Page 193 of The Sun Sister

Cecily nodded, although she really didn’t follow the nuances. She could only imagine it was a bit like the powerful Vanderbilts intermarrying with the Whitneys.

‘Leshan’s daughters are the equivalent of princesses in Maasailand. The eldest has come of age now, at thirteen, and of all her sisters, she’s considered the most beautiful,’ Bill continued. ‘But her father discovered she’d...coupled with amoran– a warrior – within his own clan, and has subsequently become pregnant by him, which is strictly forbidden. If her intended finds out, there could be war between the two clans. At the very least, Leshan would be forced to cast out his daughter and she’d be left to the mercy of the hyenas and jackals.’

‘Oh no! That’s dreadful! How can these people be so barbaric?’

‘It’s hard to argue that it’s any more barbaric than what is going on in Europe, Cecily, but certainly, the chief loves his daughter and despite his difficult position he doesn’t want to see her harmed.’

‘Of course not, but what has this got to do with us?’

‘He’s asked me if I –we– would take her in for a while, just until she’s had the baby. Once she has, he’ll place her back in the clan and hopefully no one will be any the wiser.’

Cecily stared blankly at her husband. ‘You’re saying you want this girl to come livehere? And she’s pregnant?’

‘That’s the long and short of it, yes. Given your recent circumstances, you may think me insensitive to suggest such a thing, but the man has done me a number of favours over the years. Besides, if we don’t help, the poor girl has nowhere to go. Out in Maasailand, Leshan can’t be seen to help her, but here, where no Maasai would ever think of looking, wecanhelp. I’ve known this girl since she was a baby, and – dare I say it – she is in a similar situation to you when I first met you. Surely you can find it in your heart to offer her shelter on our land?’

‘I guess if you put it like that, then I have no choice. How far along is she?’

‘Leshan isn’t sure; she’d hidden the baby’s existence for a while and it was only when her mother caught her naked while she was washing that it was noticed. Her mother reckons that she has perhaps a couple of months left to go. When she gets close to her time, her mother will be brought here to be with her.’

‘Do either of these women speak English?’

‘No, but Nygasi has some basic English, and it doesn’t take long to establish communication – I did. I’d leave him here to guard her and bring her food; he’ll find a safe place to make camp somewhere in the woods. You’ll hardly even know she’s here.’

‘Okay.’ Cecily was at least relieved that the girl wouldn’t be living in the house with her. ‘Well, if all we’re doing is letting her camp on our land and her mother will be around when it’s her time, then I guess that’s fine. When will she arrive?’

‘She’s already here. We hid her under a blanket in the back of the pick-up. Nygasi is with her now, scouting for a suitable spot in the woods.’

‘I see.’ Cecily realised that this was already a done deal. ‘I’m sure you’ll want to run straight off and help.’

‘No, but I will go and tell Nygasi that you’ve agreed to her staying here. Cecily, I implore you again, we cannot tell anyone – I mean,anyone– that she’s here. Not even Katherine. Now, I’ll be back for supper.’

As she watched Bill leave the house to head in the direction of the woods, Cecily sighed and walked into the kitchen to put together an evening meal.

‘Is it my punishment not only to lose my baby, but to be surrounded by pregnant women?’ she murmured to herself as she stirred the sauce and placed it on the stove to simmer.

Bill appeared in the kitchen forty minutes later, just as she was taking the curry off the heat.

‘That smells good, Cecily. You really are a very good cook, you know.’

‘Don’t butter me up, Bill, just because you want your Maasai girl to stay,’ Cecily said, half joking because she was secretly pleased at the compliment. ‘Can you carry the plates through?’

Once they were seated at the dining table, Cecily watched Bill tuck in to his curry. ‘So, is she settled in her...camp?’ she finally asked.

‘Nygasi is building a shelter and, as I said, I’ll leave him with her when I go to Nairobi.’

‘Oh my! Are you sure you can cope without him? You never left him behind to look after me when I was pregnant,’ Cecily remarked, blaming her loose tongue on the gin.

‘No, I didn’t, and I will always regret it.’ He eyed her as he put down his knife and fork. ‘You know there are only so many times that someone can say sorry. Will you ever forgive me for not being there, Cecily?’

‘Of course I forgive you. It wasn’t your baby in the first place,’ she said. ‘Anyway, what is the name of your girl?’

‘She isn’t “my girl”, she is simply under my...ourprotection until she gives birth. Her name is Njala. It means star,’ he murmured. ‘Every name the Maasai gives has a relevance. And so does everything they do.’

Not for the first time, Cecily wondered if Bill wished he’d been born Maasai; he certainly seemed to prefer their company to hers or anyone else in their group.

‘Well, Nygasi must let me know if there is anything she needs.’

‘Thank you for that. And I will. She’s very scared, Cecily.’