bench while she tried to locate their suitcases.

‘There are to be no exemptions from the evacuation order, Evie,’ Veronica said briskly. ‘I’d even managed to get you a hotel room which was a bloody miracle, but they’re adamant you can’t get off the train. Frightfully sorry. You’re going to Batavia first where you’ll be put on a ship for Perth. It’s all arranged.’

Evie saw Susan was in tears beside her. Behind them Stanford had started wailing. She leaned out of the window to speak to Veronica again. ‘Can’t you pull some strings? Not for me. Just for Susan. Her husband will be here in a day or so. She doesn’t want to be separated.’

‘No strings left to pull, darling.’ Veronica lowered her voice to make sure only Evie could hear her. ‘And when her husband gets here he’ll be expected to stay and fight. We may have lost Penang but they aren’t going to give up Singapore. For some reason, the army hasn’t even attempted to defend the Perak River. Arthur said the plan was to dig in there and hold the positions but I heard just now from a chap I know in Percival’s office that they’ve just upped sticks and headed south.’

Evie stared at her. Abandoning Penang had been inconceivable but it had just happened. It seemed Britain was walking out on the entire country. She looked back into the carriage where Jasmine was sitting patiently with Hugh in her arms. The children had to come first. She had to get them out. Slipping an arm around Susan she said, ‘We have to do as they say and get the children to safety.’

In her anxiety about being held on the train, Evie had forgotten about the Helstons. She looked over Veronica’s head to the crowds of refugees moving through the station but Mary and her mother had disappeared.

‘What’s happening to everyone else?’ she asked Veronica. ‘My friend Mary and her mother were travelling with us.’

‘I don’t know yet. But there’s plenty of work to be done. Once the mothers and children are gone, they’ll probably ship anyone else out who wants to go, but most people will be staying on here I imagine. We need men to fight and women to help in the hospitals and so on.’

‘What will you do?’

Veronica shrugged. ‘I’m rather enjoying myself actually. Life had got frightfully dull lately. Nothing like a bit of war to spice things up and keep one busy.’ Her voice was chirpy. It was as if she had long been waiting for a chance to play this role and was enjoying it immensely.