“Of course, ma’am,” Madri replied.
At that moment, Nick realized that this was his grandmother’s tacit manner of forgiving him. He felt suddenly lighter, as if a gigantic boulder had been lifted off his back.
As Su Yi’s lady’s maids stepped out of the bedroom, Adam and Piya walked into the sitting room and for a few seconds before the bedroom door closed saw their cousin Nick crouched by his grandmother’s side.
Astrid waved from the settee where she was seated talking with Professor Oon. “Adam! It’s so good to see you!”
“Oh Astrid, I’m sorry, I didn’t see you over there. Piya, this is my cousin Astrid. She’s Auntie Felicity’s daughter.”
“I’ve heard so much about you,” Piya said with a smile.
“Was that Nicholas I saw in there with Ah Ma? We were just going to have a quick look-in before breakfast,” Adam said.
“Nicholas Young?” Professor Oon said in alarm. “He’s in the bedroom? But we are under strict orders not to—”
“Francis, hold that thought for one minute,” Astrid said, placing her hand on his lap, her fingers almost grazing his inner thigh. The doctor trembled at her unexpected touch and immediately went mute. Astrid turned to Adam and Piya and said, “I’m sure Ah Ma would love to see you in a little while. She’s doing much better this morning. Why don’t you head down to breakfast first? I hear that Ah Ching is making her famous crepes.”
“Ooh, I do love a good crepe,” Piya said.
“Me too. And Ah Ching makes a special sauce of Belgian chocolate and Lyle’s Golden Syrup to drizzle over them. Professor Oon, have you ever had chocolate-infused golden syrup drizzled over your crepes?”
“Er, no,” the doctor said, sweat beginning to bead around his temples.
“Well you must. In fact why don’t you join us right now? Let’s all go down for some crepes. I’m sure the whole family would love to have an update from you about Ah Ma,” Astrid said, getting up from the settee.
The three of them stood there, waiting for the doctor.
“Um, give me a minute,” Professor Oon said sheepishly. He knew that there was no way he could stand up at that moment.
—
Back in the bedroom, Su Yi had instructed Nick to go to the top drawer of her bureau and fetch something for her. “Do you see the pale blue box?”
“Yes.”
“At the bottom of the box are some silk pouches. Please bring me the yellow one.”
Nick unfastened the metal clasp on the blue embossed leather box and flipped open the lid. Inside was an assortment of objects and curiosities. Vintage tortoiseshell combs and coins of varying currencies mixed in with letters and faded old photographs. He came upon a small stack wrapped with a piece of ribbon and realized that it was every picture he had ever sent to her from his boarding-school days in England. At the bottom of the box were several jewelry pouches, the kind made of padded silk that one saw in Chinatown trinket shops all over the world. He found a small yellow pouch and returned to his grandmother’s bedside.
Su Yi unzipped the pouch, took out a pair of earrings, and placed them in the palm of Nick’s hand. “I want you to have these. For your wife.”
Nick felt a lump in his throat as he realized the enormous significance of her gift. His grandmother was acknowledging Rachel as his wife for the very first time. He glanced at the earrings in his palm. They were simple pearl studs set on old-fashioned gold posts, but the luminosity of each pearl was stunning—they seemed to glow from within. “Thank you, Ah Ma. I know Rachel will love these.”
Su Yi looked her grandson in the eye. “My father gave these to me when I escaped Singapore before the war, when the Japanese soldiers had finally reached Johor and we knew all was lost. They are very special. Please look after them carefully.”
“We will cherish them, Ah Ma.”
“Now, I think it’s time for my morning pills. Will you call Madri and Patravadee in?”
—
In the breakfast room, Ah Ching had set up a cooking station at the end of the long dining table. Rather unusually, she eschewed the use of a crepe pan to make her beloved recipe. Instead, she cooked them on her trusty wok, expertly tilting and twisting the large black wok to create the perfect round thin pancakes.
Eddie had woken up Fiona and the kids for this special treat, and his mother, Victoria, Catherine, and Taksin were assembled in the room as well, eagerly awaiting their custom-made crepes.
“Can I have mine with some ham and cheese?” Taksin asked. “I prefer savory ones to sweet ones, especially in the morning.”
“Uncle Taksin, you’re missing out if you don’t try the fabulous sauce that Ah Ching makes,” Eddie said.