‘Thank you,’ she said quietly.

Lunch was silent, and I drifted off, toying with the good napkins laid out on the table.

Halfway through the meal my mother pushed back her chair and left the table without a word. Maud put her hand on my arm.

‘Why don’t we go for a drive?’ she said.

‘No thanks.’

‘Do you want pudding?’

‘No.’

‘I suppose I shouldn’t ask what the napkins did to deserve their fate either.’

I looked down at the stained and crumpled material in front of me. ‘Sorry.’

‘No – I don’t know why I put them out.’ She stood up. ‘Let’s just go to sleep early. Tomorrow will be easier.’

‘Always optimistic, Spanish.’

‘Someone has to be.’

‘And you were right about Freddie – you’ve been smarter than me all along.’

‘I’m not sure about that.’ She rubbed her eyes. ‘I couldn’t understand what people saw in him, but then, I didn’t really know the hardships the farmers were facing.’

‘And now you do?’

‘I do. Of course they were angry and inward-looking – and Freddie was promising them a fresh start.’

‘That he never delivered.’

‘Maybe that’s for the best.’ She shook her head. ‘But I should have asked them how they felt.’

‘Don’t tell me you’re –’

‘Listening to people doesn’t mean agreeing with them.’ She bit her lip. ‘They should be allowed to say what they think, that’s all. And then they have to accept my right to criticise their views too.’

‘Did Freddie do that?’

‘Theo –’

‘What?’

‘Don’t think about Freddie too much – it won’t always be his world.’

I beckoned her over and pulled her onto my lap. ‘You know I love you, don’t you, Spanish?’

‘Of course I do,’ she said. She wrapped her arms around my neck. ‘I’m glad Father took the job out here. Even if it is hard sometimes.’

‘Me too.’

‘When the farm failed I felt as if I’d failed too. But, you know, there’s no reason not to try again. There’s so much I could do. And if it goes wrong – if it goes wrong for the hundredth time, I just need to go to my room and cry, and then start again.’

I squeezed her. ‘You never give up, do you? So what’s the new fight?’

‘The ivory trade.’ She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. ‘The totos showed me an elephant that was killed for its tusks last week. It was awful – that great, big creature dead, with blood all over its face where they’d sawn them off. And all for what? So people can show off their exotic piano keys and billiard balls?’

‘Be careful, Spanish. People make a lot of money from ivory.’