Part 5 (1/2)

'But if it's in their character ...' Margaret had a sudden vision of being alone in a house when a native suddenly had one of these wild turns.

'You will be safe, Margaret. I'll see to that at all times. But perhaps it might be better not to mention this incident to your mother. Tomorrow at lunch, when you see the old Spotted Dog, you'll enjoy it more.'

'Oh, the Selangor Club. Yes, Roland,' said Margaret, too exhausted to argue.

The tall Sikh doorman at the hotel gave Margaret a small bow. 'Did memsahib have a very excellent evening?'

Margaret gave him a withering look as the door closed behind her. 'Not exactly.'

In the morning Winifred put Margaret's pale demeanour down to tiredness.

'Well, this is all very exciting, isn't it? My daughter getting married. It's really coming home to me that you are,' said Winifred effusively.

'Yes, Mother. Me too.' She picked up her handbag. 'It will be interesting to discover why this Selangor Club is known as The Dog. Sounds a bit of a worry, really. Not quite where I'd envisioned socialising. But they seem to do things quite differently out here in the East.'

Winifred folded her gloved hands over the clasp on her handbag, looking rather pleased with herself. 'I know the story. One of the ladies I've been talking to in the hotel lobby told me.'

'So what is it?' asked Margaret politely.

'There are several different stories, but the most popular version is actually about dogs. Those black and white dalmatian dogs were popular pets back in the old days, and as pets weren't allowed into the club, everyone let their dogs roam around that green field in front of the building ...'

'It's called the padang,' Margaret interrupted, glad that she'd absorbed one local fact.

'And a well-known lady had her two dalmatians wait for her at the bottom of the club steps every day when she came into the Selangor Club. So the club became known as ”The Spotted Dog”,' finished Winifred.

'Better dogs than tigers, I suppose,' said Margaret. 'Actually Roland told me this club is quite exclusive.'

'Now when you write and tell me you had lunch at The Dog, I'll know just where you mean,' said Winifred.

'Well, I'm still glad we're having our reception at the Peninsula Hotel. I can't see invitations for a reception at ”The Dog” sounding very smart,' said Margaret, causing her mother to raise an eyebrow at her daughter's new-found grand airs.

3.

ON THE GREEN PADANG, manicured to perfection, a cricket game was in progress. The faint thwack of leather on willow echoed in the long bar of the Selangor Club where Roland, dressed in his formal wedding suit, was enjoying a quick drink with his best man, Gilbert Mason before walking to St Mary's Church.

In their hotel, Winifred was checking Margaret's gown as the two Chinese 'wedding ladies', recommended by the district officer's wife, fussed around her.

'You look beautiful, Margaret. I'm so glad we chose this Du Barry pattern. It's elegant, not too formal. And you can take the train off and make a few changes and wear it as an evening gown.'

'You look lovely too, Mother. I love your hat. I must get more hats, one needs them in this climate.'

'This dress has been beautifully made, and in such a short time, too,' said Winifred, fingering Margaret's cream silk-satin gown in the latest fas.h.i.+on. 'Now, let's put your veil on.'

The two wedding ladies attached the floor-length silk tulle veil to Margaret's waved hair, which was pinned up and topped with a small pearl tiara. Then they carefully turned down the short veil to cover Margaret's face.

Winifred held her daughter's bridal bouquet, made up of magnificent tropical lilies, ginger flowers and orchids, while Margaret held her skirt above her satin shoes as she made her way to the waiting car with Thelma, the district officer's daughter who was her bridesmaid and carried the long train of her dress.

Dr Hamilton, who had agreed to give Margaret away, was waiting by the car, resplendent in a white jacket with a small red rose boutonniere. He bowed and held out his arm. 'You look stunning, dear girl. Extremely elegant. What a striking pair you and Roland will make. Are you nervous?'

'Not at all,' said Margaret firmly. 'This is very kind of you, Dr Hamilton.'

'I feel for your father. Difficult to miss your first daughter's wedding.'

'There will be plenty of photographs and he still has the opportunity to give away my sister when the time comes. Is everything ready at the church?' asked Margaret.

But Winifred's eyes misted as she thought of what her husband was missing and how proud he would be of his elder child if he could see her now.

Dr Hamilton took Winifred's arm. 'Please, don't concern yourself. Roland is a superb organiser, Mrs Oldham. You look spiffing too. You and Thelma can ride together in this car and Margaret and I will be behind you.'

Roland and his friend Gil were already waiting in St Mary's, as the cars drew up in front. Roland, slicky groomed, his pencil-thin moustache neatly trimmed, hair freshly cut, nails buffed and wearing a wide, approving smile on his face, watched Margaret make her way down the aisle. He told her later that with her height, the little tiara and the train, she had looked very regal and beautiful.

After the ceremony, the newlyweds, friends and family posed outside the church for photographs. More pictures were taken outside the elegant Peninsula Hotel before the bridal party was ushered into the formal ballroom for their reception. Winifred was surprised at the large number of guests and found herself seated next to Roland's father.

Eugene Elliott was a courtly, if rather formal, sort of gentleman, stiff, precise and proper. He did not indulge in small talk but launched into quite complicated details in response to Winifred's simple question, 'How did you get into rubber, Mr Elliott?'

'The British were growing cocoa and coffee in Malaya but a disease swept through and wiped out many of their crops, so a few chaps started looking about to start anew. They'd been living in the East and made a fair fist of it so weren't about to settle back in the Old Dart.'

'Oh dear,' said Winifred as she sipped on her brown windsor soup. 'So what happened?'

'About sixty years ago some chap smuggled rubber tree seeds out of Brazil, rather naughty of him. Brought them to Kew Gardens in London and some of the saplings were sent to Ceylon and Malaya, to see what they'd do. The resident of Perak was something of an amateur botanist and encouraged some of the planters to switch their empty plantations over to rubber. We had all those unemployed Ceylonese workers hanging about, so we had a workforce and cleared land. So rubber took off in Malaya, especially with the need for pneumatic tyres for motor cars. I established my own plantation Utopia about forty years ago. Couldn't help but make money in those days. Been a few ups and downs since then, but we're very proud of what we've done.' Couldn't help but make money in those days. Been a few ups and downs since then, but we're very proud of what we've done.'

'And you've been here ever since?' said Winifred, beginning to get an inkling of how deep Roland's roots were in Malaya.

Dr Hamilton, on the other side of Winifred, had been listening to Eugene and interjected, 'It's not a place one leaves easily, Mrs Oldham. The East gets a hold of you, as your daughter will discover. But it's especially so for the menfolk. It's a lifestyle. Friends.h.i.+ps are forged in difficult conditions and the community unites because of the unique circ.u.mstances in which people find themselves.'

'It's a way of life we've created, and we enjoy our successes and triumphs in business, on the sporting field and we also share our tribulations. The esprit de corps is very strong,' said Eugene. 'And because most of the Europeans are scattered about we tend to make the most of social occasions. So this is a very happy day for our families.' He raised his empty gla.s.s. 'Boy!' A waiter was instantly at his side, replenis.h.i.+ng his drink and Dr Hamilton's.

Winifred was impressed by the calibre of the guests at the reception. The district officer, his wife and their daughter, Thelma, were there. Winifred had been introduced to planters and representatives from both the great trading firms of Bousteads and Guthries, as well as members of the Malayan Civil Service and she was quite surprised to see a few well dressed Chinese there also.

When she questioned Dr Hamilton about their presence, he replied, 'This isn't India, you know. We like to mix with the other races and some of these fellows are quite good chaps. Shrewd business people.'

As the afternoon wore on, Winifred became bemused by the steady drinking and uninhibited dancing. Everyone seemed to be having a fine time. And she had been twirled around the dance floor several times, by Roland, Gilbert, Eugene and Dr Hamilton.

Margaret was also enjoying every moment, every compliment and every friendly promise of invitations to meet to show her the ropes. Roland danced with her superbly, kissing her cheek and whispering in her ear, making her blush. She was reluctant to leave the party when her mother tapped her on the shoulder, suggesting it was time that she retired and changed into her going-away outfit.

With Winifred's help Margaret put on a pale-blue linen suit, a small hat and grey-heeled shoes. She carried soft grey gloves and a matching handbag. Her small suitcase, packed with clothes for her honeymoon, was already in the boot of the car when she returned to the reception room. Margaret and Roland were swept up in rounds of farewells.

'Oh, Mother, are you sure you'll be all right here on your own?' asked Margaret, as she embraced Winifred.

Dr Hamilton took Winifred's arm. 'She'll be right as rain, dear girl. We're all off to a splendid dinner and during the next week I shall escort her anywhere she wishes, around the city,' he said.

'Oh, that won't be necessary,' began Winifred.

'Nonsense. The DO's wife has invited us all over for luncheon tomorrow. I shall collect you at noon,' said the kindly doctor.

'And we'll be back in time to drive you to Port Swettenham for the boat home,' Margaret a.s.sured her mother.