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In other circuht of the ship at work, fully engaged in its normal course of duties Now she took in the splank, the knowing glance he exchanged with hishilances of the painting parties, the lowered eyes andof the officer who had previously wished her a cheerful good

Over the last few days she had wondered at hoas possible to feel so lonely in a ship so full of people

She was a few steps away from the little dormitory when she saw his around the ship had been to give herself some fresh air; to make herself leave the sweaty confines of the cabin Now, as she recognised thetowards her, she knew she had not been honest with herself

She glanced down at her clothes, unconsciously checking herself as she had once done while on duty, feeling her skin prickle with a mixture of anxiety and anticipation She was unsure of what she could possibly say to hi now: they were too close for him not to

They stopped Looked at each other for just the briefestashore?’ He indicated the harbour

She could see nothing on his face, no clue Should I be grateful for the mere fact that he has spoken to me at all? she wondered ‘NoI – I decided to stay here’

‘Enjoy the peace and quiet’

‘So like that’

Perhaps he hadn’t wanted to talk to her but was too gentles

‘Wellas estured to where a party of engineers were repairing so noisily with each other as they worked

‘Yes,’ she said She could think of nothing else to say

‘You should make the most of it,’ he said ‘It’shard to find a bit of space to yourself on board I ht understand ht ‘Yes,’ she said ‘Yes, it is’

‘I--’

‘Hey, Marine’

The rating walked towards thele over one eye ‘They want you in the control rooovernor’s visit’ As he canised her The look the younger ave her as he handed over the note

As she turned away, she half hoped he , that told her he didn’t see her as the rest of the

Moments later she wrenched open the door to the dorainst it, her back sticking through her blouse to its unforgiving surface Her jaas clenched so tightly that it ached She had never thought until now about life’s fairness, at least not in relation to herself Her patients had suffered, and she had occasionally questioned why God could take one or leave another in such pain She had never wondered about the fairness of her own experiences: she had long ago discovered that it was better not to think about those years But noith all the other e around inside her in so from bleak despair to blind fury at the way her life had turned out Had she not suffered enough? Was this, and not what she had seen in the war, the real test of her resolve? How much more was she expected to pay for?

Maude Gonne, perhaps understanding that Margaret had gone ashore, scratched restlessly at the door Frances stooped, picked her up and sat doith her on her lap

The dog took no comfort from this In fact she paid Frances no attention Frances sat there stroking, gazing at thebody desperate for only one person

Frances held the dog close to her, pitying her plight ‘I know,’ she whispered, laying her cheek against the soft head ‘Believe me, I know’

Accustoe fans that whirred overhead, the waiters in the cocktail bar of Green’s Hotel were visibly perspiring The sweat glistened on their burnished faces and seeped into the collars of their immaculate white uniforms But their discomfort was less to do with the heat – it was a relatively– than the endless demands of the hundred or so brides who had chosen that bar to end their day’s shore leave

‘If I have to wait one more minute for my drink I swear I’ll have words with that ht that afternoon and eyeing the unfortunate waiter as he ducked through the crowd, tray held aloft ‘I’ his best,’ said Margaret She had been careful to sip her drink slowly, having guessed from the packed bar that service was likely to be slow She was feeling restored: she had been able to elevate her feet for half an hour, and now let her head rest on the back of the chair, enjoying the light breeze created by the overhead fan

It was the sarand Taj Mahal hotel; a co at once had sway and reckless by the end of the war and their increasing proximity to ho that at Green’s they e-point on the veranda, they could look back through the archway at the dance area, which was now populated byhopeful – and sometimes covetous – looks in the direction of the tables So John Collins and ru the effects of their encroaching hangovers They see down their faces and their hair li her seat Heedless of the heat and dust, and of her own oft-stated ‘delicate condition’, Avice had dragged her everywhere that afternoon They had walked around all the European shops, spent at least an hour in the Ar with the ed therown tired of haggling; it felt wrong to hold out for the odd rupee faced with the abject poverty of the sales enthusias aloft her various purchases and exclaiaret had been overwhelmed by the little they had seen of Bo down in the street, at their see indifference to their conditions At their thin limbs next to her own milk-fed plumpness, at their physical disabilities and barely dressed children It hts she had moaned about the discomfort of her bunk