On a Turning Tide by Ellie Dean

Author:Ellie Dean
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Random House

Peggy frowned. ‘I don’t understand. What’s Petaling Street?’

‘It’s a shanty slum area and red-light district of Kuala Lumpur,’ said Sarah. ‘Pops was making it clear that conditions were dire in the camp, and used the example because the Japs wouldn’t know what he was talking about.’

‘I can’t believe your mother kept this from you all this time,’ said Peggy, returning the letter to her. ‘What on earth did she think she’d gain by it?’

‘She explains further on in the letter that as there was no mention of Philip, she’d hoped there would be a card from him too, and then she could give me even better news. She didn’t want me to lose hope, you see,’ she added softly.

‘Oh, Sarah,’ Peggy sighed, taking her hand, lost for any words of real comfort.

Sarah squeezed her fingers in reply and pushed back from the table. ‘There’s nothing I can do about it, Aunt Peggy. That card was written so long ago, anything could have happened to him since.’

‘At least we know he survived Changi prison,’ said Cordelia. ‘So we mustn’t give up hope that at least one of them might come home.’ She kissed Sarah’s cheek. ‘I wish I could do or say something to ease your worries, Sarah, but the Fullers are a strong and determined lot and my brother’s son is no exception, I’m sure.’

Sarah kissed her back and pulled on her coat. ‘I have to go to work,’ she muttered. ‘Don’t worry about me, either of you. Nothing’s really changed. I’ll just have to wait and see what happens when this war is over.’

There was a heavy silence in the kitchen once Sarah had left. Cordelia wiped her eyes on her handkerchief and purposefully returned to reading her newspaper, clearly not wanting to discuss her nephew’s plight.

Peggy fretted about what all this was doing to young Sarah. She was already between the devil and the deep, and her mother’s shattering revelation must have hit her hard. Silly woman, keeping a thing like that to herself, she thought crossly. And what on earth possessed her to tell Sarah now when the news out of Burma and Siam is proving to be so horrific?

Peggy realised she had no answer to any of it and was as much in the dark as Sarah and Cordelia, so she finished her cup of tea with a cigarette and watched Daisy playing with her new doll.

There was still no sign of Ron or Harvey by the time she’d finished the dishes, mopped the floor and made her bed, so Peggy went down to check on the ferrets. If he’d slept here last night their bedding would have been freshened before he left for his morning walk – if he’d been at Rosie’s, then she’d have to do it. It really was the limit never knowing where he was from one night to the next.

Ron’s bed was made and it looked as if the two ferrets had clean bedding, so that was one thing less to worry about.

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