‘Yes,’ said Angela loyally. ‘That is what she is. A big, big liar. There are many liars in this country, Mma, and her name is up at the top of the list. If the government published a list of liars, whose name would be at the top? Daisy Manchwe.’

Mma Ramotswe turned to Mma Makutsi. ‘I’m sorry it wasn’t Violet,’ said Mma Ramotswe. ‘I know you were looking forward to denouncing her.’

‘There will always be another time,’ said Mma Makutsi philosophically. ‘When there are many bad ladies around, Mma, it is best to deal with them one by one, I think.’

‘That’s all very well,’ interjected Angela. ‘But what are you going to do with this Manchwe person? Is she going to get away with it, like Violet Sephotho would have done?’

Mma Ramotswe turned to Angela. ‘There are ways of handling these things, Mma.’

‘What are they?’ challenged Angela.

Mma Ramotswe was tolerant of the younger woman’s impatience. ‘Mma Makutsi and I will go to speak to her. We will tell her that we know that it was her who has done these things.’ She paused. ‘Have you ever confronted a person who has done something really bad, Mma?’

Angela said nothing.

‘Well,’ continued Mma Ramotswe, ‘sometimes you don’t have to say very much to them. You look at them and you must not blink. You look at them, and you watch them, thinking about what they have done. It doesn’t always work – there are some people who are without shame, but most people have some shame inside them, Mma. And you let that shame do its work. And…’ Now she raised a finger. ‘You may tell them that they are forgiven. That can be very, very powerful, Mma. Don’t forget it. Forgiveness works.’

Angela looked down at the floor. ‘I’m sorry, Mma. I was a bit rude.’

‘No, you weren’t,’ said Mma Ramotswe. ‘What you said was understandable. There are times when it is necessary to punish people to make them face up to their actions – and to make others feel that justice has been done. So we might come up with something that will bring it home to Daisy Manchwe that what she did was wrong. I’ve thought of something, in fact.’

Mma Makutsi looked interested. ‘What is that, Mma?’

‘Could you use some advertising leaflets, Mma Soleti?’

Mma Makutsi let out a chuckle. ‘Free, of course.’

But then Mma Ramotswe took Mma Soleti aside and whispered to her so that the others did not hear what she said. ‘Mma, it may be that you need to think a bit about what happened between you and Daisy Manchwe. When there is something like this, it may be that there are two people at fault. It may be that you need to ask for forgiveness too. She may not feel entirely happy about her husband leaving her, you know – whatever she says about him.’