8
The door closed as Jasmine left the room, and Mary looked across at her husband, who put down his copy of the Straits Times and moved to join her on the sofa. He was a tall man, who before the war had carried too many pounds, but his years of near- starvation in Changi had melted away the weight and he hadn’t regained it. While no one would describe him as handsome, unlike his late RAF pilot brother, Reggie had an interesting face, characterful, kind. He was the sort of man you didn’t notice – until you did.
‘Is the lass going to be all right?’ he asked. ‘You don’t think she’s regretting all this, do you? She was very quiet over dinner.’
‘It’s been a long day for her and it was obviously painful saying goodbye to Evie this morning. But I’m sure she’ll settle soon enough. Coming here w
