‘Welcome, Sister.’ Jakab bowed and smiled at her, his teeth the whitest she’d ever seen in another human, his brown eyes twinkling bright in the darkness of his skin. The airport was full of dark-skinned people and to Brigid, who had never seen a black person until she’d arrived in Paris, it all added to the magic of Africa.

She gazed around her, delighting in the glorious colours worn by the women, some with magnificent turbans on their heads, and the pristine white robes worn by men.

‘It’s so different, isn’t it?’ Goretti smiled. ‘I’ve been here fifteen years and I never tire of it.’ She led the way out of the airport to a red Citroën parked at the kerb, its two large round headlights looking like a pair of frog’s eyes.

‘Jakab will be teaching you to drive once you’ve settled in, and then you and I will be heading to St Louis, a large regional capital up north, to set up our childcare clinics. Malaria is the biggest killer of children here, especially in the rainy season. We use antimalarial drugs, quinine, insecticides and netting mostly – and of course, the local cures in the areas we go to. Hep A and Typhoid are our main problems, and yellow fever afflicts men who work in the heavily forested areas. So we’ve plenty to keep us going.’ Goretti grinned and, as Jakab hoisted Brigid’s case into the boot, she opened the passenger door for Brigid.

‘So we won’t be based at the convent in Dakar then?’ Brigid asked, settling into the worn car seat.

‘Oh no!’ Goretti winked. ‘We’ll be far, far away from it, in our own little convent. There’ll be five of us, living in a small house, which will be our base. We’ll be on the road mostly,’ the Kerry nun explained.

‘Oh!’ said Brigid, liking the sound of this.

‘I’m dying to hear all the news. I hope you brought letters.’ Goretti slid into the back seat alongside her. ‘We love it when someone arrives from Europe.’

‘I did, and some homemade scones that myself and another Irish nun made, and macarons, and some Gruyère, and boeuf bourguignon and some pâté and crackers. And two baguettes. They’re in Tupperware containers in that big brown cardboard box. It went into the hold, so it’s quite chilled.’

Goretti’s eyes widened in pleasure. ‘Yum yum! We’ll be having a party tonight,’ she said gaily. ‘Get us home as fast as you can, Jakab,’ she instructed their driver, who turned on the engine and took off like one of the rally drivers he so admired.