"So, Jean, has life settled down now Mei Lin has left?" Alice looked at her warily, not sure whether Jean would want to talk about it.
Jean considered for a moment. "I'm not sure that any life that involves Lucien will ever be settled, Alice. It's not in his nature."
Alice smiled at that and Jean was grateful for this budding friendship. Alice probably understood and liked Lucien better than anyone except Jean. Since Derek Alderton's death and Lucien's time in the police cell, Alice and Jean had found their own friendship, independent of him.
"But Lucien is going to divorce Mei Lin, and then we plan to get married." Jean continued, but she didn't look as delighted about that as Alice might have expected.
"Isn't that good news?" she asked tentatively. Even Alice, who wasn't always quick to pick up on feelings, could see it wasn't completely good news.
"Mostly, I suppose," Jean continued, but she stared down into her glass of lemonade thoughtfully. "Truthfully, Alice, I don't think we can ever be as happy as we were before Mei Lin came back. It's never going to be quite as perfect or uncomplicated as it seemed in Adelaide."
Alice had never asked about what happened in Adelaide. It was hardly something she could have talked to Blake about when he returned; he was a work colleague and it was none of her business. But it had obviously been a precious time to Jean.
"How will it be different, though, Jean? Surely in time all the problems will be forgotten."
"Maybe. But we won't be able to get married in church, and a part of him will always love Mei Lin. And now I've met her, and actually in the end I liked her, so I will always wonder if we've done the right thing." Jean found herself telling Alice far more than she intended. It seemed she was a good listener.
They sat in a comfortable silence for a while, enjoying the sunshine of an early autumn afternoon.
"Lucien chose you, though, Jean. He didn't have to, but he did. Maybe that's better, in a way. If Mei Lin had died you might have wondered if he would have always preferred her."
Jean looked at Alice curiously. Perhaps Alice had a point.
"I suppose so. But that doesn't change the problem of the divorce." Jean sighed. This was the hardest thing for her.
"Nothing is perfect, Jean. Sometimes we have to settle for what we can have. You will be able to marry him, and I'm sure you will both be very happy. Maybe you just have to accept it will be mostly perfect." She smiled at Jean, and Jean saw in Alice a woman who envied her, just a little, for having a man she loved and who loved her.
Jean felt a whisper of shame. She had nearly everything. Why was she worrying about the tiny thing she couldn't have?