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

The only relief was in swimming – a blessed opportunity to cool down, the weight of her belly supported by the buoyancy of the water. According to the doctor, swimming would also help strengthen her back. Going regularly to the Penang Swimming Club in the mornings, she was unlikely to run into Arthur Leighton at that time of day, when he would be occupied in his office or out travelling. Evie was still careful to avoid finding herself alone with him.

It would have been over-generous to claim that things were harmonious between her and Douglas. He did seem to be making a greater effort, but there were still times when his impatience flared. In line with their agreement, he returned to George Town every Friday evening and remained until the early hours of Monday morning. Much of the time though, he was closeted in his study, working on papers at his desk. He had also begun to play tennis again regularly – mostly with Arthur.

At Evie’s urging, Doug was starting to spend more time with Jasmine, occasionally coaching her at tennis, and joining them both on Sunday afternoon trips to the Penang Swimming Club. He had also helped his daughter to finish their joint construction project and the completed Bayko house had a permanent place in Jasmine’s bedroom.

Jasmine was thriving. She and Penny had joined the Brownies and were happily involved in the weekly meetings, as well as working towards their activity badges. Since one of these was basic first aid, both Evie and Douglas were frequently subjected to their arms being bandaged-up in slings and having imaginary wounds treated.

So, on the surface, all was well in the Barrington household, but Evie had to constantly remind herself of what the monk had said, particularly about Yin and Yang. Douglas and she definitely embodied marked differences in temperament and interests, so it was a continual struggle for her to attempt to understand him and embrace those differences. Trying to become close to a man who was intensely private, afraid to express his emotions, and whose greatest passion in life was growing rubber, was proving a challenge. Evie was all too aware that her husband was often impatient with her, irritated by her questions and her desire for conversation. She kept telling herself it was impossible to expect that a man of few words would be capable of changing into one who shared her interests and was ready to talk about them.

On the long silent evenings when, after Jasmine was tucked up in bed, Evie sat in the drawing room with her husband, she mostly read a book, while he rustled his way through the Straits Times, smoked his pipe and drank whisky. It was at times like these, alone with Douglas in a silence broken only by the sound of a ticking clock, that Evie couldn’t help her thoughts straying to Arthur Leighton, imagining how different it would be if it were him sitting opposite her. With Arthur the time flew by, without her noticing. They never lacked topics for conversation, each interested in what the other had to say. Arthur didn’t have the repressed emotions of Doug – in fact Evie suspected Arthur had a constant battle to keep a lid on them. She forced her attention back to the room, to her husband, to the father of her unborn child. Instead of wasting time on what might have been, she must focus all her energy on building a future with Doug.

They rarely went out. Neither of them enjoyed the mindless pursuit of pleasure by the Europeans in Penang. It jarred with Evie that while, back in England, people were coping with the blackout and rationing, here there were plentiful supplies of food and drink and a constant round of parties. It seemed sybaritic and selfish when there was a war on.

Occasionally they entertained at home, Douglas needing to talk business with dealers, inspectors and other estate owners, more conducive over a good dinner. Once or twice, when one of their guests was a single man or visiting Penang without his wife, she invited Mary Helston to make up the numbers. But it was apparent that Mary came because she didn’t like to refuse, and clearly felt uncomfortable if there was any possibility the man might see her as fair game, or if she suspected Evie of trying to matchmake. Evie was sad that Mary was alone, but her friend assured her that she was perfectly happy with her unmarried state, living with her parents.

Evie managed to avoid inviting the Leightons to these dinners unless Doug absolutely insisted on their presence. The hostilities between her and Veronica had not abated. But she couldn’t keep putting her husband off when he enjoyed Arthur’s company. And were she wholly honest with herself, she did too. With Arthur at the table, she was guaranteed an interesting evening, although whenever he left, Evie felt deflated, bereft, and wishing that it were he who shared her life.

She and Douglas began to share a bed again after a couple of months had passed. He was nervous, tentative around her, afraid that making love might harm the baby, even though she reassured him that the doctor said it would be fine. There had been no further blood spotting and the doctor had said, as long as they were careful there was no reason not to continue having sexual relations until about six weeks before the birth. Yet there was no excitement in their lovemaking. If anything, it had returned to the mechanical motions of the early days of their marriage and became less frequent as time went on and her pregnancy advanced. Evie suspected that he found her inflated body and swollen belly unappealing. For her part, his presence in bed was tiresome – the heat was bad enough without his body beside hers making it worse.

By April, Evie was seven months pregnant and feeling increasingly tired, when an invitation arrived from Rowena and Bertie Cameron