The Hunters. Kat Gordon

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СКАЧАТЬ Chapter Three

      On Friday morning my father said he’d take the afternoon off to show us around Nairobi. By midday the sun was fierce, and the lobby, where we were supposed to meet, was busy. I escaped into the garden and found my mother and Maud already out there. They were with another couple, a tall, dignified-looking man with thinning hair and a bristly moustache, and a slim, serious woman with dark, bobbed hair and a pretty, oval-shaped face. He was probably a little younger than my father, and she was probably a little younger than my mother. They were all standing on the garden path, and the woman was naming the flowers growing in the beds nearby.

      My mother waved me over. ‘This is my eldest,’ she said. ‘Theo, say hello to Sir Edward and Lady Joan Grigg. Sir Edward is the Governor of Kenya.’

      ‘How do you do?’ I said.

      Lady Joan looked me up and down and smiled at my mother. ‘I’m glad we don’t have a daughter,’ she said, which I thought was an odd remark.

      ‘Joanie’s trying to twist your mother’s arm,’ Sir Edward said to me. When he talked his moustache bristled even more. ‘She wants her to help out with the Welfare League she’s going to create.’

      My mother spread her hands helplessly. ‘I don’t know anything about nursing or midwifery. What exactly could I do?’

      ‘Fundraising.’

      ‘I don’t have much experience of that, either.’

      ‘Every woman’s had to extract money from someone at some point,’ Lady Joan said. ‘And it’s a good cause.’ She nodded at me and Maud. ‘You’ve had children of your own. White settlers think the natives don’t feel pain when giving birth, but that’s completely ridiculous. We need to provide proper midwifery training for them.’

      Sir Edward made a show of looking at his wristwatch. ‘I think I’ll head back to Government House. Leave you ladies to discuss the … finer points.’

      ‘No, don’t go,’ Lady Joan said. She turned back to my mother. ‘I won’t force you, of course. Just think about it.’

      ‘Well …’

      ‘She won’t leave you alone now,’ Sir Edward said, laying a hand on his wife’s arm. ‘It’s much easier to give in, believe me.’ He looked at Lady Joan as if he admired her and she rolled her eyes.

      I felt the sun beating down on my head and shoulders, and wondered how much longer we were going to stand around.

      ‘You must come over for supper,’ Lady Joan said. ‘I can put my case across properly.’

      ‘Do you have any wild animals?’ Maud asked.

      ‘I’m afraid not,’ Sir Edward said. ‘We have lots of dogs, though. Do you like dogs? One of our bitches has just got pregnant.’

      ‘I like dogs,’ Maud said solemnly.

      ‘Perhaps we can find a puppy for you,’ Sir Edward said.

      ‘Then it’s decided,’ Lady Joan said. ‘Come around for supper and choose your dog.’

      ‘It’s very kind of you,’ my mother said. ‘But we leave for Naivasha in a few weeks, and of course, there’s Christmas before that …’

      ‘And Race Week,’ I said, suddenly more awake. ‘Freddie’ll be showing us around then.’

      ‘Lord Hamilton?’ Sir Edward asked.

      ‘Yes.’

      ‘Did you know him before you came out?’

      ‘We met him the other night,’ my mother said, frowning at me.

      Sir Edward raised his eyebrows. ‘That might be his fastest work yet.’

      ‘I’m sorry?’

      ‘The government officials have a name for that crowd,’ Lady Joan said. ‘The Happy Valley set.’

      My mother looked helpless again. ‘I’m not sure I understand.’

      ‘The “Valley” is because they live in the Wanjohi Valley region. The “Happy” …’ She glanced at Maud and then me. ‘I wouldn’t really like to say.’

      ‘Freddie’s a decent sort,’ Sir Edward said. ‘He takes his farming seriously. And he’s going to be High Constable of Scotland when his father dies. That’ll force him to grow up.’

      ‘I liked him,’ I said.

      ‘He’s very charming,’ Lady Joan said, ‘and you’re very young. But he’s not a good friend to have.’

      I fixed my gaze over her shoulder so I wouldn’t have to look at her properly. I’d changed my mind – she wasn’t pretty at all.

      ‘He’s her third husband,’ she continued. ‘And I’ve heard bad things about their new guests – the de Croÿs. I don’t believe Madame de Croÿ is a good influence.’

      ‘You don’t know her,’ I blurted.

      Lady Joan gave me an odd look.

      ‘We shouldn’t keep you,’ my mother said, holding out her hand again. ‘And it’s very kind of you to invite us over. I know William will be delighted to meet you.’

      Sir Edward touched his wife gently on the shoulder. ‘Come on, Joanie,’ he said. ‘We should be getting back.’

      ‘I’ll be in touch about the League,’ she said.

      ‘Please do.’

      They headed off.

      My mother turned to Maud. ‘Can you run out to the front of the hotel, darling, and see if your father is there yet?’

      She waited until we were alone before beckoning me to her and twisting my ear viciously until it couldn’t go any further. I bit my tongue to stop myself from crying out. ‘Don’t be so stupid,’ she hissed, and shoved me away. ‘Do you want us to have a chance out here or do you want to ruin it?’

      I pressed my palm against the ear, trying to stop it throbbing. ‘Why can’t we have a chance with Freddie and Sylvie?’

      My mother started walking away. ‘You don’t understand people,’ she said over her shoulder.

      My father hadn’t arrived yet, so Maud and I waited on the terrace. I sat with my head against the cool of a pillar, boiling with anger; Maud sat next to me.

      ‘Lady Joan’s a bloody old witch,’ I said.

      ‘I liked her.’

      ‘She’s got something against Freddie and Sylvie, and now Mother’s bound to stop us being friends with them.’

      Maud turned her face to me, eyes serious. ‘Mother only ever does something because she thinks it’s СКАЧАТЬ