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

by Clare Flynn

  It was a beautiful evening, the heat of the day having dissipated, leaving a slight breeze in the air. The sky was dense black velvet, pierced by a million tiny stars, with a crescent moon casting a pale glow over the trees and the river. She looked across at the dark silhouette of jungle across the river and wondered if she might be near to wherever Bintang was. The noise of the revellers was evident still, yet softened into a background hum by the distance, and above it she could hear the soft strains of the dance band mingling with the sound of cicadas. The breeze carried the scent of gardenias and waxflowers. Jasmine breathed it in deeply.

  What was Bintang doing now? She imagined him in the depths of the jungle, sitting with his comrades in a circle, eating tapioca or rice, while being indoctrinated with communist propaganda. Reggie had told her that the MLP were said to hold regular meetings where each CT was expected to publicly declare their personal shortcomings in the service of the cause and be criticised by his brethren. It was hard to imagine Bintang taking to this. He was too proud, too independent. That gave her a little spark of hope that perhaps he might quickly become disenchanted and return to Penang, to the grandmother who loved him and to her.

  Leaning back against the stone bench she gazed up at the myriad stars and imagined him looking up at those same stars too. Although, in the dense heart of the jungle, the tree cover could well block out all view of the sky. Was he thinking of her too at this very moment? Was he also remembering the magical kiss they had shared?

  ‘You never replied to my letter. You completely ignored my invitation to meet you when I was coming to the island.’ Howard Baxter emerged from the shadows and sat down beside her on the bench.

  Jasmine was glad it was dark and he couldn’t see her embarrassment. ‘Sorry. I couldn’t have made it as I was swotting for my exams. In fact, I was so busy swotting I forgot to reply.’

  ‘How did they go?’

  ‘Not as bad as I expected, actually.’ She wished he’d go and leave her in peace.

  ‘So, you’ve escaped too?’ He nodded in the direction of the house.

  ‘I don’t really like parties.’

  He studied her closely, his eyes taking in the sculptured gown and its voluminous train. ‘Don’t like parties? I’d never guess it to look at you. Jazz, eh? Does the new name and the expensive frock mean you’re about to embark on a new career as a torch singer?’ He gave a chuckle. ‘If you don’t mind, I’ll stick to Jasmine. It’s a beautiful name and suits you much more.’

  ‘I don’t recall asking your opinion.’

  ‘Well, you’re getting it anyway.’ He bent down and took a bit of the fabric between finger and thumb. ‘I suppose you think you’re the cat’s whiskers in that. But it doesn’t suit you at all. You’re far too beautiful to need all this froth. I much preferred you in that blue dress you wore at Bella Vista. The one that shimmered when you moved.’

  ‘In that case I’m jolly glad I decided not to wear it tonight.’

  ‘But what possessed you to choose this? It makes you look like a well-cooked lobster.’

  Jasmine spun round and slapped him across the face. Then promptly burst into tears.

  Howard gathered her into his arms and let her weep into his shirt, her body shaking with the sudden release of tension. She felt his hand stroking her hair. ‘What’s wrong, lovely? What’s made you so unhappy? It’s me being tactless and bigmouthed again, isn’t it?’

  She pulled back from him. ‘It’s nothing to do with you. I’m just feeling emotional. Probably too much champagne earlier.’

  He handed her a large linen handkerchief and she wiped her eyes and blew her nose.

  ‘You’re quite right. I do look like a lobster. And I never wanted to wear this in the first place. I was going to wear that blue dress you mentioned, but Barbara–’

  ‘Ah! I might have guessed it would be Barbara. It’s taken me an hour to find a way to escape from her. She’s an extremely forceful young woman. How do you know her?’

  ‘We sat the exams together and she sort of took me over.’

  He grinned. ‘I can imagine that. I suppose she wants to refashion you in her image. Well, don’t let her. You don’t need powder and paint and screaming pink dresses to make people look at you. I wouldn’t be able to take my eyes off you if you were wearing a sack.’

  ‘Do you like Barbara? I know she likes you. I could tell right away.’

  ‘She’s a nice enough girl, when she eventually lets you get a word in. And very attractive. Yes, I can see she has her charms. But she does nothing for me.’

  ‘That’s a pity. She may be a bit forceful at times,’ she ran her finger over the pink satin of her gown, ‘but she’s been kind to me. You should get to know her.’

  ‘You’d like me to?’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘Then I will, for you. I am incapable of denying you anything, Jasmine.’ He gave a long sigh and leaned back against the bench, his eyes lifting to gaze at the sky. ‘What a beautiful night. Completely perfect. Apart from the fact that all those people are close by. I wish they’d disappear and leave me alone with you. You’ve no idea how much I’ve missed you. I think about you all the time.’

  ‘Please don’t talk like that, Howard. I’ve told you before. I’m not interested in that. I like you a lot and want you as a friend, but I don’t think of you that way. Please, don’t spoil things. Now go back and join the party. I’m going to go and get out of this ridiculous gown.’ She smiled at him. ‘I can see your friend Godfrey is on the terrace looking for you.’

  ‘Looking for you, more like.’ Howard looked glum.

  ‘Then please go and head him off while I make my escape. I certainly don’t want to spend any more time talking to him.’ She smiled up at Howard. ‘I may not want you as a boyfriend, Howard, but I’d far rather spend time with you than with him. See you in a while.’ Then she hitched up her gown to clear her ankles and ran towards the house.

  29

  By the time she got to her bedroom, Jasmine was overcome with tiredness. Her earlier overindulgence in champagne had left a sour cloying taste in her mouth and made her drowsy. Taking the Schiaparelli gown off carefully and placing it on its padded hanger, she decided to lie down on the bed for a few minutes before changing into her blue dress and going back to join the throng.

  She woke from a deep sleep, lying on top of the sheets. She’d been dreaming. A baby, tightly wrapped in a papoose and left in her studio, evidently starving. She picked it up to cradle. Pointy teeth. Glowing red eyes. She dropped it in alarm and it scuttled away on four legs into the undergrowth, sideways like a crab.

  Someone was shaking her. ‘Wake up, Jazz. Party’s over but we have to talk. I can’t possibly sleep yet. Where did you disappear to?’

  Disorientated, Jasmine shuffled upright and tried to focus. ‘What time is it?’

  ‘Six. Come on. Let’s go for a swim and cool off. We need to have a post-mortem.’

  Jasmine gave a groan. ‘Where do you get your energy from?’

  ‘My little secret!’ Barbara tapped the side of her nose.

  ‘I was having a nightmare.’

  ‘Then you should be jolly glad I rescued you from it.’ Barbara took Jasmine’s hand and tried to pull her up. ‘You can have a sleep by the pool - there are comfortable loungers there. It’s already hot so we can jump in whenever we want to cool off. And I’ve asked for coffee and orange juice and bacon sandwiches. I need to sober up.’

  Knowing Barbara would not be gainsaid, Jasmine rubbed her eyes and swung her legs off the bed. ‘I’ll put on my swimsuit.’

  ‘No need for one. It’s only us. We’ll skinny dip. Much nicer anyway. Come on.’

  Ignoring the instruction, Jasmine quickly undressed and put on her swimming costume, slipping a cotton shift over the top. She wasn’t swimming naked with servants hovering everywhere. She followed Barbara down the sweeping marble staircase, past the detritus of the party and out onto the terrace, where a kebun was sweeping away party streame
rs with a broom, while one of the other servants collected glasses abandoned on tables and along the stone balustrade. It was still dark but a roseate tinge was beginning to lighten the horizon beyond the trees.

  They lay down on the cushioned wooden loungers and a servant, Chinese this time, arrived with the promised bacon sandwiches and a pot of coffee.

  As she bit into her sandwich, Jasmine realised she was hungry. She hadn’t partaken of the buffet last night and hadn’t eaten since the cheese on toast she and Barbara had had before the party began. ‘This is good,’ she said, grateful.

  ‘I adore bacon butties almost as much as Welsh rarebit and cheese on toast.’ Barbara flourished her sandwich. ‘Mummy and Daddy are always telling me I eat like poor people.’

  Stunned by the casual snobbery, Jasmine said nothing.

  ‘Where did you sneak off to last night and with whom?’ Barbara gave her a knowing look.

  ‘I didn’t sneak off anywhere. I felt tired and decided to lie down for a few minutes and the next thing I knew you were waking me up.’

  ‘Really? You mean you weren’t French kissing Godders in a quiet corner?’

  ‘Of course not.’

  Barbara rolled her eyes. ‘You’re such a puritan. I was sure you’d hit it off with Godders. Didn’t you like him?’

  ‘He’s nice enough. But I’ve told you a thousand times, Barbara, I’m not interested in anyone. Apart from Bintang, of course, and since he’s out of reach that means no one.’

  Barbara gave an exasperated sigh. ‘You’re no fun.’ Then she dropped her voice conspiratorially. ‘But I’ve rather fallen for that chap he brought with him, Howard Baxter. How come you never mentioned him before? He’s an absolute dish.’

  Jasmine put down her half-eaten sandwich. ‘You’re going after Howard?’

  ‘I’m rather hoping to have him go after me!’ Barbara pulled up her shoulders and contorted her face into a silly grimace. ‘I have a plan to catch him in my net. But I need your help.’

  Jasmine’s mouth felt dry and she took a gulp of coffee. ‘You really like him? You’re serious about him? What about your wealthy duke?’

  ‘The duke isn’t here. He’s next year’s project. Until I meet him I’m having as much fun as I can. I have no intention of going into marriage blind.’ She swept her arm out in an exaggerated gesture. ‘I will be the mother of the duke’s children and spender of his vast wealth, but everything I know about the British aristocracy tells me they are not likely to get the juices flowing. No, Jazz. I intend to learn as much as I can about the art of love before I settle down. My masterplan is to find my version of Mellors the gamekeeper and make as much mad passionate love as possible before I head for London. And Howard Baxter fits the bill perfectly.’

  ‘But Howard isn’t that kind of man.’ Jasmine felt a proprietorial anger at her erstwhile suitor being described like a piece of meat.

  ‘Every man is that kind of man, given half a chance.’

  Barbara picked up a paper fan and began to flap it lazily. The sun had now risen and the swimming pool was dappled with pink. She turned and looked at Jasmine, her voice sharp. ‘You’re not interested in him yourself, are you?’

  ‘I told you. No. But he’s a friend. A good friend. I’m very fond of him and I don’t feel comfortable talking about him like this.’

  Barbara chuckled. ‘Oh, Jazz. Always so principled and seeing only the good in people.’ She batted her fan at an insect. ‘I can promise you, your Howard will be all too capable of putting his principles behind him if there’s a chance of no strings fucking.’

  Jasmine gasped in shock. She had never heard that word before but she had absolutely no doubt what it meant. ‘Barbara!’

  ‘DH Lawrence uses it all the time in Lady Chatterley. It’s a perfectly good word that has been around since the Middle Ages. And I love it as it sounds so terribly naughty.’

  Jasmine experienced a rush of anger. ‘Stop it. Right now! I can’t stop what you think and I can’t stop your nasty little plans, but I will not listen to them. I’ve told you. Howard is a dear friend and I don’t like it. I don’t like it at all.’ She sprung off the lounger, whipped her shift over her head and dived straight into the pool. The shock of the cold water revived her and she ploughed up and down, burning up her anger as she swam.

  Howard was a grown man and didn’t need her protection. Barbara was attractive. If he chose to succumb to her advances that was not Jasmine’s concern. She didn’t want him herself, so why begrudge someone else having him?

  By the time she’d covered twenty lengths of the pool, her anger was gone. She pulled herself up the ladder and dripped her way back to the lounger.

  ‘You could be a professional.’ Barbara smiled a conciliatory smile.

  ‘I’m sorry for snapping at you. It is, of course, entirely up to you and Howard what you get up to, but if you don’t mind I’d rather not hear about it.’

  ‘And you’re absolutely sure you don’t mind me having a fling with him and you don’t want him for yourself?’

  Jasmine rolled her eyes in response. She was tired of this already. And tired of listening to Barbara.

  ‘So, you’ll be willing to distract Godders today when they come to take us to show us round their rubber estate? Howard says he thought you might be interested in seeing it, as apparently you lived there when you were a little girl.’

  ‘We’re going to Batu Lembah? Today?’

  ‘Sorry. I know I promised you all day by the pool, and one rubber estate looks like all the others but I thought you could easily get Godders out of the way by asking him to show you all the machinery and boring stuff like that, leaving me free to whisk hunky Howard into a shady corner. Godders can bore for Britain when it comes to taking about rubber.’

  Jasmine had been manipulated. But now she had no choice. She was dependent on Barbara for a lift back to Bella Vista.

  ‘You’ll help me, Jazz? Please.’

  Reluctantly, Jasmine nodded.

  * * *

  Soon after nine o’clock, the two young men arrived. They cast longing looks at the pool but Barbara led them around to the front of the mansion, putting her arm through Godfrey Fairchild’s. Her plan, as she had explained in detail to Jasmine, was to focus her attention on Godfrey then, once they were at Batu Lembah, switch to Howard. Jasmine was under instructions to walk ahead and ask Godfrey to show her how the latex was processed, leaving Howard and Barbara alone to walk through the lines of rubber trees.

  Howard caught Jasmine’s arm as they approached the area where the vehicle was parked. ‘You never came back last night. I thought you were going to change clothes and come and find me.’ His tone was accusatory. ‘I wanted to see you in that blue dress. I wanted to dance with you.’

  So, last night’s rebuff hadn’t deterred him. Jasmine sighed inwardly. ‘I was tired. I fell asleep.’

  ‘You weren’t avoiding me?’

  ‘No. Of course not. I told you, Howard. I like you. But only as a friend.’

  ‘I got stuck with Barbara. She loves to dance, doesn’t she? I kept looking around for you to rescue me as she and I were dancing to two completely different beats.’ He smiled at her. ‘Isn’t that what friends are for? To help each other get out of sticky situations.’

  ‘Don’t you like her? She’s very pretty. Good fun too.’

  ‘I can’t disagree on either count. Though it’s hard to dance with a woman when she tries to lead.’ He looked about to say something else but didn’t.

  ‘Word of warning, girls,’ said Godfrey. ‘It’s hot as hell inside. Like a blast furnace. There are water bottles back there, so drink plenty and be ready for a lot of bumps. Fortunately, it’s only about twenty minutes away and, apart from one brief stretch, it’s all open road so unlikely to attract an ambush. We’d usually drive without the plates but we’re not taking chances with such a precious cargo.’

  They got into the vehicle, which was a large jeep but now looked like a tank, completely covered
with armour plating with a small slit for the driver to see the road.

  He was not exaggerating about the heat. Jasmine looked across at Barbara whose face was soon wet with perspiration. There were some small cloths, which they dowsed with water and used to try to cool themselves.

  ‘Imagine what this is like in the full force of the midday sun.’ Howard, who was driving, glanced back at them over his shoulder.

  ‘The housekeeper is laying on a spot of tiffin, so we thought we’d give you the tour first then head back for that. After we’ve eaten, we can play cards and we’ll run you back here about three,’ said Godfrey.

  As they bumped and rattled along, the two girls bounced up and down on the bone-shaking seats, banging their heads on the windowless metal sides when they went round corners. This was the most unpleasant Sunday Jasmine had spent since coming to Penang. She hoped Barbara appreciated the sacrifice she was making.

  ‘This is absolutely thrilling,’ said Barbara. ‘Being in an armoured car. Do you think we might get attacked by bandits? Wouldn’t that be a lark? As long as they didn’t actually catch us.’

  Jasmine thought she detected a look of scorn on Howard’s face, but it was hard to tell in the gloom of the interior. She felt a little glow of satisfaction. Maybe it was mean of her, but she couldn’t help hoping Barbara’s plan would misfire. She didn’t want to think of Howard as a pawn to be manipulated by Queen Barbara.

  Once they arrived at Batu Lembah, Barbara threw her a meaningful look, so Jasmine engaged Godfrey in conversation and increased her walking speed, compelling him to keep pace with her. As Barbara had planned, the gap between the couples lengthened as Barbara reduced her own pace.