sat down.
‘I realised when I was away that I still don’t know about my mom or the rest of my family. Or maybe you did tell me and I was just so out of it, I don’t remember. Who was she?’ I asked as I curled up on the couch.
‘No, I haven’t told you about her yet. All in good time, Electra, all in good time; there is a lot to explain. Do you remember I told you how Cecily, the American lady, had been jilted by her fiancé, so decided to go to Africa to mend her broken heart?’
‘Yeah, I do, and how she’d fallen in love with a complete bas . . . love rat,’ I said quickly.
‘Exactly. Now, I think I’d reached the point in the story where Cecily was staying at Wanjohi Farm with Katherine . . .’
February 1939
‘Time to get up.’ Katherine woke Cecily at five the following morning.
‘I’ve put your safari clothes on the end of your bed. We’ll drive Alice’s DeSoto over to Bill’s so I’ll see you outside. I’m packing some hampers with supplies, then I need to call Aleeki and let him know you’ll be coming home tomorrow instead,’ she said as she left the bedroom.
Sleepily, Cecily put on a khaki suit and pants that fitted her almost perfectly, then pulled on the heavy lace-up boots, which didn’t. They were a few sizes too big – she’d always had tiny feet – but they would have to do.
‘Hop in,’ said Katherine, as she stowed some blankets on the back seat of the car. She started the engine and switched on the head lamps as it was still pitch black.
Cecily did so, and with a last glance at Wanjohi Farm and the relative safety and comfort it offered, they were off.
She dozed fitfully during the hour-long journey until bright sunlight jolted her awake. She opened her eyes to see that they seemed to have left the main road and were bumping violently along a narrow track that appeared to go on forever, winding through acres of hot plain, with grasses and trees clinging to the orange earth. Cecily rolled down the window to search for a breeze and was assaulted by the smell of livestock, earthy and faecal. She saw a group of cattle being herded across the grasslands by very tall men in dark orange robes that matched the colour of the earth beneath their bare feet. She marvelled at the cows, which only bore a vague resemblance to their American cousins. They had large humps on their backs, and folds of extra skin that hung almost to the ground around their scrawny necks.
‘Nearly there now, darling,’ said Katherine. ‘Welcome to Bill’s farm.’
Cecily saw they were now approaching a low building with a timber frame sitting in the middle of the plain, the sun glaring off its tin roof.
‘Hello there! You made it.’ Bobby had emerged from the hut and walked towards them, as Katherine drew the car to a standstill.
Cecily climbed out. ‘Jeez,’ she said, looking around her, ‘is this the Bush?’ she asked him.
‘It’s on the edge of the Loita Plains,’ said Bobby, which meant nothing to Cecily. ‘You girls go inside and have a cool drink. Bill and I are readying the vehicles with supplies.’
‘The hampers and blankets are in the back of Alice’s DeSoto,’ Katherine called as the two women walked towards the shack. Inside, Katherine poured them both a glass of water as Cecily looked around the very basic accommodation.
‘Is this where Bill lives?’
‘It is. As you can see, there’s no woman’s touch here,’ she smiled. ‘He spends so much time out in the Bush, I suppose he hardly thinks it’s worth doing anything about it. I must say, I’m rather excited. I do hope we find some elephants for you; out of all the creatures that inhabit these parts, I find them the most magnificent.’
‘Are they dangerous?’
‘Like any wild animal, they can be, but you couldn’t be in safer hands with Bill. Talk of the devil,’ Katherine said as Bill strode inside.
‘Good morning, Cecily. Glad you could make it. Ready to go?’
‘I am.’ Cecily saw he was staring at her feet again.
‘Katherine, can you sort out her puttees?’ Bill offered her two rolls of bandages. ‘Can’t have her precious ankles bitten by a puff adder while she sleeps, can we? I’ll see you both outside.’
‘Sit down, Cecily,’ Katherine ordered. Cecily did so and Katherine wound the bandages around each of her ankles, tucking the hems