Page 95 of The Sapphire Child
The Raj-in-the-Hills, mid-October 1941
Stella had an anxious week awaiting a reply from Hugh’s head office in Calcutta. She had a letter written and waiting to send, depending on where they said Hugh was. Still no communication had come from her fiancé. She was plagued with fear that something terrible had happened to him; some accident in the jungles of Malaya, or that he had fallen ill with malaria or worse. There must be a reason why he hadn’t written to her.
The day the last of the guests left at the start of the cold season, Tom walked into the office where Esmie and Stella were doing bookkeeping. He was holding a telegram in his hand.
‘It’s from Calcutta,’ he said, handing it over to Stella unopened. ‘You should be the one to read it.’
Stella took it with trembling hands, her pulse racing.
‘Would you like to be left alone?’ Esmie asked. ‘Tom and I can wait outside.’
‘No, please stay,’ Stella said at once. She took the letter opener, cut the envelope and pulled out the message.
Keating in Burma – STOP – returning to Malaya – STOP – advise she writes here and I shall forward– STOP – was unaware he has fiancée – STOP – Arthur Lamont
Stella swallowed hard. She felt dizzy with relief that Hugh was all right.
‘He’s been in Burma,’ she said. ‘That’s why he hasn’t written – and he won’t have got any of my letters for ages either. I thought something dreadful must have happened...’
She handed the telegram to Esmie, who read it and gave it to Tom.
Esmie said, ‘I’m thankful to hear he’s just been busy and travelling, but you mustn’t waste any time in writing to him about your situation.’
Tom was frowning. ‘What’s all this about Lamont not knowing Keating has a fiancée?’
Stella blushed. ‘There was so little time before he went to Singapore that he mustn’t have mentioned it.’
Esmie added, ‘Men don’t talk about these things like women do.’
Tom looked incredulous. ‘Well, I think it’s odd that Keating wouldn’t have told his colleagues of something so important.’
‘Just because this man hasn’t heard,’ said Esmie, ‘doesn’t mean MrKeating hasn’t told others.’
‘But why does Stella have to write to Calcutta?’ Tom continued to fret. ‘Why couldn’t he give a forwarding address?’
‘Because Hugh’s moving about so much,’ Esmie pointed out.
‘How do we know Lamont is going to pass on any letters?’ said Tom.
‘Oh, Tom!’ Esmie grew exasperated. ‘Because he says he will. I’m sure he’s perfectly reliable.’
Stella hated to see them arguing over her; it was her problem and she must sort it out. The last thing she wanted was to make Tom ill again.
‘I’ll send my letter at once,’ said Stella, ‘and I’m sure it’ll be sent on swiftly by head office. They must be sending post daily to their agents abroad. Please don’t worry, MrLomax. I know my Hugh and he’ll do what’s right when he hears from me.’
That day, she sent off the letter to Hugh telling him that she was expecting his baby and urging him to return quickly to marry her.
Chapter 35
Ebbsmouth, November 1941
Andrew’s departure was delayed until mid-November. Recent torpedoing of ships in the Mediterranean had meant it was deemed unsafe to risk a large convoy of troops to be taken east using the Suez Canal, so they were to travel the longer route around the Cape. The welcome reprieve gave him another snatched leave with his mother and grandmother – and also with Felicity.
Two days after Lydia had invited her round for lunch the previous month, Felicity had engineered for Andrew to stay over at her house one night. In the blacked-out rambling villa, she had come to his bedroom, armed with ‘French letters’, and seduced him. It had been very pleasurable.
‘Better than doing it in the back of your mother’s car, then?’ she had teased him, her tone triumphant.
‘Much better,’ he had agreed.
