The Pearl of Penang by Clare Flynn (best books to read for students txt) 📗

me to marry him by letter, completely out of the blue. And it was a very short letter at that.’ She looked down, embarrassed, and kicked her legs back and forth lightly against the parapet. ‘Things are good between us now… I think… but at first… it was jolly hard. I assumed he found it hard to accept me after the loss of his wife and… well…he’s not the kind of man who talks a lot.’

Mary laughed. ‘Your typical Englishman. You don’t need to tell me. I’ve seen enough of them here. The English public school system has a lot to answer for.’

Evie nodded. ‘He was educated at Eton. They don’t exactly go out of their way to help boys express their feelings. And I’ve only just discovered that his mother died when he was ten and his father would have nothing to do with him and packed him off to school.’

‘That’s a familiar story here. Not necessarily that parents don’t want to have their children around them, but that they send them off to boarding schools back in Britain and only get to see them for a few weeks every year. As a result, most of the men out here have never grown up properly – they behave as if they’re still at boarding school and they haven’t a clue how to talk to women. We’re an alien species!’ Mary cocked her head in the direction of the big pool where a group of young men were horsing around, whooping and yelling while carrying each other on their shoulders and ducking one another under the water. ‘They leave the tender embrace of their mothers and amahs for a regime of ‘six of the best’, tightly reined-in emotions, and playing pranks.’

‘Douglas isn’t the prank-playing type.’ Evie laughed lightly. ‘He’s quite the opposite. Rather serious. Apart from business, he has little time for socialising at all. His only real friend is Arthur Leighton and I think they get on because they’re so different.’ She felt an illicit thrill to be mentioning Arthur’s name. ‘Probably because Arthur didn’t go to public school.’

‘He’s done extremely well for himself.’

‘He’s a clever man.’ Evie told herself she had to stop this urge to speak about Arthur. She didn’t want to give away her still-present feelings for him. Forcing herself back to the topic of Douglas and Jasmine, where the conversation had begun, she said, ‘Anyway, what I was saying, is that it’s often been quite tricky for my husband and I to understand each other, but things are so much better. Christmas was really special.’

Mary Helston looked wistful. ‘I find Christmas hard. It reminds me of how much I’ve lost.’ She leaned back, setting her mouth in a firm line. ‘Better not to dwell on all that.’

Evie had been about to tell Mary that she was expecting a child but decided now was not the best moment. Mary would have to know eventually, and Evie wanted her to be the first outside the immediate family.

Jasmine and Penny rushed up, full of excitement, bursting with energy and spraying water everywhere as they approached. Evie wrapped a towel around Jasmine and rubbed her dry as Mary did the same for Penny. The two little girls giggled and jostled each other.

‘She is!’ whispered Penny. ‘Ask her, if you don’t believe me.’

‘She isn’t,’ said Jasmine.

Penny jerked a shoulder against her friend. ‘I bet she is. My mummy’s always right.’

‘Right about what?’ Mary Helston asked, provoking another fit of giggles from the two girls.

Jasmine struggled free from the towel and put her hands on her hips. ‘All right.’ She faced Evie. ‘Penny says you’re going to have a baby.’

‘What?’ Evie could feel her face turning the colour of a beetroot.

‘I heard Mummy telling Daddy. She said Mrs Leighton told her that Mr Barrington’s new wife was expecting a baby. Then Daddy said, “That was quick work” and said that Mr Barrington didn’t waste any time. Jasmine says it isn’t true but Mummy told Daddy that Mrs Leighton had it from the horse’s mouth. But that’s silly as babies don’t come from horse’s mouths, they come from ladies’ tummies.’

‘No, they don’t.’ Jasmine pouted. ‘That’s just daft. The nuns told me the stork flies down from heaven and leaves them under a gooseberry bush.’

Scarlet-faced, Evie looked at Mary, unsure what to say or do.

Mary Helston took charge. ‘Penny Cameron, how many times have I told you not to spread tittle tattle? If Mrs Barrington is expecting a baby it’s up to her to tell whoever she chooses when she thinks fit. Nothing good comes to people who tell tales and talk behind other people’s backs. If and when Mrs Barrington is going to have a baby she’ll tell Jasmine herself. I don’t want to have to mention this again. What do you say to Mrs Barrington?’

Penny looked sheepish. ‘Sorry, Mrs Barrington.’

Jasmine rolled her eyes as if to say I told you so. The two girls took each other’s hand and ran off into the sunshine to join the other children.

‘Thank you,’ said Evie. ‘I didn’t know what to say. I was taken aback.’

‘Is it true?’

‘Yes. But I didn’t tell Veronica Leighton. She waltzed in on Christmas evening and tried to force copious amounts of gin on me. Maybe it’s because of being pregnant but the very thought of drinking makes me feel sick these days, so I refused, and she jumped to conclusions. I neither confirmed nor denied, and I’m pretty sure Douglas wouldn’t have done either.’ Then Evie remembered she’d told Arthur. Had he broken his promise and told Veronica after all? If so, that probably meant he had also lied about not telling his wife about their meeting on the beach. But before she could dwell on this, she felt Mary’s arms enveloping her.

‘Oh, Evie, that’s marvellous news! I’m so happy for you. When did you find out?’

‘I saw the doctor just before Christmas and I only told Douglas on Christmas Eve.’

‘He must be thrilled.’

‘Yes, he is. I was going