Evie sat alone, applauding enthusiastically and trying to put on as bright a face as possible for the little girl, who was inevitably disappointed at her father’s absence.

In the school hall, looking round the room as the choir sang, Evie noticed there was a reasonable turnout of fathers. Attendance had been almost universal when it came to the sports day, with her husband one of the few absentees.

Douglas was never unkind towards Jasmine. It was more a case of benign neglect, paying her less attention than he paid to his dog, Badger. Occasionally Evie caught him looking at the child as if she were a curiosity. Maybe he was looking for similarities with her mother? Evie never dared ask. Most of the time though, he ignored the little girl, tolerating her chatter but rarely engaging with it.

There was one seasonal event that Douglas didn’t shirk. On Christmas Eve, a mixed doubles tournament took place each year at the tennis club. Evie discovered that the tradition was for husbands to partner their wives. She remembered that in order to duck out of a social engagement she had lied to Veronica that tennis wasn’t her game. Yes, she hadn’t played in years, but she had once been a formidable force on the court.

‘Do we have to play?’ she asked Douglas. It didn’t seem right that he was able to make time for this but not for any activities at Jasmine’s school.

‘It’s expected.’ He gave an audible sigh. ‘Don’t you play tennis?’

‘Yes. I can play. I just hate those clubby things.’

‘You can go home when we’re knocked out. I’ll have to stay for the prize-giving. My grandfather donated the trophy.’

‘Can’t you play?’

He looked at her as though she were a fly he’d like to swat away. ‘Of course I can play. What do you mean?’

‘You said “when we get knocked out”.’

‘There are one or two good players. The rest don’t take it very seriously. Look, Evie, all we have to do is put in an appearance. I have very little time to play these days.’

‘Were you ever any good?’

‘Penang Tennis Club mens’ singles champion for five years.’

‘Oh, crumbs.’

‘Felicity couldn’t bear to play in the heat. She only played once and we were knocked out in straight sets. So you don’t need to worry that you’ve a lot to live up to.’

‘I’ll do my best. I haven’t played much since school.’

Jasmine was to accompany them, as the Christmas Eve tournament was evidently a family occasion, with a children’s tea laid on and a visit from Father Christmas. The child was thrilled to be included in the excursion, which many of her classmates would be attending too.

As soon as they arrived at the tennis club, Jasmine ran off to join her friends. It was the first time Evie had been in a large gathering with her husband since their awful post-wedding party at the Penang Club. She looked around and saw several faces she remembered from that day. Douglas had timed their arrival so that they wouldn’t have to wait around for long before the matches began and they went straight to the club house where the draw was being made.