9
When Evie came down for breakfast the following morning she was surprised to find Douglas still at the table, reading the Straits Times. After their argument last night, she’d expected him to have risen early and already left, avoiding an embarrassing encounter.
He looked up as she came in. ‘I’ve given Benny the day off once he’s dropped Jasmine at school. We can drive up to the estate at Bellavista and collect her on our way back.’
Evie was astonished. Fearing he might change his mind again if she hesitated, she hurried through her breakfast, put on some sensible flat shoes and they set off.
The road to the rubber estate was rough and winding, slowly climbing up through the hills at the centre of the island. Instead of the sleek vehicle that she had been driven in by Benny, they tra
