‘Good to see you, Hettie. I hope you’re keeping well?’

She gave him a cloying smile, eyes gleaming in her puffy face, reminding Sarah of a hippo lying in the shallows, poised to attack the unwary.

‘I’m well, thank you, Lars. I heard you’d returned. It must be difficult at Langani, with all that has happened. It’s very good of you to keep working in the circumstances. Will you be staying on?’

‘What circumstances would those be, Hettie?’

Hettie Kruger’s eyes travelled slowly over Hannah’s figure. ‘There are no secrets in our little community,’ she said. ‘But we’re happy to make allowances for mistakes. And we’re here to help anyone who has been left high and dry.’

Hannah flushed scarlet and opened her mouth to speak, but Lars squeezed her shoulder hard. He glared down at Mrs Kruger for a moment, and then seemed to make up his mind. His face cleared, as though he had suddenly understood something that had been puzzling him.

‘Ah! You’re referring to our happy event, is that it? Hannah and I are delighted. We’ve just been for her check-up, and you’ll be pleased to know everything is fine. Of course, we had thought of having the wedding earlier. Only we couldn’t do that. We needed a little time, after all the sadness. But we have decided we should go ahead now and get married. We’ll have a ceremony that will bring back the joy in our lives. Won’t it, Hannah?’

Hannah was staring up at Lars, dumbfounded. His fingers dug into her shoulder as he prompted her again.

‘We haven’t decided on the exact date, but it will be very soon, won’t it, Han? Very soon now.’

Hannah looked at Hettie Kruger’s hard, disbelieving face, and then back up at Lars who was smiling at her with enormous tenderness and some humour. She turned her gaze back to Hettie, and found her voice.

‘Yes. Yes, Lars and I are getting married very soon,’ she said feebly. ‘And we are so happy. Really very happy.’

As Hettie Kruger sailed out of the door, bristling with the news, Lars turned Hannah round to face him. He took her into his arms and kissed her mouth, and then kissed her again.

‘Yes, we are. Very, very happy,’ he repeated.

Chapter 30

London, February 1966