‘I do need to say it, though. I don’t want any taboo subjects between us. I was crazy for her. Idiotic, when you come to think of it. The Afrikaans farm boy chasing the princess.’ She made a sound of protest, but he smiled down at her. ‘No fairy-tale endings there, heh? She got into my blood, and for a while I hoped she felt the same. Like a touch of malaria, the kind that keeps recurring when you think you’re cured. And I ended up making an idiot of myself.’

‘No!’ Sarah said. ‘She tried to make a fool out of you. She used you, hurt you, and I was so angry with her it nearly finished our friendship. You were so sweet to her when she came out on safari with us, considering what she did to you. It must have been hard. Seeing Anthony . . .’

She stopped, uncomfortable. She really did not want to talk about Camilla. Didn’t want the shadow of her on Piet’s ridge. And was it completely over? She was afraid to ask him. What if he was choosing her as the next best thing? Someone he knew was fond of him, who was a good friend to his sister. Sarah closed her eyes in panic. Felt his hand under her chin, lifting her face towards him.

‘There are things we have to talk about, Sarah. There’s something deep and wonderful growing between us. But I need time to sort out what’s going on at Langani.’

Sarah wanted to say something comforting, but she did not want to interrupt his train of thought.

‘I’m worried about Ma, too. Since they went to Rhodesia, Pa has gone to pieces and he’s still drinking. I know Hannah told you why she left there. She begged Ma to come home after the raid, but Pa – well, I think he can’t see a role for himself at Langani any more. And Ma won’t leave him there alone.’

‘Hannah must be very disappointed,’ Sarah said.

‘My sister is a great girl. So courageous. It’s lonely for her, and since the robbery, she’s found it tough. I haven’t been much help. I’m out a lot, on the farm and at the lodge. And so is Lars. I thought for a while there was something going between them. He’s a good man, my friend Lars. Steady. Dependable. But she was in a strange mood after the raid. Then Viktor Szustak – you remember, he’s my architect – he’s started coming up here regularly, staying at the house and fooling around with Hannah. Viktor is a menace, because this won’t last and it can only mean a bad outcome for Hannah when he moves on. Lars is furious, and it’s created a big problem.’

‘That explains a lot,’ Sarah said. ‘I noticed the tension between them yesterday.’