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darling, in the circu these words So perhaps I shall use thelad I aether, and not separated, as we have been, by endless stretches of water That I can’t think of a more wonderful father than I a so bad, be so caught up in your own unhappiness, that it’s hard to see what’s right Even harder to do it

Still, I realised so that happened you would never have done what I did That the whole point was, you would have just wanted people to be as happy as they could possibly be It’s hard even to write that, without feeling asha paper?’

‘Here,’ said Avice, stretching doards ‘You can have that sheet I’ve got plenty’ She adjusted her skirt as she settled down again, her free hand reaching absently to pat her sto to write to Letty, and tell her the truth That Dad, while he’ll never love anyone like he loved you, deserves to have a bit of company He deserves to be looked after I’ve finally realised I don’t have to protect soe I have of the two of you I don’t have to feel angry with her for being in love with him all these years I can just feel sad for her that she wasted them on someone she knew she couldn’t have Didn’t even try to have

I know you’ll agree with this, Mum But I think Letty, after all her years alone, deserves to be loved

‘I’ht if I leave you with Maudie?’

Avice glanced up at Margaret, as standing by the door, her coht, a little red round the eyes Mind you, with that awful blue dress, which she must have worn for the last ten days, and those swollen ankles, her eyes were probably the least of her worries ‘Sure,’ she said

‘It’s not so bad up there now the heat has died down a bit’

Avice nodded and, as the door closed behind Margaret, she resuht even find it silly, but do you knohat, Ian? I have felt strangely nervous about telling you I know you’re not desperately keen on surprises, but this is a truly special sort of surprise, isn’t it? Of course it would have been nice for us to have a little time to ourselves, but once the baby is born we can sort out a nurse for it, and you and I can go on being just hoere in Australia – except with a darling little baby to love too I know some men rather miss the attention of their wives once the little ones co, I want to assure you that I AM NOT ONE OF THOSE No baby would ever come between you and I You are first inis for us to be together That’s what you always said to hts close tois for us to be together

Your Avice

Avice lay back on her bunk, listening to the distant thru in of the Tannoy, the shrieking of other girls engaged in some activity above She placed her sealed letter on her chest, holding it to her with both hands, and thought back

The checkout ti warti what they were, she had known that even at a quarter past two in the afternoon they were unlikely to be disturbed by the maid The Melbourne Flower Garden Hotel, like many local establishments, did a brisk trade these days in ere known as ‘extended checkouts’ So extended, in fact, were checkout ti at the hotel overnight It was entirely possible that many were not married Why else would they require a hotel roo into town especially toeven to the most na&iu what it was, the hotel owner had been canny enough to grasp that flexibility and a blind eye would keep the dollars rolling in

Avice calculated how et up and return home If they left in the next hour they could possibly nip into the zoo so that she wouldn’t have to lie about where they’d been Herpointed about Su, one heavy ar her to the bed Now he opened an eye ‘What are you thinking?’

She let her head turn slowly until their faces were only inches apart ‘I was thinking ere probably not supposed to do this until after the wedding’

‘Don’t say that, gorgeous girl I couldn’t have waited that long’

‘Would it have been so hard?’

‘Sweetheart, you know I’ve only got a forty-eight-hour pass Wasn’t thisabout plans for flowers and bridesht secretly that she would probably have liked fussing over flowers and bridesmaids, but she didn’t want to spoil the matically

‘God, I love you’

She could feel his words on her skin, as if he were giving her tiny particles of hi the’

‘You’re not sorry?’ he said

‘To beyou?’ Her eyes widened

‘To have doneyou know I didn’t hurt you or anything?’

He had, a little, if she was honest But not in any way that had s she had found herself doing, at how easily she had surrendered to him She had always suspected, fro she had to endure The Sleeping Beast, heras ely

‘You don’t think any less oflet you’ She sed ‘I mean, I’m not sure I was meant to enjoy it quite as irl, no! God, no, it onderful that you liked it In fact, that’s one of the things I love about you, Avice,’ Ian pulled her close to him and spoke into her hair ‘You’re a sensual creature A free spirit Not like English girls’

A free spirit She had found herself believing this new version of herself, as Ian described it Some time earlier, when she had found herself ned and self-conscious before hi creature he had ever seen, and so else that made her blush, his eyes unfocused in admiration of her, and she had found herself deteroddess-like when she really wanted to reach for a dressing-gown

This ht for me, she told herself He has it in him toup Somewhere below the opena car door slammed and a man shouted insistently, ‘Davy, Davy,’ apparently unheeded

‘So,’ she said, disentangling their legs and sliding round so that she was leaning over him, some small part of her still shocked at the feel of his ned skin against hers ‘You really, really love ainst the pillow She thought she’d never seen a more handsome man in her entire life ‘Do you really have to ask?’