Edmund now looked closely at Sir Ralph. He saw an ageless face, tanned and lined a little by the sun of the tropics, with thick hair falling to his shoulders and eyes of a startling blue, reminding him of his brother, Valentine. His lips were narrow, but sensual. From one ear dangled an exquisite piece of carved ivory, this ornamentation alone giving him the air of a pirate. The thought thus passed through Edmund Ross’s mind that the man might be holding him captive in his eccentric mansion, but if this frightened him for a moment he also knew that he was too weak to put up any resistance to his captivity. And he was alive. He was alive, when, only a few weeks ago, he had been near to death in a fragile hut roofed with leaves. Whatever was going to happen to him here, he would have to surrender to it.

The evening of that day found Sir Ralph Savage and Edmund Ross, now dressed in clean clothes too large for his emaciated frame, sitting on the veranda eating catfish and sweet potatoes and sipping arak, while all around them hundreds of fireflies came out and glowed in the darkness.

In the shadows, not far from them, crouched Leon. Sir Ralph appeared to pay him no heed and the crouching figure was so still, so soundless that Edmund almost forgot that he was there at all. But after some time, Sir Ralph turned to him and asked him to bring an oil lamp to the table, and Leon got to his feet and went quietly into the house.

While he was gone, Sir Ralph said: ‘I pay Leon with small pieces of silver. If he stays with me, he will be rich one day. The only condition is that he must be available to me day and night. He is very clever and lovable. And he has the silkiest arse in Borneo. I hope I do not shock you by saying this?’

‘No,’ said Edmund.

Sir Ralph tipped back his glass of arak and drank it down.

‘Men must speak of these things,’ he went on. ‘We must speak of all that our souls long to confess. We must speak of everything in the world and speak of it truthfully. That is my philosophy. Perhaps you will tell me yours?’

Edmund smiled, but it was too dark on the veranda for Sir Ralph to see the smile.

‘I was born in Wiltshire,’ said Edmund. ‘I was raised to be obedient and silent, and to keep my body in a like condition, with the expectation that I would some day become a Minister of the Church. But when I was quite a young boy I discovered the world of the insects and the flowers. And that always felt to me like a small patch of paradise.’

‘If you discovered paradise in Wiltshire, why did you come here?’

‘Because I wanted to test myself – to see whether I could survive in an unfamiliar world. And I have tried to follow in the footsteps of Mr Wallace. My quest is to send back rarities to England, to make men marvel.’