At last, Dad took a long, weary breath and said, ‘You have to pull yourself out of this, Di. You have to, for Cathy’s sake.’ And with an impatient movement, he turned away from her, picked up his jacket and left the house.

Needing to escape Mum’s terrifying loneliness, I went outside and found myself walking towards Mufaro’s kraal, my legs taking me there of their own accord. After about fifteen minutes, the cluster of circular thatched huts came into view, their walls decorated with patterns of red and yellow mud. They looked calm and quiet. A few scraggy hens searched for food. An elderly woman was sweeping the entrance to one of the huts with a broom, looking at me curiously as I passed.

I found Mufaro in a small field beyond the kraal, hoeing with some other boys. They were calling to each other and laughing as they worked. I halted about fifty yards away and watched them. Their hoes rose and sank into the heavy red soil. The sky was high and empty, glacial blue, but there was no warmth in the sun. A gust of wind rustled through the tall, parched grass.

Mufaro straightened up and looked right at me. My stomach lurched. I started waving, but he turned away and went back to work. I walked home slowly, my throat hurting from dry, convulsive sobs. Tucker was in the garden. I scooped up a handful of seeds from one of the bird feeders and held out my hand, keeping as still and quiet as I could. He cocked his head and looked at me before he flapped up and fed from my palm. I scarcely breathed as he moved around pecking at the food. His claws dug into my skin, but the sensation was pleasant. It seemed that he was the only creature in the world who was glad to see me.

27 The Courtaulds, Rhodesia, 1950s

27

The Courtaulds, Rhodesia, 1950s

The bullet that killed Jongy came from Eric Thompson’s gun. Ginie and Stephen chose not to attend the court hearing, knowing it would be too much for her. Eric claimed that his pistol had gone off by accident, though he couldn’t come up with a convincing explanation as to why he was in the Dell with a gun. The Courtaulds were sure he had shot Jongy deliberately, to teach them a lesson for taking Mary in, and to their dismay, he was let off with a caution and a fine. The magistrate, Doug Knight, was a friend of his. The one thing they drew comfort from was that Eric’s firearms had been confiscated.

Eric was furious. He tried to fight the ruling, arguing that he wouldn’t be able to defend himself on his isolated farm, but Knight was immovable.

‘Do you think the letters will stop now?’ Ginie asked Stephen, afterwards.