Page 51 of The Sapphire Child
‘But at least something good might come out of this horrible situation,’ said Stella. ‘Then you can marry properly and not be the victims of unkind gossip.’
Esmie smiled at last. ‘Yes, I long for that, but...’
Stella waited for her to elaborate.
After a pause, Esmie shrugged. ‘It just makes Tom feel more guilty towards Andrew – that he has to give him up in order to marry me. Lydia still manages to manipulate Tom even after all these years.’ She let out an agonised sigh. ‘I fear he may grow to resent me for it later.’
‘He won’t,’ Stella cried. ‘MrLomax adores you!’
‘Oh, Stella, you are such a tonic.’ Esmie gave her a tearful smile. ‘I’m so glad you are back.’
Stella smiled. ‘And so am I.’
Chapter 19
The Raj Hotel, January 1934
Dear Andy,
Happy New Year! My New Year’s resolution is to write to you again. I’m not sure if you ever got any of the letters I wrote to you after I returned to India at the end of the monsoon season. Perhaps they weren’t sent on to you at school? At least I know from your father that you are well and enjoying school in Durham. I haven’t seen him since the start of the cold season but Esmie tells me he’s started painting again, which is good.
Stella paused, wondering if she should mention Esmie. Things had been far from well when she’d returned to The Raj-in-the-Hills for the final month before it closed for the season. Tom had abruptly disappeared with a hunting rifle. Esmie had been frantic, but Felix had assured her that Tom had taken a tent and had gone on shikar. Tom had turned up four days later, contrite that he’d made them worry so much.
‘I’m sorry, Esmie. I should have told you I was going hunting. I thought you’d guess...It’s what I used to do as a young man, remember?’
‘Not since I’ve known you, Tom.’
Later, Esmie had confided in Stella. ‘Does Tom seem confused to you? It’s as if he thought I was his first wife, Mary. He’s never gone on shikar since he’s been with me.’
‘Perhaps he’s worried about Andrew,’ Stella had said. ‘Things will get better once the hotel closes and you have time together. Perhaps you should take him away for a change of scene?’
But the Lomaxes hadn’t gone away. Tom didn’t want to leave Gulmarg, telling Esmie he felt safe in the mountains. Instead, he had begun to spend time in his studio, painting.
‘Your talk of Dawan and his colourful art has inspired Tom again,’ a delighted Esmie had said to Stella.
Stella had returned to Rawalpindi encouraged that all would be well between the Lomaxes.
She returned to the letter.
Do you visit The Anchorage? I wonder which artists are there at the moment? I’m sure Dawan will be. Did he ever finish that one of your aunt as the goddess Manjusri? How is your Auntie Tibby? Please pass on my best wishes to her when you next see her.
The residents here are just the same as ever – Ansom and Fritters are twittering like a couple of parrots over the imminent arrival of a new guest because he’s an Indian. Pa is trying to reassure them that he’s a retired Gurkha soldier and so one of the British army’s elite – and also Nepalese, not Indian. But Fritters keeps muttering about being attacked in the night by a kukri-wielding native. Jimmy thinks Fritters is a bit jealous because the Gurkha was probably a much better soldier than he was.
Talking of Jimmy, my brother has been courting the same girl now for eight months, which is a record for him. She’s called Yvonne Harvey and works in Lovell’s haberdashery. She’s pretty with short wavy dark hair like Clara Bow and seems quite sweet – she’s definitely smitten on Jimmy and even goes to watch him play cricket on her rare Saturday afternoons off. Must be love.
Stella put down her pen and sighed. She wasn’t going to tell Andrew how disappointed she was never to have heard again from Hugh. Even if she couldn’t be sure that her letter to his sister in Dublin had been delivered, she had also written to him care of the Agricultural Department in Quetta in Baluchistan. Perhaps he had extended his leave? Or maybe he had been moved to another posting?
But even if he had, his mail would have been sent on and he could have replied. She had to face the likelihood that Hugh was no longer interested in pursuing a friendship with her; he had written on a whim and hadn’t really meant what he’d said about wanting her to be his girl.
Lydia had never sent on the precious letter from Hugh, and over the intervening months Stella had begun to forget exactly what he’d written. Perhaps she had read too much into it and had mistaken his friendly banter for something more serious. For Stella, it had been the most thrilling experience of her life. But perhaps for Hugh it hadn’t been anything more than a friendship over card games and a few pleasurable kisses that had helped him while away the long hours of inactivity.
Picking up her pen again, she began to write about her day-to-day life at the hotel.
Ma and Pa are fine – although Pa always finds the cold season difficult as his chesty cough comes back. The weather has been wet and windy, but that didn’t stop the British from enjoying the usual festive cheer of Christmas parties and New Year dances.
I hope you had a happy time in Ebbsmouth. Give my regards to your mother and grandmother. Write to me when you get the chance and tell me how you are getting on at Dunelm School. Give my best to Noel and his grandparents too.
Love from Stella x
