The dining room was papered with a beautifully crafted wood veneer: Birdseye Maple edged with walnut, and backed onto very fine linen. Thirteen Turner watercolours hung from the walls and the long table was laid with the best silver, crystal and china bearing the Courtauld family crest. Jongy sat on a perch with a collar around his neck, attached to a long chain. The guests eyed him warily. He was already notorious for taking chunks out of people’s ankles.

Ginie showed them where to sit and she and Stephen took their places at each end of the table. Jongy jumped off his perch and started scampering around like a naughty child, letting out strange cries and chirruping noises.

‘He’s a lively character,’ Eric Thompson said uneasily, pulling his chair as close to the table as his paunch would allow. He was blond and sturdily built, with a thick neck and enormous strength in his arms and shoulders. He had shrewd blue eyes, the whites reddened by glare. Wherever his skin was visible, it was beef-red.

‘Does he go everywhere with you?’ asked Guthrie.

‘Oh, yes,’ said Ginie, ‘There were difficulties getting him into Rhodesia, but we managed to work them out. He comes with us on all our travels and house moves, packed in a special suitcase we call the Valise de Surprise.’

The corners of Stephen’s mouth twitched as he remembered the astonished faces of customs officials in ports and airports all over the world as the Valise de Surprise was opened.

‘You’re part of the family, aren’t you sweetheart?’ Ginie bent down to pet Jongy, but he was too excited to stay still and darted away from her hand.

‘Does he run into problems with the indigenous monkeys?’ Mark asked.

‘No, Jongy is frightfully wary of them. He stays close to us and the house.’ Suddenly, Eric yelped and kicked out under the table.

‘The damn thing’s biting me!’ He turned to Stephen, ‘Get it off me! Please!’

There were concerned exclamations from the women, except for Ginie, who shot Stephen an amused but guilty look. Suppressing the urge to smile back, Stephen lured Jongy away with a piece of banana and Ginie called Dixon to take him to the kitchen.

‘I’m sorry about that,’ she said to Eric, who had pulled up his trouser leg and was examining the damage, ‘can we get you iodine and a bandage?’

‘No need,’ replied Eric, through gritted teeth.

‘You should have iodine,’ said Jill, frowning. ‘That animal might carry a disease.’

Ginie dismissed this with a wave of her hand. Nevertheless, Stephen rose to his feet and went to fetch cotton wool and a bottle of iodine.