‘I can see it,’ I said. ‘It’s next to me.’

‘Oh my God.’

‘It’s not doing anything.’

I locked eyes with the leopard. They were like nothing I’d seen before: real; emotionless; sizing up the quarry. I wondered how we looked to it, if it saw our pale, pulsating bodies as they were, or straight through to the red mass of guts and flesh inside. I tasted something bitter at the back of my throat.

‘Theo – we have to go now,’ Maud said, digging her nails into my arm.

I waited. Apart from Maud’s heavy breathing next to me there was complete silence. The leopard lifted its chin, sniffing something in the darkness. The car filled with a green, mossy smell and I felt the tension drain away abruptly. The animal’s mouth opened wider in a yawn, then it loped off.

‘It’s gone,’ I said.

‘Are you sure?’

‘Yes.’

‘Now can we drive?’

I switched the headlights back on and pressed my foot down on the pedal. We jolted forwards and Maud let out a sigh.

‘I’m shaking,’ she said.

‘You’ll be fine.’

‘I was terrified.’ Something in her voice made me look at her. There were two silvery tracks down her cheeks. ‘Why didn’t you drive off?’

‘Don’t be upset, Spanish.’

‘I’m not upset.’ She rubbed furiously underneath her eye with the heel of her hand. ‘I’m angry. We could have been killed.’

I put one arm around her and drew her into me. She pushed her face against my chest.

‘I’m sorry,’ I said. ‘I didn’t think.’

She sighed again. ‘It’s the first one I’ve seen. In all our time out here.’

‘Me too.’

‘Why did it run off?’

There was a terrific crack in the sky and Maud clutched my arm. The crack was followed by a low drumming sound, then large raindrops began to splatter on the windscreen. I took a deep breath and felt a laugh bubble up inside me.

‘It was the storm,’ I said.

Since Sylvie hadn’t been in touch, and I felt guilty that I’d been neglecting Lucy, the following weekend I made a point of staying in Nairobi to see her. Saturday morning was sunny and unusually cool for early December. After spending half an hour trying to track her down, I eventually found her drinking tea with her parents in The Norfolk gardens. Mr Cartwright greeted me less warmly than usual.

‘Will you join us?’ Mrs Cartwright said.

‘Please,’ I said. I nodded at the waiter for another cup and he disappeared.

‘How are your family?’ she asked.

‘They’re well.’

‘We haven’t seen much of them, or you even these past months.’

‘I know – I’ve missed you all.’ I smiled at Lucy and she smiled back, blinking suddenly.

‘Darling, is something wrong?’ Mrs Cartwright asked.