Page 141 of The Sun Sister

‘I am,’ Cecily said as the man ran a fountain pen down a long list of names.

‘Mrs Sinclair has already signed you in. Ali!’ The man turned inside the shadowy interior and clicked his fingers. A servant appeared immediately by his side. ‘Please see Miss Huntley-Morgan to her room.’

Ali took her cases from Makena, who gave her a salute, then stepped back into the Bugatti. As she followed the man through the wooden-floored reception area and along a couple of narrow corridors, Cecily could already hear the hum of voices coming from somewhere in the building.

‘Here,memsahib. Room number ten,’ said Ali.

Cecily walked into a spartan cell, with only a narrow single bed, a chest of drawers with a washbasin atop it, and a closet which resembled an upturned coffin wedged into the corner.

‘Okay,memsahib?’

‘Perfect, thank you.’

As Ali left, shutting the door softly behind him, she shook her head in disbelief; she’d imagined that Muthaiga Club would be the Kenyan version of the Waldorf Astoria. Not that she cared – it was simply a place to lay her head for the night – but she could hardly imagine Kiki sleeping in a room like this.

Refastening her hat in the mirror, then applying some fresh lipstick, Cecily surveyed the door that would lead her out to the party. Taking a deep breath, she opened it, then with absolutely no idea of which way to turn down the corridor, decided to follow the hum of the crowd. Eventually, she found herself in a deserted dining room, the many tables set with creamy roses and garlands, the silver cutlery polished to a high shine. The tables flowed out into a veranda, beyond which stood a large crowd of guests, sipping champagne. She felt rather like she was walking through a beautiful garden filled with exotic birds of paradise. Well, that was the women at least, she thought, because they all seemed to be dressed in colourful silks and their jewels sparkled in the late afternoon sun. As for the men, they looked like a flock of penguins in their white tie and tails. She emerged at the other side of the crowd and saw Bobby and Katherine, who was wearing a simple but beautiful lace gown, which hugged her generous figure and showed off her creamy bare shoulders. Ivory roses adorned her lovely red hair and Cecily smiled, thinking she looked the picture of happiness.

‘Champagne, madam?’ asked a passing waiter.

‘Do you have water?’ Cecily wasn’t taking any chances; she wasn’t going to throw up in the bushes amongst the crème de la crème of local society.

‘Cecily, darling!’ Katherine waved at her as a flashbulb popped in front of her. ‘Just a couple more photographs and I’ll be over to introduce you to everyone.’

‘No problem!’ she shouted back, content to cast her eyes round the crowd while she waited. There was Alice, attired in a long, beaded sapphire gown that skimmed her too-slim figure. And Idina (who she’d last seen running naked into the lake at Mundui House) fully clothed in a purple shot-silk dress and matching turban. Standing between the women was a tall debonair man with blond hair and blue eyes. From a distance, he reminded her – or at least his colouring did – of Jack. For an older man, he was extremely handsome, and the two women seemed to be hanging off his every word.

‘Darling Cecily! Thank you so much for coming.’ Katherine had arrived by her side, dragging Bobby with her.

‘You look beautiful, Katherine.’

‘She does, doesn’t she?’ Bobby put an arm round his new wife’s shoulder and kissed her on the top of her head.

Katherine held out her left hand and indicated her wedding finger. ‘Look, Cecily, it’s really happened. After all those years of loving him from afar, my dream came true.’

‘I’m so happy for both of you,’ Cecily said, meaning it. If this wasn’t a genuine love match, then she didn’t know what was. ‘How was the ceremony yesterday?’

‘About as different as it could be from this,’ Katherine said. ‘I wore a cotton dress and all Daddy’s Kikuyus came in their ceremonial clothes – you’ve never seen such extravagant jewellery! It was quite perfect, actually, and at the end of the service, they sang their traditional wedding song for us.’

‘Which I enjoyed far more than “Amazing Grace”,’ Bobby interrupted with a smile.

‘Is your father here?’

‘No, he said it was too far to travel, and as you know, this kind of event isn’t his cup of tea. Now, come with me and I shall introduce you to the rest of the Valley whom you haven’t yet met,’ Katherine smiled.

By the time she had shaken at least twenty hands, Cecily had lost track of everyone’s names. There had been Lord this and the Earl of that, and women with names like Bubbles and Flossy and Tattie.

‘And of course, you know darling Alice, who has staggered out of her sick bed to be here today,’ said Katherine, leading her into another circle. ‘You remember Cecily, don’t you, Alice?’

‘Of course I do. You look beautiful, Cecily. Doesn’t she, Joss?’

Cecily watched Alice gaze up adoringly at the handsome blond man she’d noticed earlier. His hawk-like eyes focused first on her face, then swept up and down her body as though assessing her worth.

‘Indeed,’ he said in a rich English tone. ‘And who might you be?’

‘Kiki Preston’s goddaughter, of course!’ Idina spoke from the other side of Joss. ‘I’m amazed the jungle drums haven’t already informed you of the exact statistics of the newest – and youngest – arrival to our ranks,’ Idina drawled. ‘Cecily, darling, meet Josslyn Hay, Earl of Erroll – my ex-husband.’

So this is the man Katherine has told me about...Cecily thought as Joss took her hand and put it to his lips to kiss it.

‘Delighted, Cecily. So, you’re staying at Mundui House?’