The Sun Sister (The Seven Sisters #6) - Lucinda Riley Page 0,234

course, and there are reporters from all over the world too. At least Diana’s done her bit by hiring her poor husband a gifted barrister. Mind you, she arrived at court this morning dressed in black and ready to play the widow. I hate to speak ill of anyone, but it’s almost as if she’s enjoying the attention.’

Quelle surprise, thought Cecily.

‘Come up to town if you want, but it is a rather lurid spectacle, especially with the war still on.’

‘I think I’ll stay right here,’ Cecily said, knowing how disappointed her mother would be that she was missing one of the most sensational murder trials of modern times. She was far more interested in watching Stella – now almost six months old – as she grew. The scrawny baby had developed into a chubby and adorable little thing, whose every move delighted Cecily. Stella was fully alert now, and Cecily would lay her on a blanket in the garden under the shade of a fever tree and watch as her huge eyes – so like her mother’s – followed the scudding clouds overhead and the birds singing happily from the branches above her. Wolfie adored her and would lie outside the nursery door at night.

‘You do seem to spend an awful lot of time minding Stella,’ Katherine – who was due to give birth any day now and had made an increasingly rare visit – commented as Stella sat on Cecily’s knee on their veranda.

‘Lankenua is so busy with the house, someone has to care for her. And she’s too heavy to be carried around in a papoose,’ Cecily replied quickly.

Katherine eyed her. ‘Stella doesn’t sound like a very Maasai name, does it?’

‘Actually, her name is Njala, which means star; isn’t that beautiful? Stella is simply the Latin word for it,’ Cecily lied easily.

‘Just take care you don’t become too fond of her and end up looking after her all the time. Otherwise, you’re just swapping one job for another, aren’t you?’

‘Oh, I don’t mind at all. It’s better than scrubbing floors, after all,’ Cecily smiled.

‘So, the jury has finally gone away to deliberate on the verdict,’ Bill said to his wife on the telephone two months later. ‘To be honest, I’m at the point where I don’t much care one way or the other. The whole thing has become a circus and I’ll be very relieved when it’s over.’

‘What do you think they’ll come back with?’ asked Cecily as she spooned pulped apple into Stella’s mouth, holding the receiver at the same time.

‘The evidence against him is pretty damning, but Morris, his barrister, gave a spectacular closing speech. He was worth every penny Diana spent. Anyway, I’ll call you as soon as the verdict is in. And then perhaps dear old Joss can finally rest in peace.’

‘I really hope so,’ Cecily murmured to herself as she replaced the receiver. ‘And that Bill can begin to find peace too.’

‘He’s been acquitted!’ Bill called again at ten o’clock that night. ‘He won’t hang after all.’

‘Holy moly! I thought that most people expected him to be found guilty.’

‘They did, but . . . to be honest, after hearing all the evidence, I’m not so certain either. I’m just glad it’s over, and darling, I’m so sorry but I’m afraid I won’t be home this weekend; I have to visit an internment camp in Mombasa.’

‘Oh gosh, you won’t be in any danger there, will you?’

‘No, not at all. I just have to check that the POWs are being treated all right. I’ll be in touch as soon as I can. Chin up, this simply can’t go on much longer.’

Cecily hung up, then went out onto the veranda. Although the sky above her was clear, it was an unusually humid evening for July, and the air was heavy with fragrance from the flowers in the garden. She couldn’t help but think back to that night when Joss and Diana had danced together right here . . .

Going back inside, she decided she’d call her mother tomorrow with the news. Despite believing in her heart that Jock was guilty, she was glad he hadn’t ended up with a noose around his neck. Slipping into bed, Cecily wished fervently that the war would come to an end soon; she’d hardly seen Bill in the past few months. If she hadn’t had Stella, she thought she might have gone mad.

At least Katherine was in the same position and could visit Paradise Farm once again, since her son