Death in Kenya Read Free

knife, and that he wasn’t taking any chances of one of his darling boys being accused. “Honour of the House”, an’ all that.’
    â€˜Gilly, no!’ protested Alice. ‘You shouldn’t say things like that! It must have been a mistake – an accident.’
    â€˜That’s what he said. Said he thought it belonged to Greg, and merely picked it up off Greg’s desk to doodle with. Greg nearly hit the ceiling. It’s no use, Alice. You just don’t understand what some of these old Kenya hands are capable of; or how their own little patch of land can end by becoming the centre of the universe to them, just because they made it out of nothing by the sweat of their brow, and starved for it and gave up their youth for it, and sacrificed comfort and safety and civilization and a lot of other trivial little things for it. Brandonmead is Hector’s pride. No – I’m wrong. Ken’s his pride. Brandonmead ’s his life; and he’s always sworn by all his African labour. “Loyal to the core” and all that sort of stuff. It would have damned near killed him if it had turned out that one of his precious Kukes was a star Mau Mau thug. I believe he’d have done almost anything to cover it up, and salved his conscience by thinking he could deal with it himself. They’re great ones for taking the law into their own hands out here. Haven’t you noticed that yet?’
    Alice said uncomfortably: ‘But Em says——’
    â€˜Em!’ interrupted Gilly rudely. ‘Em’s as bad as any of them. Worse! It was silly old bitches like her who caused half the trouble. “My Kukes are loyal. I’ll stake my life on it.” So they lose – Bah! You’re not going, are you?’
    Alice had put down her half finished glass and stood up. She said coldly: ‘I’m afraid I must. I only came over with a message for Lisa, but if she’s out perhaps you’d give it to her.’
    â€˜She isn’t out. She’s only gone down to the shamba with the Brandons and Drew Stratton. Here, don’t go! Have the other half of that. I didn’t mean to get your goat. I know how you feel about Em. You’re fond of the old battle-axe. Well, so am I – when she isn’t tearing a strip off me! So’s all Kenya. Protected Monument – that’s Em! Apologize, if I hurt your feelings.’
    â€˜That’s all right, Gilly,’ said Alice hurriedly. ‘But I don’t think I’ll wait, all the same. It’s getting late. And if Lisa has guests——’
    There was an unexpected trace of embarrassment in her quiet voice, and Gilly’s shrewd, pale eyes regarded her with observant interest. He said: ‘Ken’s not with them, if that’s what’s worrying you.’
    His laugh held a trace of malice as he saw the colour rise in Alice DeBrett’s pale cheeks. ‘There’s no need for you to blush like that, Alice. We all know that you’ve done your best to snub the poor boy. That is, all except Mabel. But you can’t expect Mabel to believe that every woman isn’t crazy about her darling son. He’s her blind spot. Funny about Ken: I wouldn’t have thought you were his type at all.’
    â€˜I’m not,’ said Alice with a trace of a snap. ‘Don’t be ridiculous, Gilly. I’m old enough to be his mother!’
    â€˜Here! Give yourself a chance! You can’t be much more than thirty-five!’
    â€˜I’m twenty-seven,’ said Alice slowly. ‘And Ken isn’t twenty yet.’
    â€˜Oh well,’ said Gilly, dismissing it, and unaware of the blow that he had dealt her. ‘Chaps always fall in love with someone older than themselves to start with, and they always fall hard. He’ll get over it. Hector ought to send him away. God, I only wish I could get the hell out of this Valley! Did you know that Jerry Coles is