‘This young fellow followed our Loveness here all the way from the City of Kings,’ Msimanga said. Spokes thought he was joking and expected the people gathered around him to laugh, but they did not; instead, they all slowly arched one eyebrow – a family trait.

‘At least they are now coming from closer to home,’ a woman said matter-of-factly as she helped another woman to lift the trunk from the carriage.

‘Remember the young man who followed her all the way from Pietermaritzburg?’ another woman said.

‘That one was studying to become a lawyer. An African lawyer. Imagine that? What does this one intend to be?’ another woman said, looking Spokes up and down as she stood with her arms akimbo.

‘What do you know of studying?’ challenged a male voice from somewhere at the back. ‘You’ve never set foot inside a school.’

‘Is it any secret that I don’t have an education? It is because you are too content to do and say the obvious thing that your wife has once again become friendly with Sobantu,’ the woman with arms akimbo challenged back.

There were some scattered chuckles at this exchange even as a few voices told the woman she did not have to make things so personal.

‘Remember the man who followed our Loveness all the way from Johannesburg?’ another voice said, hastily changing the subject.

‘A poor mineworker, unfortunately.’

‘Much better than the one who followed her from Mafeking – a simple porter at the railway station, carrying things here and there and everywhere for the Europeans.’

‘I rather liked that one. He looked good in that uniform. Tall. The kind of tall that gives you confidence. This one is tall, too.’

‘Who cares for tall? Who cares for uniforms?’ the woman who was standing arms akimbo asked. ‘Our Loveness is educated. She deserves only the best of men.’

Spokes was confused. Were they having fun at his expense?

Msimanga looked at him and smiled. ‘You are not the first chap to come here wanting to marry our Loveness,’ he explained. ‘But you very well may be the last.’

Spokes was even more confounded.

‘Most of the time I am the one who has to invite the poor fellow – regardless of how flimsy his reason for finding himself amongst us is – to the homestead, but today our Loveness did that all on her own. So I would say that you, Spokes Moloi, stand a better chance than your predecessors.’

What was this? What exactly had he got himself into?

‘Now, although I am the headman in these parts, I am not very particular about the man that my daughter marries. I know that a young man – even one who has fought for the British in a war that was none of his business – can always build himself up. More importantly, I know that my daughter can choose wisely for herself, and if she chooses you, then so be it.’

Spokes did not know what to feel. All he knew was that when something seemed too good to be true … it usually was.