Evie wanted to ask how Douglas had behaved towards Felicity, but that would be going too far.

But Susan evidently had no such compunctions herself. ‘I couldn’t understand how they’d come to be married, actually. She struck me as whiny and miserable. And a bit haughty too. As the wife of the tuan, one’s expected to be a hostess and to put on a good show. She didn’t strike me as being interested in any of that. She barely exchanged two words with me. It was frightfully strained. I couldn’t wait to get away.’ She beamed at Evie. ‘Not like you at all.’

They sipped their lemonades. Evie liked the sour tang of it, the sharpness cutting through the initial sweetness. ‘Did you make this yourself?’

‘Heavens no.’ Susan grimaced. ‘I’m completely useless in the kitchen. We’re lucky with Sulung. He’s a terrific cook. How’s your “cookie”?’

Evie rolled her eyes. ‘He’s very good. But the housekeeper, who I think is his wife, is a bit scary. She’s a Chinese lady – Aunty Mimi. I’ve no idea whose aunty she is.’

‘All the Chinese ladies seem to be called aunty.’

‘But I’ve no complaints regarding her work.’

Susan arched her back and slipped her hands behind her. ‘Don’t mind me. It’s getting harder to get comfortable, lugging all this bulk about.’ She paused a moment. ‘I must say, Evie, I think you’re awfully brave.’

‘What do you mean?’ For a moment Evie thought she was talking about coping with Aunty Mimi.

‘Coming out here to such a different life. And taking on someone else’s child into the bargain.’

‘Oh that.’ Evie felt deflated. Was this yet another person who was secretly thinking she must have been desperate to have agreed to marry Douglas? ‘Jasmine is a lovely girl. I’m already very fond of her.’

‘But you can’t have known Mr Barrington well. He hasn’t left the Straits in years.’

Evie looked at the woman, expecting to see the contempt she had seen in the eyes of Veronica and the ladies gathered in the powder room at the Penang Club, but instead she saw only kind concern and interest.

‘We had met a long time ago and more recently we… we corresponded.’ She knew it was something of an exaggeration to describe two curt letters as corresponding, but she didn’t want to admit the truth.

‘How romantic!’ Susan clasped her hands together. ‘Mr Barrington is frightfully handsome, if you don’t mind my saying. I do hope everything works out well for you both. He must have been dreadfully lonely. Of course he’d never admit that. Men never do.’ She flapped a hand at a flying insect. ‘I’m so fortunate with Reggie. We’ve been sweethearts since childhood. I knew we’d eventually marry. I suppose I also knew we’d end up out here – or somewhere in the colonies. All his school and university friends are planters or in the colonial service.’

The conversation was cut short when Hyde-Underwood and Douglas stepped onto the veranda.