Page 222 of The Sun Sister

Ten faces looked back at her in astonishment; even Jimmy stopped playing with his toy car.

‘You are joking, aren’t you?’ Priscilla asked.

‘Well, maybe not at the bottom of my garden, no, but if Bill and I went out on safari, that’s exactly what would happen. Bill’s a dab hand with a rifle. He once saved me from being eaten by a lion.’

‘Bang bang!’ shouted Jimmy from the rug.

‘Yes, Jimmy, that’s the right noise, but in real life it’s a deal louder,’ Cecily smiled, enjoying their rapt expressions.

‘You are teasing us, aren’t you, Cecily?’ Priscilla said.

‘As a matter of fact, not much, actually,’ she chuckled. ‘And then, of course, there are the snakes, great shiny vipers and cobras who slither into your room at night. I have so many photographs to show you all.’

‘The good news is, we’re not likely to find snakes slithering down Fifth Avenue, and that dinner will be served without us having to kill the feast first,’ said Walter dryly.

‘We’ve invited Kiki to join us,’ said Dorothea. ‘You heard about the death of her son in action, no doubt?’

‘I did, yes. I called round to see her at Mundui House at the time, but Aleeki, her houseboy, said she wasn’t seeing anyone,’ Cecily said soberly. ‘Is she feeling better?’

‘I’ve only spoken to her on the telephone. She’s been staying at the Stanhope with her mother and Lillian, her companion. She doesn’t sound too good,’ Dorothea sighed, ‘but then, who would, after all the tragedies she’s suffered? That friend of hers she was so fond of – Alice...’

‘Yes, the two of them went way back and Kiki was so broken up when Alice killed herself. We all were,’ said Cecily.

‘I read it was because the dashing Earl of Erroll was the love of her life,’ interjected Priscilla. ‘Did you really dance with him on your wedding night, Cecily? Was he as much of a dream as the newspapers said?’

‘He was certainly very handsome and charming, yes.’ Cecily was finding her new status – that of being the most interesting person in the room – rather trying. ‘So, come now, tell me what’s been happening here.’

Later that night, Cecily excused herself from after-dinner coffee and virtually crawled up the stairs to her bedroom. Kiki had not shown up after all, a fact that hadn’t surprised Cecily in the least, knowing how unpredictable her godmother was. Stopping on the landing that led to her room, she looked up at the steep set of stairs that led to the attic floor above her.

Taking off her formal heeled shoes – she wasn’t at all used to wearing them at home in Kenya – Cecily mounted the steps. At the top, she ducked down beneath the eaves of the house as she walked along to the bedroom Lankenua and Stella were sharing.

She heard Lankenua coughing as she knocked on the door. The poor woman had had a cold since they’d boarded the steamer for New York in Southampton.

The room was bitterly cold and Cecily shivered in her thin silk blouse, which had been perfectly adequate in the heated rooms downstairs.

‘Kuyia?’ A voice from one of the narrow iron beds whispered. ‘Is that you?’

‘Yes, it’s me.’ Cecily tiptoed across the rough floorboards to reach Stella. Even though the attic window was closed, a chill draught emanated from it. ‘Are you okay?’ Cecily asked. Stella was curled up in a ball with only a thin blanket to keep her warm.

‘I’m c-c-cold.’ The little girl shivered. ‘It’s cold in this New York place, and Yeyo says she doesn’t feel so well.’

‘Here, let me give you a hug,’ Cecily said as she put her arms round the little girl.

‘Where have you been?’ Stella asked her.

‘Downstairs having dinner with my mama and papa and my sisters.’

‘Can I come and have some dinner with you tomorrow? We only got a sandwich for our supper and the bread didn’t taste half as good as the bread you make at home.’

‘Maybe,’ said Cecily, who realised that Stella was used to eating a full nursery tea with her when Bill wasn’t at home – which was most of the time.

‘And I don’t like it up here in the roof,’ Stella continued. ‘It’s scary.’

‘Don’t worry, honey, we’ll sort out everything tomorrow, I promise. But for now, how about you tiptoe downstairs with me and sleep in my bed? You’ll have to be very quiet because Mr and Mrs Huntley-Morgan are asleep and will be mad if we wake them up, okay?’

‘Okay.’

Taking Stella’s blanket, she tucked it around Lankenua for extra warmth, then led the girl by the hand back along the narrow corridor and down the stairs, holding her breath in case she bumped into her parents. Once inside her room, she breathed a sigh of relief.