Page 92 of The Sapphire Child
‘Let’s hope you will be soon, lassie.’
The women sought out Tom in his studio. His reaction was more forthright.
‘How dare he take advantage of you?’ he fulminated. ‘And to think he was doing so under our noses! I thought he was more honourable than that. And I didn’t think you would be that foolish, Stella. You’ve always been so sensible.’
Stella cringed at his rebuke. ‘I’m sorry you’ve had to be brought into this situation and I know I’ve behaved badly, but we were engaged...’
‘I’m not blaming you,’ said Tom. ‘It’s Keating’s fault for not showing restraint—’
‘Tom!’ Esmie interrupted. ‘Getting angry isn’t going to change anything. Stella needs our help.’
Tom stopped pacing around the hut and looked at his wife in amazement. Then he ran a hand over his haggard face. ‘I’m sorry. It’s just the shock. Of course we’ll stand by you, dear girl. You’re one of the family.’
‘Thank you,’ said Stella, her eyes brimming with tears at his defence of her.
‘We need to find out quickly where MrKeating is,’ said Esmie, ‘and make him aware of the situation.’
‘I haven’t heard from him in six weeks,’ Stella said, ‘so I’m not even sure he’s still in Singapore. He may be somewhere else in Malaya.’
‘I’ll send a wire to McSween and Watson in Calcutta,’ Tom said at once.
‘That’s what I thought we should do,’ agreed Esmie.
‘I should have done that before,’ Stella admitted, ‘but I didn’t want to make a fuss until I was sure...’
‘Well, I’m not afraid of making a fuss on your behalf,’ said Tom stoutly. ‘We must track Keating down and make him face up to his responsibilities.’
Chapter 33
Ebbsmouth, October 1941
‘Are you in the army now?’ Minnie asked, smiling at Andrew in bemusement. She was dead-heading geraniums in the conservatory while Andrew held a basket for her.
‘Andrew’s been with the Borderers for three years now, Mother!’ Lydia said in exasperation. ‘How many times do I have to tell you?’
‘Have you?’ Minnie exclaimed. ‘You do look very smart in your uniform, Tom.’
His mother retorted, ‘For goodness’ sake, it’s Andrew, not Tom. It’s your grandson!’
‘It’s all right, Grandmamma, you can call me what you want,’ Andrew said quickly. His grandmother often mistook him for his father or muddled up their names.
‘I don’t know what I’m going to tell her once you’ve gone,’ Lydia said reproachfully. ‘She’ll be asking where you are every five minutes.’
‘I am here, Lydia dear,’ said Minnie. ‘You don’t have to talk about me as if I’m not.’
His grandmother’s memory might be failing but she was still attuned to people’s moods.
‘So where are you going?’ Minnie asked him.
‘I’m being posted out east,’ Andrew explained again. ‘India.’
‘Ah, India!’ Minnie seized on the name. ‘Jumbo and I had a lovely holiday there when your mother was first married. What was the name of the place, dear?’
‘Pindi,’ said Lydia.
‘That’s it. Pindi. We stayed at a rather quaint hotel. What was it called?’
Lydia rolled her eyes.
