She was wearing beige sweatpants and a simple cream T-shirt and managed to make this ensemble look effortlessly elegant. She didn’t have a scrap of make-up on, but her skin was flawless and her hair bright and shiny, and she hadn’t an ounce of baby fat.
Kate and Maureen looked at her with affection and awe, remembering how they both felt as though they had been run over by a tractor when their babies were as tiny as Hari.
Jack on the other hand had bags under his eyes that could have housed all the luggage for a Joan Collins trip to the South of France. Even his hair looked stressed, and he wore the frazzled expression of a man with sleep deprivation.
Delima said soothingly: “Hari’s fine now. Nothing to worry about. He just cried because the car stopped suddenly, and he was woken up from a delicious sleep.”
Jack looked at his son lying contently like a fat cherub in his mother’s arms and was instantly reduced to a pile of mush. “Sorry for fussing, everyone,” he said.
“Don’t be daft, Jack,” said Freya. “Come and meet Amelia. She will be wanting a hold of that peedie one, but not until I’ve had my turn.”
Delima gave Hari to Freya. He made a tiny bat squeak and happily settled into her arms.
She turned to Amelia. “Gosh, you are Evie’s double right enough. How are you settling in?”
“Well, everyone has been so kind to me and so welcoming. It’s all been a bit of a whirlwind, and I’ve a lot to take in, but I am so glad that I came over, even though it is so different to what I’m used to.”
“It was the same for me,” said Delima. “I came here to live when I met Jack in Singapore and we got married. We run an animal sanctuary by the shore over the barriers near Hoxa. Evie mentioned you would like to come and see us.”
Amelia smiled. “That sounds amazing. I would love to.”
“Jack has always wanted to work with animals and wanted to settle back home in Orkney, but he ended up in the Far East in merchant banking, which is just as well, or we might never have met. Life is strange like that. Anyway, tell us all about yourself. Where exactly is home and what do you do for work?”
Evie’s ears pricked up, wanting to see how Amelia would respond to the kind of direct questions she’d been dying to ask. Amelia looked slightly uncomfortable but said, “I’m sort of between jobs at the moment, which is why I have the chance to be over here now and to find out more about my family.”
Delima was about to ask more when Kate came in with a huge plate of food for Jack. Evie silently cursed the timing.
“There’s plenty left so fill your boots. Delima, what can I get you?”
“Ooh, the same for me, thanks. That all looks delicious.”
No one could understand how Delima managed to eat like a sumo wrestler and not gain an ounce.
Kate returned with another giant plate and Delima and Jack chomped happily while Freya sang old nursery rhymes to Hari. Evie hoped Delima would continue to ask Amelia questions, but the moment seemed to have passed.
Amelia chimed in, changing the subject, “I was in Freya and Evie’s gallery today,” she said. “It’s such an amazing space and the paintings and works of art are to die for.”
She went on, “Freya, your jewellery is just wonderful and Maureen, those throws and blankets should be sold in Saks Fifth Avenue in New York.”
Freya and Maureen weren’t good at receiving such sugary compliments, but they thanked Amelia, who now turned to Evie.
“I couldn’t help noticing that Kate has an Orkney chair like yours. I would so love to own one. Do you think your Ross Isbister would make me a chair, Evie?”
Evie couldn’t help being irritated. “Well, he’s notmyRoss, Amelia. I told you we are just pals, but he is the best on the island.”
Jack agreed and through a mouthful of homemade ham-and-egg pie mumbled: “He is your man for sure, but he’s really busy, Amelia, so you might have to wait a while, but you can order it shipped back to your home.”
Delima said, “He sends his chairs all over the world so it would be no problem for him to ship it to the States, or wherever it is you stay. Where was it again?”
Amelia chose to ignore her probing. “Oh I’m not in any hurry at all. Actually, I don’t need to go home for another month or two.”
Evie’s heart sank. Another month or two? That wasn’t what Amelia said in her email.
She thought this was more of a flying visit. Looking round the room at her friends, she was obviously the only one unhappy at the news.
Freya beamed, and with her usual spirit of generosity said, “Well, if you are staying here that long you can’t possibly bide in a hotel. I’ve got a spare room. You can stay with me.” Then she added, “Of course you can come and go as you please and treat the place like your own.”
“Oh Freya,” said Amelia. “That’s way too kind of you. I don’t want to be a burden.”
