Author's note: thanks for the kind messages and reviews, all very welcome!
Over the next few days, Frank Carlyle made the necessary arrangements for Mei Lin to travel to Hong Kong. He seemed to be able to speed matters along, arranging passports and tickets for her.
Jean and Lucien continued almost with the life they had led before Derek Alderton's death. It seemed unfair to move ahead with their relationship while Mei Lin was still with them. So they both turned their attention to helping Mei Lin get ready for her journey, and recover from her ordeal at Sullivan's hands.
But the atmosphere in the house was easier now, and Lucien and Mei Lin were able to talk about the years they had spent apart. He told her about his time in the POW camp, she talked about what happened after he put her on the boat out of Singapore, with Lee, and how they had come to be separated from each other in the confusion of war.
Jean left them alone most of the time, concentrating on her work and thinking through all that had happened. She was happy for Lucien that he had the chance to say everything he needed to to Mei Lin; a chance she had so much wanted to have with Christopher, but had never had.
Standing at the sink washing dishes, Jean turned over recent events in her mind. She'd loved Lucien for months, perhaps longer, and when he'd nearly proposed her heart had leapt. She would have accepted, she knew. But the terrible pain of having her hopes dashed had actually made her feel more strongly. They had survived the huge challenge of Mei Lin's reappearance, and Lucien's heartfelt assurance to her that he would follow his heart rather than his sense of duty made Jean feel more hopeful that they could still have a future together.
But she knew it would be hard. Even though Mei Lin would agree to a divorce, it would still be unpleasant. In a small rural town like Ballarat divorce was still unusual, and a subject for gossip. Add to that the usual gossip about Jean and Lucien living in the same house, and they were certainly in for some challenging times. And as a Catholic she wasn't sure how she felt about marrying a divorced man. Her conscience pricked her but she knew that ultimately she would want to marry him anyway, if he asked her again, of course. She felt slightly uncomfortable that she would put her principles aside so readily for this relationship.
Jean also acknowledged to herself that there were large areas of Lucien's life that she knew nothing about. Not just what he did during the years he spent in intelligence, but also how he had dealt with the knowledge that his wife and his friend had betrayed him together. She sighed a little in frustration. The many layers to his character were among the things that she loved about him, but life with Lucien would never be straightforward.
Lucien had noticed that Jean seemed quiet, and realised she probably needed some reassurance that all would be well in the end. He knew she would find the idea of a divorce difficult, but that really couldn't be helped. However recent events meant that their relationship was now even more obvious to the people around them, and he needed to put an end to the gossip by marrying Jean as soon as he could. That is, if she'd agree.