‘Pull over, please, Benny.’ They came to a stop outside a large Indian fabric store. ‘I won’t be long.’

Inside, it was an Aladdin’s cave of fabric. A vast array of saris, woven and embroidered silks, bright colourful cotton sarongs, bolts of linen, voiles and muslin, as well as khaki cotton for the shorts that all the European men wore.

She selected some plain white Egyptian cotton and a small piece of black silk, delicately embroidered with Chinese dragons. Adding a couple of skeins of embroidery thread and some silk cord, she went to the counter to have the fabric measured and cut, then paid for her purchases. She would work on her gifts in the evenings after Jasmine had gone to bed.

A few days later, Evie made a trip to the doctor’s. She had missed her period two or three times and it eventually dawned on her that she might be pregnant. Terrified that it might prove to be a false hope, she was a bag of nerves as she sat in the waiting room.

She’d never needed to visit a doctor before and was self-conscious about being examined by a strange man, but told herself if the news was good it would be worth it.

The news was good. Dr Oates, a jovial character with a shock of white hair and a broad smile, asked her a few questions, made a quick examination of her breasts and pronounced that she was indeed expecting a baby.

‘I’d say baby should be ready to greet the world in June or July next year.’

‘What happens now? Do I have to have plenty of rest?’

‘Only as much as you feel you need. I’m a great believer in the benefits of regular exercise – even for expectant mothers. Pregnancy is not an illness.’

Walking home – she had not wanted Benny to know about the visit to the doctor – Evie was euphoric. At last she could tell Douglas what he wanted to hear. For once he would have to acknowledge she had done something right.

She wanted to choose the right moment to tell him the news. Of course, that depended on him being in George Town.

In the run-up to Christmas, Penang was an endless whirl of parties, concerts and dinners. Evie was grateful that she could use the excuse of Doug’s absence to avoid most of them. Perhaps it was her condition, but she had lost any inclination for alcohol – not that she’d been a great drinker before. The festivities included several organised by Jasmine’s school – but these Evie had no wish to duck. Her telephone calls failed to persuade Douglas to come across from the mainland to watch all or any of the school concert, a recital by the choir in which Jasmine performed a solo, sports’ day and the obligatory nativity play, in which his daughter was to play an angel. Evie knew if she told him about the baby he would probably come, but this was about Jasmine and she was irritated that he considered it too much trouble to witness his daughter’s performances.