started to walk towards the door, but Aleeki overtook her swiftly to open it for her, giving her a small bow as she walked through it. There was no sign on the terrace of last night’s festivities; all traces had obviously been cleared away by the servants. As Cecily donned her sunglasses to shield her fragile eyes from a sun that felt as though it had moved miles closer overnight, she marvelled at Kiki’s ‘houseboy’, as she’d heard her godmother call him, looking fresh as the proverbial daisy after what must have been a night of even less sleep than she’d had. At the water’s edge, Cecily glanced to her left, and saw a group of hippos sunning themselves on the bank a few hundred yards along.
‘This is just surreal,’ she whispered to herself. ‘Am I really here?’
She went to the bench positioned thoughtfully at the edge of the lake and noticed a white brassiere hanging over the back of it. She thought of Idina and her fiancé swimming naked last night and wondered with a chuckle whether she should alert Aleeki to the brassiere’s presence. He was so inscrutable that she could imagine him not batting an eyelid, even if she handed it to him over the breakfast table.
‘Maybe it was just a homecoming party that got out of hand,’ Cecily said aloud to a bird with a coat of metallic blue and green feathers sitting in a tree right on the water’s edge. She was pretty certain it was a kingfisher. This was confirmed as the bird suddenly plunged into the water beneath the overhanging branch and plucked a fish from it a few seconds later.
Cecily sat there for a while, feeling her shoulders relax as she watched the natural world go about its day around her. However the humans – still asleep in the house behind her – wished to behave, this landscape and what it contained had a heartbeat of its own, and that was what she must try to tap into.
Eventually the sun forced her to head for the cover of the shady veranda on one side of the house – she really must remember to wear a hat, even this early in the morning, otherwise her freckles would speckle her face like a leopard’s coat. She walked through the gardens that bordered the terrace, which were full of sweet-smelling flowers and exotic-looking plants that she couldn’t name. The sun had already warmed the grass under her feet and the air hummed with insects dipping their heads into the nectar-rich blooms.
‘All is ready for you, memsahib.’ Aleeki pulled a chair out for her as she arrived on the veranda. The table was set for breakfast, with all sorts of goodies sitting in baskets or on silver platters.
‘Thank you,’ Cecily said, feeling rather dizzy from the sun.
‘Here.’ Aleeki proffered her a glass of water and a fan. ‘Most helpful in the heat of the day. Shall I pour your coffee?’
‘Yes please,’ Cecily said as she drained the cool glass of water and began to fan herself rapidly. ‘Goodness, it’s hot today.’
‘It is hot here every day, memsahib, but you will become used to it.’ With a click of his fingers, a servant arrived carrying a gigantic version of her own fan. He began wafting it and Cecily’s dizziness began to abate.
‘Memsahib must wear a hat, it is very important,’ said Aleeki. ‘Milk in your coffee?’
‘I’ll take it black, thank you. And please tell him, he can stop fanning me now. What time does my godmother usually rise for breakfast?’
‘Oh, very rarely before midday. There is fruit, cereal and fresh bread with homemade jam and honey. We can toast the bread for you if you wish, but we also have eggs. Sunny side up is your preference?’
‘I think I’m good for now, thank you.’ Cecily indicated the feast spread out on the table.
Aleeki gave his customary bow, then withdrew to the side of the veranda. As she sipped her coffee, she felt as if she was being served breakfast in a tropical version of the Waldorf Astoria. The food so far had been tastier than anything their family’s chef provided in Manhattan. And the staff were more attentive.
As Aleeki was pouring her a second cup of coffee and she was eating a slice of the gorgeous freshly baked bread smothered in honey, she turned to him.
‘How long have you worked for my godmother?’
‘Oh, ever since she arrived here and built this house. Many years, memsahib.’
‘I’d love to