Page 145 of The Secrets of the Tea Garden

Danny’s face brightened. ‘Would you do that?’

‘Of course.’ Libby smiled. ‘I’ll send Dad the details Flowers gave me so he can pass them on to MrFairfax.’

‘That would be splendid!’ Danny beamed. ‘You see, if we’re ever to go home to Britain, I need to prove my British blood. I won’t get a passport otherwise.’

Winnie rolled her eyes at Libby but didn’t contradict her husband. Libby suspected that Flowers and her mother thought the best way to deal with Danny’s preoccupation with leaving India was to ignore it.

Just as Libby was thinking of going, Flowers arrived. They hugged affectionately.

‘Come and tell me all your news while I change out of my uniform,’ said Flowers, ushering her out of the sitting room. In the bedroom, she closed the door and said, ‘Now you can tell me how things really are. How is your father?’

While Flowers discarded her work clothes, Libby told her everything that had happened in the intervening weeks – about her father’s decision to retire and go back to England, Sophie coming to stay at Belgooree and Libby’s plan to visit one last time before returning to Newcastle to re-join her family.

‘I assume Dad’s settling down okay as he hasn’t had time to write – unless there’s a letter waiting at Belgooree.’

‘So you’re definitely going home after Independence?’ asked Flowers.

‘I promised Dad I would. There’s no home in Assam any more.’ Libby tried to sound more positive than she felt. ‘Anyway, it’ll be good to see all the family back together again.’

‘And Ghulam?’ Flowers said. ‘Have you seen him since you came back to Calcutta?’

Libby nodded, her eyes stinging.

‘Didn’t it go well?’ Flowers scrutinised her.

Libby said, ‘At first, yes. Your idea of writing to him was wonderful. We wrote to each other almost daily. I fell in love with him completely.’

‘So what happened when you met up again?’

Libby told her about the happenings of the past few days, from the trip to the refugee centre and rescuing the girl, to staying with the Khans and the appalling murder on their doorstep. Flowers was horrified.

‘Right outside Amelia Buildings?’ she gasped. ‘How simply ghastly.’

‘Ghulam just wants me gone now,’ Libby said unhappily, ‘and I can’t blame him. I’m just someone else he has to worry about if I stay. And he knows I’m leaving India soon, so there can’t be any future in our relationship. But the thing is, I think about him constantly. I ... Two nights ago we ...’

Flowers, in her slip, sat down on the bed next to Libby and put a hand on her arm. ‘You what?’ she asked, looking alarmed.

‘We made love,’ Libby admitted.

‘Oh, Libby!’ Flowers’s eyes widened in shock. ‘And now he’s had his fun he’s sending you away?’

‘It’s not like that,’ Libby said, stung by Flower’s comment. ‘He’s thinking of my safety. It was me who pushed him into going to bed. He’s not a womaniser like George.’

Flowers flushed. ‘George has calmed down since his divorce came through.’

Libby looked at Flowers in surprise. ‘Have you two been dating?’

Flowers gave her a bashful smile. ‘We still go dancing now and again. I sometimes think ...’

‘Think what?’

Flowers sighed. ‘Oh, nothing.’ She stood up and continued changing into a slim-fitting flowery silk dress.

‘I was thinking of asking George if he wanted to visit Belgooree with me,’ said Libby. ‘His Aunt Clarrie would love to see him and it might make the celebrations on the fifteenth more jolly. I’ve left a message for him to contact me at Alipore but it’s not giving him much notice.’

Flowers gave her a direct look. ‘Well, you can ask him in an hour or so.’

Libby glanced at her questioningly.