A Painter in Penang: A Gripping Story of the Malayan Emergency

by Clare Flynn

So absorbed in her task was she that she didn’t notice Lieutenant Ellis approaching until he was striding across the threshold.

  ‘So, this is your little hidey-hole is it, Miss Barrington? Don’t you get lonely sitting in here all on your own?’ He looked about him. ‘You’d be better off down in George Town than stuck up here in the back of beyond with only a married couple for company. Not exactly the life an attractive young woman dreams of.’

  Jasmine shuddered and wondered what kind of life he thought she dreamt of. The only thing she was sure about was that her dreams didn’t have him in.

  He moved about, lifting objects from her collection, turning them over in his hands and looking at them with a kind of contempt, before replacing them. ‘A bit of a squirrel, are you? Collecting all this rubbish.’ He swept his hand broadly towards the collection of natural objects as though he were about to bark an order for it to be taken away and burnt, then he turned and walked over to the easel.

  Ellis stood for several moments in front of the half-finished portrait of Bintang. He had his back to her so Jasmine couldn’t see his expression but, based on what he had been saying over tiffin, he was hardly likely to approve of her choice of subject.

  He turned to face her. ‘You’re a talented artist. Why waste your time painting a native? Bunch of ugly mugs the lot of them, if you ask me. The world would be a better place if people stuck to their own species. Men like this are only fit to be servants. It’s a waste of time and paint for you to draw one of them. And it might give the fellow ideas above his station. A sense of importance.’ His mouth was curled in that habitual sneer. He noticed the chair where Bintang had sat for the portrait. ‘Did you actually have that native sitting here in the room with you, while you painted him? I must say, Miss Barrington, I think that’s extremely foolish of you. Some of these men are little more than savages.’

  Before Jasmine could reply, Reggie’s voice interrupted them. ‘There you are, Ellis. I thought we’d look at the drying sheds now and then walk down to the entrance gates.’

  Ellis moved towards the open veranda. ‘Take my advice, Miss Barrington. I mean what I say. These natives are not to be trusted.’ Then he strode away in Reggie’s wake.

  * * *

  That evening Jasmine did wear her old beige school dress. While she may have had second thoughts about doing so in Howard’s company, she had no such compunctions in Ellis’s.

  It seemed Mary felt likewise, as she too had made little effort for their guest, wearing one of the everyday baju kurungs she often wore to school. ‘You must take us as you find us I’m afraid, Lieutenant Ellis. We don’t stand on ceremony here at Bella Vista.’

  ‘You wear native clothing, Mrs Hyde-Underwood?’ Ellis’s expression was incredulous. He glanced at Reggie, evidently surprised that the planter permitted his wife to indulge in such folly.

  ‘I have lived almost all my life in Malaya,’ said Mary. ‘There’s good reason that the indigenous people choose to wear these clothes. I’m sure if I were in London I would dress quite differently. But I’m mostly concerned about comfort these days. Not about some tired British convention as to the done thing.’ Her tone was cutting.

  Ellis gaped, mouth open, and Jasmine raised a silent cheer.

  But Lieutenant Slimeball was not to be deterred. ‘I must say, Hyde-Underwood, it’s probably time for you to give these ladies a stiff talking to.’

  ‘Oh yes?’ Reggie raised one eyebrow. ‘And why exactly should I do that?’

  Ellis gave a smirking laugh, but looked embarrassed, as both Mary and Jasmine stared at him, waiting for enlightenment. He cleared his throat and said, ‘We Brits should be flying the flag for the Empire, for King and country, common decency and for the values of the white man. Standards must be kept up. We must lead by example. Never been more important than now.’

  Jasmine opened her mouth to reply but then decided it was better to leave him to get on with it and let Reggie deal with him. If she rose to the bait it would mean engaging in an argument and Slimeball wasn’t worth the effort. She looked at him with undisguised contempt.

  ‘I have to say, Hyde-Underwood, I may be here to report and recommend on security measures but part of that is running a tight ship and keeping up standards. If you give natives an inch, they’ll take a mile. As the superior race we need to give the blighters something to aspire to and look up to. I must say I was shocked that you permit Miss Barrington to spend time alone with your servants, painting their portraits. Not appropriate at all. And a man at that. What would her mother think?’

  Unable to contain herself any longer, Jasmine said, ‘My mother would be delighted to know I was getting to know Malayan people. She would be proud of me and has never had time for snobbery or people who look down on other human beings.’

  ‘Hear hear!’ Reggie boomed across the table. ‘Who have you been painting, Jasmine? I must come along and have a look.’

  Mary spoke. ‘She’s painting Bintang and a jolly good likeness it is too.’

  ‘You approve?’ Ellis spluttered.

  ‘Jasmine is an accomplished artist.’ Mary leaned forward and patted Jasmine’s hand. ‘Both Reggie and I are proud of her. And Bintang is one of our most trusted employees. Jasmine is doing his portrait as a gift for his grandmother. Bintang’s parents were killed during the war.’ She smiled at Ellis. ‘Where are you from Lieutenant Ellis? And where were you posted before Malaya?’ It was a clear dismissal of his line of questioning.

  Ellis narrowed his eyes, his bushy brows almost meeting, evidently annoyed at the sudden change in conversation. ‘I come from Essex originally. During the war I was in North Africa. I’ve been in Palestine since the end of the war. As you can imagine, my experience with the civil unrest there will stand me in good stead in Malaya.’

  ‘Are you from a military family?’ Mary asked.

  ‘Not as such. Although my father fought in the First War.’

  The group lapsed into silence. Normally Jasmine and the Hyde-Underwoods would have had a relaxed conversation over dinner, comfortable in each other’s presence, but none of them wanted to have that kind of intimate familial banter with Ellis in the room. It was apparent that both Reggie and Mary felt the same way about the officer as Jasmine did.

  The tension was broken by Jinjiang bringing in the pudding.

  ‘That was delicious, JJ,’ said Reggie. ‘First class. The pork was cooked perfectly.’

  Mary and Jasmine were equally effusive and Jinjiang looked taken aback at the sudden outflow of compliments.

  ‘Same usual, Tuan. Nothing special.’

  ‘Your cooking is always special,’ Reggie added, clearly relishing the discomfort of Lieutenant Ellis.

  When the amah had returned to the kitchen, Ellis spoke again. ‘I won’t be staying tomorrow night after all, Hyde-Underwood. The estate’s a lot smaller than I expected and I think I’ve gathered enough information to make my report. I’ll leave after breakfast and you’ll have my report and recommendations in a couple of days.’

  The relief was almost audible around the table.

  But Ellis wasn’t done. ‘I was thinking Miss Barrington might like to come to our regimental dance next Saturday. We’re in need of a few more pretty faces.’

  Jasmine almost choked on her tapioca.

  Mary looked at her and smiled. ‘What a pity, Lieutenant, but I’m afraid Reggie and I have bagged her for babysitting duty that night as we’ve been invited to friends for dinner.’

  Jasmine reached under the table for Mary’s hand and squeezed it in gratitude.

  ‘Some other time then.’ Ellis looked annoyed. ‘I’ll be in touch. Now if it’s all right with you I’ll turn in. I’d like to make a start on my report.’

  ‘Good idea.’ Reggie rubbed his hands together.

  ‘Your bag is in your room,’ said Mary. ‘I’ll show you the way.’

  When they were gone, Reggie rolled his eyes. ‘Let’s have a swift nightcap on the veranda.’

  Mary came ba
ck, shaking her head. ‘What a thoroughly obnoxious man. Thank goodness he’s leaving in the morning. I couldn’t have faced another night.’

  ‘Thank you so much for rescuing me, Mary. You are an absolute angel.’

  ‘If my dear wife hadn’t done it then I would have. I wouldn’t like to think of you anywhere near that loathsome man.’ Reggie finished pouring his stengah. ‘He told me he’s compiling a list of Most Wanted. Says he’s going to round up every last member of the Min Yuen. How he imagines he’ll accomplish that when he hasn’t the first idea about the country or the people, is beyond me.’

  ‘Money, I imagine.’ Mary’s tone was dry. ‘People like him think the best way to accomplish anything is bribery. After all, who is ever going to be a willing informant to a man like him?’

  22

  There was no school the following morning, so Jasmine headed straight out to her studio after breakfast. She was relieved that she had missed Lieutenant Slimeball at breakfast and imagined he must have left the estate very early.

  Her back was turned to the open verandah as she selected her brushes. This morning she would do some more work on Bintang’s portrait until she had a chance to ask Reggie about finding her a suitable piece of wood for Siti’s memorial marker. She might need another sitting from him but meanwhile she would work on the background.

  At the sound of footsteps, she turned around in surprise, smiling, expecting to see Bintang. As he was always so quiet and catlike, she should have realised that the heavy tread could not have come from him. The source was the steel-tipped boots of Lieutenant Ellis.

  ‘Oh, my goodness! You made me jump, Lieutenant!’ she cried. He was standing there in front of her, too close. Why did some people feel the need to get right up into one’s personal space? Especially when their poisonous breath was almost overpowering. Hadn’t anyone ever told him? He must surely notice when people flinched from him.

  Ellis twisted his lips into his characteristic smile, like a dog’s snarl, revealing the crooked stained teeth under the little moustache. He leaned closer to her and she pulled away, almost bending backwards, blocked by the chest of drawers where she stored her art materials.

  ‘I was disappointed you can’t come to the dance on Saturday. I was looking forward to sweeping you round the dance floor again and getting you in a clinch without your mother to interrupt us.’

  Before she could take evasive action, he had grabbed hold of her and pulled her against him as if they were dancing. ‘Like this,’ he said.

  Ellis spun around, holding her as if they were about to waltz, and she struggled to break free of his grip. His hands were damp with sweat. One hand tracked down her spine to her bottom, his palm squeezing her buttock as he pushed his body up against hers. She brought her own hands up to his shoulders, trying to hold him away from her, but his head was moving down to try to kiss her. The urge to be sick was powerful.

  ‘Stop it!’ she cried. ‘Get off me!’ She tried to shove him away but he was too strong.

  ‘You’ll love it. Relax. Don’t be such a tease. Girls like you are always gagging for it once they try.’

  No! The only way to break free was to bite him, and she dipped her head but he was dragged off her. The sudden release from his hold caused her to trip over and land on the bare wood floor and she struggled quickly back to her feet.

  ‘Leave her!’ Bintang’s voice was louder than she had ever heard it. ‘I get Tuan now throw you out. You go away. Don’t come back.’

  Jasmine brushed the dirt off her skirt and wiped her hands on her apron, trembling and breathing heavily. Bintang and Ellis were standing a few feet apart. The driver’s arms were folded, signalling that he had no plans to initiate a fight, but was ready to respond if required.

  Ellis’s face was choleric – his anger visible in red cheeks and narrowed eyes, as he looked from one to another. ‘I’ll make mincemeat of you, you upstart blighter.’ His voice dripped contempt. Turning to Jasmine, he said, ‘So that’s how it is, is it? That’s why you’ve been painting him.’ He looked at her with loathing. ‘You’re unnatural. Going with a filthy, common native. If that’s what you want, you’re welcome to him.’ He raised his fist in threat to Bintang. ‘And you haven’t heard the last of this!’

  He turned towards the veranda just as Reggie appeared.

  ‘What the devil’s going on?’ Reggie looked angry. Jasmine had never seen him that way before. ‘Ellis? What the hell are you doing here? I thought you’d left half an hour ago.’

  ‘I didn’t but I’m going now. If the CTs come and slit all your throats in the middle of the night it’ll be no more than you deserve, Hyde-Underwood.’ Ellis pushed Reggie out of the way and strode towards his jeep, parked on the other side of the padang.

  Reggie let him go. ‘Thank goodness we’ve seen the back of him. The most obnoxious man I’ve ever met. Are you all right, Jasmine? What on earth was going on?’

  Jasmine brushed tears of rage away with the back of her hand. ‘It was horrible. He was horrible.’ She turned to the syce. ‘Thank you, Bintang, I don’t know what would have happened if you hadn’t turned up when you did.’

  ‘I do,’ Bintang said quietly, then walked away. As he passed Reggie, he said, ‘He very bad man, Tuan.’

  ‘Looks like Bintang got here in the nick of time. I’m so sorry, Jasmine. I can’t believe the fellow behaved like that. He’s supposed to be an officer. And he’s a guest in our house. Absolute bounder. I’ve a mind to report him.’

  ‘No, don’t.’ Jasmine was quick to respond. ‘He’ll only make more trouble. Let’s forget it ever happened.’

  Reggie stretched an arm around Jasmine’s shoulder. ‘I thought he’d already left, then I saw his jeep was still here. I had a feeling he was up to no good. Let’s get you back to the bungalow and get some strong coffee down you. Maybe even a tot of something in it. That should sort you out.’

  Mary was standing, Frances in her arms, on the steps of the bungalow when Jasmine and Reggie walked up. ‘What’s happened?’

  ‘You were dead right about that Ellis chap. Scum of the earth. If it weren’t for Bintang…’

  Mary gave a gasp of horror. ‘Oh no!’ She rushed down the steps and flung one arm around Jasmine, holding the baby with the other. ‘Did he hurt you? Did he–?’

  ‘I’m perfectly all right. Bintang rescued me before he could do anything.’ She looked at Mary, her face burning in shame. ‘He tried to kiss me. He said the most horrible things about me. About Bintang too.’

  Mary hugged her again. ‘My poor darling. Come on, let’s get you a nice cold drink. You need to sit down.’ She looked at Reggie. ‘Why don’t I leave Frances with Jinjiang and Jasmine and I can spend the day at the Swimming Club? You wouldn’t mind, would you, Reggie?’

  ‘Splendid idea.’ Reggie nodded. ‘Just the ticket.’

  ‘You won’t mind having tiffin on your own?’ said Jasmine.

  ‘I’ll cope, ladies.’

  * * *

  It was a perfect Penang day. Hot, sunny but the heat tempered by a cool breeze off the Straits. The Swimming Club was busy, so the two women scrambled over the rocks at the end of the lawn, down onto the beach and went for a swim in the sea.

  Afterwards, Mary said, ‘Are you going to tell me exactly what happened? Do I need to tell Evie about it?’

  ‘No! Please don’t. I don’t want to make a fuss. It was scary but Bintang must have seen where Ellis was going and followed him because he arrived so quickly. The man grabbed me and he was squeezing my bottom but Bintang pulled him off.’ She smiled. ‘Actually, Bintang must be jolly strong.’

  ‘Or jolly angry.’ Mary looked thoughtful. ‘He will never be a guest at Bella Vista again. Last night Reggie told me the whole inspection was completely pointless. Ellis already had a map of the estate anyway and showed absolutely no interest in any of the rubber operations. Apart from saying we need barbed wire round the perimeter and an armed man at the entrance gate, he had nothing else to offer. And Re
ggie said that was obvious.’

  ‘Why did he come and plan to stay so long originally?’

  Mary’s lips tightened. ‘I’ve no idea. Unless of course he knew you’d be here.’

  ‘I never told him where I was staying. I danced with him the first night but then I went out of my way to avoid him and made sure I didn’t sit next to him again at dinner.’ Jasmine stretched her legs out in front of her. The sun had already dried the sea water from them, leaving a faint tracery of salt. She brushed her leg with her palm. ‘He was terribly boring anyway. We ran out of conversation the first night on board. He just droned on about himself and what a hero he was.’

  ‘I doubt he was a hero. The man’s a permanent soldier and in his thirties. A lieutenant is a fairly junior officer. If he were any good, he’d be at least a captain by now.’

  ‘Bintang was absolutely brilliant. He dragged him off me then stood up to him. I think Slimeball was quite shocked. I bet he’s actually a bit of a coward.’

  ‘A coward and a bully. I know his type. He won’t be welcome at Bella Vista anymore and I’m sure Reggie will make others aware that he’s not to be trusted.’ Mary hugged her knees. ‘Now that’s enough about him. We need to talk about you. It’s two months until the exams and then what? Have you had any thoughts?’

  ‘You want me to leave?’ Jasmine felt a cold chill grip her.

  ‘No! That’s the last thing I want. Reggie and I love having you with us. Frances adores you. You’re a huge help to me at the school. It’s super having someone to talk to when Reggie’s working – and to do things like we’re doing now. As far as I’m concerned, you can stay forever.’ Mary took Jasmine’s hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. ‘But living on top of a hill, with no young company and nothing to do, isn’t good for you. You’re nearly seventeen and should be enjoying yourself with friends your own age. And thinking about your future.’

  ‘You sound like Mummy now.’

  ‘That’s because we both have your best interests at heart. Seriously, Jasmine, have you any ideas about the future. University? Teacher-training college?’