‘I’m sure of it,’ he replied, squeezing her hand. ‘We haven’t had one since Jongy died.’

Perhaps now that Eric had been held accountable, he would accept that he had to give up his vendetta. Weeks and months passed without incident and it appeared as though the danger was over. It had to be over. Guthrie went to England to visit his sister, who had just been diagnosed with cancer. He didn’t know how long he would be gone and the Courtaulds missed him dearly, for they had come to rely on his kindness and common sense.

They threw themselves into new building projects. First, they commissioned a memorial to Jongy and placed it over his grave in the garden. It was designed by Gilbert Ledward: a larger than life-sized sculpture of the lemur sitting with his tail curled up. An inscription read:

Much loved member of our family for nineteen years.

Companion in our travels over many lands and seas.

Ginie planted a rosebush beside Jessica’s grave. She was still sceptical about Jessica’s ghost, but it was a nice thing to do and she hoped it might dispel the sadness she felt whenever she was near the gravestone.

In the staff compound, they built new houses, installing electricity for the first time. The home crafts club was flourishing and had expanded to include not only the women from La Rochelle, but also those who lived outside the estate. They were running their own affairs and selling the clothes and blankets they made to a couple of shops in Umtali. Near the home crafts building they made a sports ground, with a full size football pitch and a pavilion that had a veranda, dressing-rooms and showers. A men’s football club was founded and named the Shumba Sports Club. Membership was open to all male employees and the club included workers from neighbouring farms and properties. Competing teams in the valley impatiently awaited their first trials.

Ginie and Stephen were especially proud of their school, which took place in the mornings in the home crafts hall. There were fifty-two pupils in total, their ages ranging from six to eleven. They were taught by Mary. Her salary, as well as all stationery, textbooks and other equipment, were paid for by the Courtaulds. They also had a small pavilion built for Ginie’s private use.

Cedric Green, an architect and artist who lived in Umtali, was chosen to design it. A short, neat-looking man, with tawny hair and beard, a hooked nose and keen brown eyes behind half-moon spectacles. He reminded Ginie of a bird of prey. He’d studied under the Portuguese architect, Pancho Guedes, and was deeply influenced by him. His work had a sculptural, innovative character, which the Courtaulds were drawn to, so they gave him free reign. The construction of the pavilion was mostly done by John Mutasa, the estate handyman.