He pressed his mouth against hers and her arms snaked up, wrapping themselves around his neck. I wanted to watch, and at the same time wanted to change places with Freddie, and felt my confusion building in my stomach and groin.

I didn’t know how long they were kissing before I heard a padding, and the squelch of wet shoes – Samson must have been led into the river to cool down. Nicolas was suddenly there, on the veranda, raising his eyebrows and smiling wearily at me.

Freddie released Sylvie, and stood up straight again. ‘So you’ll all come to the party?’

‘We’ll think about it,’ she said, smiling up at him.

‘Hope you can persuade your mother, Theo.’ He grinned again. ‘There’ll be plenty to look at.’

My mother and Maud were drinking tea when I arrived at Kiboko.

‘Theo,’ Maud said, jumping up as she saw me, ‘come and meet Scotty.’

‘Who’s Scotty?’

I followed her to her bedroom; she placed a finger on her lips and quietly pushed open the door. Inside, it looked the same as ever, except now there was a small, furry bundle on the end of her bed, snoring gently.

‘He’s one of Lady Joan’s puppies. Their dog had another litter and they said we had to have one this time because they’d run out of names,’ Maud whispered. She sat down next to the bundle and scratched behind its ear. The bundle, a black and tan Gordon Setter, opened its eyes, yawned, then rolled on its back and went to sleep again, paws quivering with each exhalation.

‘I think I wore him out,’ Maud said.

‘You called him Scotty?’

‘He wouldn’t answer to anything else.’

‘What else did you try?’

‘Arthur, Mordred, and Merlin.’

I raised an eyebrow.

‘Miss Graham’s been reading me Le Morte d’Arthur.’

‘I see.’

‘Isn’t he adorable?’

‘How does Mother feel about him?’

‘He’s not allowed in her bedroom. But she doesn’t mind him, because Lady Joan made her join the Welfare League. You know, that thing she was talking about before. Mother says it’ll be good to have something to do. She’ll have to go to Nairobi for meetings, so Miss Graham will be in charge.’

‘Bloody hell.’

Maud was still gazing lovingly at Scotty. I tickled the puppy under his chin and his paws quivered some more.

‘I need to go ask Mother something,’ I said.

My mother was in the kitchen with Joseph, planning the menu for the next week. I waited for her in the sitting room, and she came out quickly. ‘I hate that job,’ she said, joining me on the sofa. ‘And it’s all for your benefit you know – you’re eating us out of house and home. I never knew someone could have such an appetite.’

‘I’m growing.’

‘Be careful you don’t grow outwards,’ she said, and prodded my stomach. She was smiling.