Page 198 of The Sun Sister

‘All right, though you’ll have to find us some meat because there’s scarcely any in the butcher’s in town.’

‘Surely you could slaughter one of your chickens?’

‘I couldn’t do that!’ Cecily looked horrified. ‘They all have names. And besides, they’re providing us with eggs every day.’

‘I knew it.’ Bill rolled his eyes. ‘All right then, I’ll ask Nygasi to see what he can arrange and invite Joss and the Broughtons up to Paradise Farm next weekend.’

Despite waking up the following morning in a cold sweat, wondering how she could have possibly agreed to having weekend guests, Cecily found she actually enjoyed preparing for them. No one other than Katherine and Bobby had been to the house since they’d moved in – the housewarming party they’d tentatively planned had been put on hold because of Cecily’s tragedy. She scrubbed the house until everything gleamed, adding blooms from the burgeoning garden to stand in vases on the polished surfaces. She’d invited Katherine too – Bobby was unable to get leave, which was convenient as it meant there were even numbers of men and women, something her mother had always deemed important for a dinner party.

On the Friday the guests were due to arrive, Cecily dug out the remaining bottles of champagne from Kiki’s hampers, which she hoped would make the party go with a swing, and put them in the refrigerator to cool. Having not seen Njala for the past couple of days, she then set off with Wolfie for the woods. As she approached the clearing and saw the girl appear immediately from her shelter, Cecily thought how full Njala’s stomach had grown. No longer was she covering it up, but instead, she wore a piece of fabric fashioned into a skirt beneath the bump. Cecily had the distinct feeling that Njala’s time was not far off.

‘Supai, Nygasi,’ she said as she approached. ‘How is she?’

‘Baby near,’ he said as they walked together towards Njala.

‘But she is well?’

Nygasi nodded.

‘When will you send for her mother?’

‘Mother come soon,’ Nygasi said.

‘Hello, Cecily,’ Njala smiled as they arrived by her side. Then she turned to Nygasi, and like a queen dismissing her serf, flicked him away with her hand. Nygasi nodded and wandered off beyond the clearing.

‘How are you?’

Njala held her bump and rolled her eyes expressively.

‘Yes, I know.’ Cecily then touched her brow and swept her hand across it to indicate fatigue.

Heading to the side of the clearing and indicating Cecily should follow, Njala led her into the protection of a dense copse of trees. Then she turned and grabbed both Cecily’s hands in her own. Her eyes were suddenly filled with fear.

‘You,’ she said, ‘help.’ Removing her hands from Cecily’s, she indicated her belly then made a cradling motion with her arms.

‘Help? You mean help with the birth?’ Cecily then mimed the cradling action too.

‘Yes. Help. Please.’

‘Njala, your mother is coming to help,’ she enunciated slowly.

‘No! Help baby! Please, Cecily!’

Like a shadow, Nygasi appeared behind Njala. He spoke to her in Maa, indicating she should return to the clearing.

‘You go home now,’ Nygasi told Cecily firmly.

Njala turned towards her, her eyes full of everything she could not say.

‘Please, help baby,’ she mouthed as Nygasi led her away.

Cecily was still thinking about Njala and trying to interpret what she had meant when Bill arrived home later that afternoon.

‘The house looks wonderful, my dear, and so do you.’ He smiled at her as she emerged from the bedroom in her green dress, ready to make the final preparations for supper. ‘I like your hair longer.’ He picked up a ringlet that fell to just below her shoulders and twirled it round a finger.

‘It’s only long because there’s no one around here I trust to cut it.’

‘Well, I like it, and you should wear it down more often. Now, I’m off to have a rare soak in the tub. They’re rationing water at Muthaiga Club these days, as we’re stuffed to the gills in there – it’s two men per room just now, and you remember how small those rooms are,’ he added as he turned to walk off in the direction of the bathroom.