Eric, bored by the topic, then launched into telling everyone about his skill in handling his labour. He thought it amusing to burst into a room and startle his servants, or pretend ‘for a laugh’ to run down one of his farm workers in his car. It kept them in line, he said. He’d had a lot to drink over the course of the evening and it was starting to show. While Eric spoke, he watched the others for their reactions. He saw Ginie’s discomfort and his lips curled back in an ugly smirk. Stephen felt himself bristle. Many of the farmers were known to be hard task-masters, but Eric was more vicious than most.

Eric continued, ‘The other day, I deliberately left money out in a bedroom where the houseboy, Eliot, was about to clean. Then I watched through the keyhole while he struggled with himself about whether or not to steal the coins.’

‘Did he take them?’ asked Mark.

‘Of course he did, the miserable bastard. He doesn’t even have the moral fibre of that dog.’ He nodded towards Max, who had come into the room and was being petted by Ginie. Ginie met Eric’s gaze with a clear, level look.

‘We know Eliot, actually. He’s our cook’s brother. What did you do to him?’

‘I burst into the room and yelled, “Caught you then, you pig!” He jumped three feet in the air; almost soiled himself. I threatened to call the police out. It was the funniest thing I’ve seen in a long time.’ He gave a narrow-mouthed smile.

‘I think that’s a cruel trick. When faced with temptation, we’re all susceptible,’ Stephen replied. He kept his voice calm, though he could feel rage churning in his stomach.

‘Oh come on, the blacks are born thieves and liars,’ answered Eric. ‘No offence, but you haven’t been here long enough to see what we see.’

‘Well then, why don’t you describe it to me?’

Their gaze locked through a haze of cigarette smoke. A faint smell of sweat had imprinted itself on the air.

‘It’s like this,’ Eric began, grinding out his cigarette on his plate. ‘They’re a lazy race, so they have no pride in their work. You can’t trust them to get a job done – they need constant supervision if you don’t want them to sit around or steal from you.’

‘But isn’t it true that if you want to get good work out of any man, you must give him decent conditions?’ queried Stephen. ‘If they are unproductive, I expect it’s because they feel they aren’t properly looked after or fairly paid.’

‘Stephen’s right, you know,’ said Guthrie. He smiled, which deepened the laughter lines around his eyes, though his tone was serious. ‘The average worker can barely feed his family on what he earns, and their living arrangements are often dreadfully overcrowded and unsanitary.’