(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?’
‘I am, yes,’ Cecily managed to splutter. Because, despite their difference in age, he really was a ‘dreamboat’, as Priscilla would say.
‘It’s a dreadful shame that I’m no longer living at the Djinn Palace by the lake or I could have invited you – and your godmother, of course – to come for lunch or dinner. Sadly, my wife Molly is very ill and we must be near the hospital.’
‘Oh, I’m so sorry to hear that,’ Cecily said, unable despite herself to drag her eyes away from his gaze.
‘Will you be staying long in Kenya?’ he asked her.
‘Well, I—’
‘Come along, Cecily, you have plenty more friends of mine to meet and I can’t let Joss monopolise you all evening.’ Katherine firmly took her arm and more or less frogmarched her away. Cecily could not help but cast a glance backwards for one last look and found his eyes were still upon her.
‘Honestly, Cecily, I was counting on you to be impervious to Joss’s charms. Look at you, a perfect wreck!’ Katherine rolled her eyes. ‘I just don’t know what it is that he does to women, but they all go weak at the knees when they’re around him. He’s a tad too old for you anyway.’ Katherine reached for a glass of water that the waiter had found for Cecily. ‘Drink this and recover your senses. He’s thirty-seven, for goodness’ sake!’
‘The same age as your Bobby!’ Cecily found her voice. ‘Anyway, I see what everyone means about him. He is devastatingly handsome and so very charming.’
‘Darling,’ Alice cut into their conversation. ‘May I steal you away