A Spear of Summer Grass - By Deanna Raybourn Page 0,139

I had spent together—the long moments she had been alone in my rooms, powdering her nose and pilfering my jewel case.

“Did Rex know you intended to frame me?”

She rolled her eyes. “I told you—too many shots in the dark and most of them were misses. No one ever intended to frame you. I took that bracelet because it was Masai. I thought the authorities would centre their investigation on the natives instead of the whites. I was horrified when they identified the bracelet as yours.”

I wasn’t sure if I believed it or not, but she had no reason to lie to me now. In fact, she seemed to be enjoying herself. I told her as much.

She nodded. “It’s cathartic. Rather like the confessional except none of those boring churchmen to set you a penance.” She paused then looked me squarely in the eye. “We had a plan to save you, you know. Rex was keeping careful tabs on the situation in Nairobi. If they had charged you, I would have made a confession to killing Kit myself.”

“Why you if Rex pulled the trigger?”

Her smile turned beatific. “Because I’m the one with a life to give. There isn’t much of it left, but it would have done the trick.” She raised her glass in a salute and drained it down. Her mood turned brisk. “Any more questions?”

“I’m sure I’ll think of some after you leave, but I don’t expect I’ll get a chance to ask them.”

She rose and I followed suit. “Then I take it you’re heading back to civilisation like a good girl?” Her tone was arch but not entirely unfriendly.

I didn’t answer her directly. “Tell Rex he isn’t getting Fairlight. I made an offer myself this morning, but I was too late. It’s already been sold.”

Her eyes widened. “But who—”

“It belongs to Ryder.”

She laughed in spite of herself and threw up her hands. “I might have known. That man always does manage to get what he wants.”

I walked her down the veranda to the steps. “I don’t know where I’m going yet, Helen. But I know this—you took the life of someone who might not have been perfect, but who didn’t deserve to die. And you ruined the life of an innocent man who was my friend. I know I can’t go to the authorities. They’d laugh me right out of Government House. So you and Rex are safe from the law. But you aren’t safe from me. For as long as you draw breath, I will remember what you did to those two men, and I will pray you burn for it. And when you die, wherever I am in the world, I will remember and I will go on, Helen. Rex and Gideon and Africa and everything you love and everything you hate will go on without you. And we will all be the better for it. That is a thing I know for sure.”

I turned on my heel and went into the house and closed the door softly behind me.

25

That evening I was in Nairobi. It was the opening of Kit’s show at the gallery, and the owner had requested my presence. I dreaded it. The press would be there, asking ghoulish questions and sticking their noses into everybody’s business. But it was Kit’s last hurrah, and I felt I owed him at least that.

I had gone straight to the Norfolk to check in. They gave me the tiniest room imaginable, no doubt to discourage me from coming back, but I didn’t mind. It was for Kit. I bathed and dusted myself with rice powder to whiten my skin. I brushed a tiny bit of jasmine oil into my hair to make it gleam, and painted on a deep crimson mouth to match my nails. The white silk dress I had worn to my first party in Africa had burned, but I found another in a little shop near the hotel and I bought it for Kit. He had always liked me in white. I fastened a tiny sprig of stephanotis at each earlobe in place of earrings and tied the black silk ribbon around my wrist.

When I was ready, I took a cab to the gallery and found the place already in full crush. So many flashbulbs popped when I stepped out of the taxi I was nearly blinded, but Mr. Hillenbrank rushed out to escort me in.

“Miss Drummond! It is such a pleasure to have you here tonight for the unveiling. I was hoping