Lars put the truck into gear, and they rolled off down the drive. Lars looked at her speculatively, and she wondered how much of her outburst he had heard the previous night. She longed to say something to him about Hannah, but she was afraid to interfere and possibily make their situation worse. The unspoken problems hung between them in the cab of the truck. As they pulled up at the Silverbeck, Sarah leaned over and took his hand in both of hers.

‘You are such a wonderful man,’ she said. ‘And I know things are tough right now. But you can stick it out, just for a while. Piet depends on you – you’re his right hand. And Hannah does love you, Lars, only not in that way. At least not right now. So, try and be patient. Don’t give up on her. And take care of Piet for me, will you? I know how you feel, Lars, because I’ve been there. You’re the best, strong like a rock. And no matter how you feel about things today, there’s always hope. Always.’

She hugged him and then went round to the back of the truck to get her luggage. After a minute, Lars followed. He was mumbling something she could not hear in reply to her little speech, but as he lifted her bags down he was smiling. Allie Briggs’s Land Rover, mud-splattered and piled high with provisions, was already parked in the shade of a large flame tree. Two Africans in khaki drill uniforms sat in the back. Sarah found her new employer in the foyer, and Lars introduced himself briefly, said his goodbyes and left. Allie shook Sarah’s hand briskly.

‘Good to see you again,’ she said. ‘I ordered a curry lunch for two. I hope that suits. Do you know this place at all?’

‘No. I’ve never been—’

‘The equator line supposedly runs through the bar over there—’ Allie waved a hand. ‘Apparently the rooms on one side of the equator line have bathwater that runs clockwise down the plughole, and the others have an anticlockwise gurgle. I suspect this is particularly true if you watch them late at night, after you’ve had a few jars,’ she said, grinning. ‘As soon as we’ve had lunch, we should be on the road.’