Langdon did some earnest nodding, while conveying ‘Yeah, right, I don’t think so’ from every pore.

Mum bristled, but Dad’s this-is-exactly-what-I’d-expect-from-you-Langdon expression lacked bite. Ordinarily disagreements between the two escalate into proper arguments – they actually squared up to each other over a business deal that went wrong a couple of Christmases ago – but today Dad seemed content to let Langdon’s condescension go.

Since Uncle Langdon’s mouth was full of champagne, Caleb took the opportunity to chip in. ‘Dad’s point about corruption is key. Nothing gets done here unless the right people are paid.’

He shook his shaved head very man-of-the-world-wearily. It made me want to ask him how many bribes he – personally – had paid, but I bit my tongue. Instead I sat and listened to his phoney I’m-such-an-adult questions, sipping my drink, waiting for Mum to do what she always does, which is try to push us together. Sure enough, when Uncle Langdon started ribbing Dad for having given up his real job in favour of helping questionable do-good causes, she said, ‘You and Caleb should go to join the others in the games room. You can take him on at ping-pong or something.’

‘Others?’ said Caleb.

‘Jack’s brought a couple of friends along for the safari,’ explained Mum.

‘That’s nice for you,’ he told me in a tone that made me want to punch him.

‘Why don’t you introduce him to Amelia and Xander?’ Mum, oblivious, went on.

It wasn’t actually a question of course. I did what I was told. I led Caleb through the marble lobby to the hotel’s games room, where we found Xander and Amelia playing pool. Amelia is all right at pool. She was leaning over the table with just one red ball and the black to dispatch, while Xander, whose yellows were still all over the place, watched. Amelia didn’t look up until she’d potted both balls.

‘Four nil,’ she said. ‘Another one?’

‘Nah, I’m good,’ said Xander.

‘Good? But you lost four times …’ Amelia trailed off as she noticed Caleb. He didn’t wait for me to say who he was, just launched right in, introduced himself, offered to play the next game. I didn’t say anything, but I knew that Caleb has his own pool table at home. He’s annoyingly good at it. I watched him out of the corner of my eye as Xander and I played table tennis. He let Amelia get ahead, then reeled her in, then snookered her again and again, drawing the game out. All the while he was chatting to her in a way that made my skin crawl, though I don’t know why. It’s not as if Amelia can’t look after herself: she’s as resilient as she is honest. I just didn’t like that my cousin was making me feel that she might have to watch her back.

8.

‘Well played,’ she said, when he eventually beat her. I was pleased when she added, ‘You made a bit of a meal of it, but won all the same.’