‘Yourselves?’

‘Me and Zokho. I said I would show her how.’

‘That girl’s from the veld. What does she know about armholes and sleeves? And you’ve never made a dress. Don’t go wasting the cloth.’

‘I have never made a dress, but I have fixed my own many times. Taking it apart, putting it all back together again. Look at this,’ she stood up. ‘It’s almost new if you don’t look under the arms.’

Wynand looked at his daughter turning before him, showing off her handiwork. Affection welled up in him. What would he do without Neeltje? She was his right hand, his life. His late wife, Sara, lived on in that headstrong way she had. But Neeltje was grown up, and growing away from him, he could feel it. It saddened him that her first affections should be for one unable to reciprocate.

‘And enough decoration on it too, we couldn’t miss you even if we wanted to. You’re wasting a lot of time, the two of you. I don’t see you outside any more.’

‘You don’t need me so much, Pa, now that he’s there. We work inside. You’re eating every night at the same time. Didn’t you notice your pants have all been fixed? I can do all these things now.’

He studied her for a moment.

‘You know they won’t be here forever. In two weeks, his time’s up.’

She looked down at her plate.

‘You can ask him to stay.’

‘I can do that. I can pay him more money, he’d like that. But what good would that do? If he stayed?’

‘What do you mean?’

‘He’s not alone. He came with that girl.’

Neeltje turned red.

‘Pa!’

‘I’m just saying. It’s like what happened when Stukje died and Stoffel brought you that dog. Remember? How you felt about him?’

‘About Stukje or Stoffel?’

‘Well …’

‘I don’t know why you’re talking to me about these things,’ she got up, her cheeks flushed. ‘This meat’s not good for you, we won’t have it again.’

He watched her disappear behind the partition in a huff. His head lolled sleepily, and a few minutes later, it had fallen on his forearms.

Roeloff was sitting on a rock at the far end of the kraal, throwing stones for Boet. He hadn’t used his sling for a long time, and he’d gone out to give the dog exercise and to be alone with his thoughts. Things had gone well in Wynand’s absence—he was expected back at any time and Neeltje was all right. All that remained was to decide what he would do now that his time on the Roos farm was up. He looked at the sun sunk halfway into the land, the sky a ribcage of purplish pink. He thought of his half-sister, Vinkie. Had she forgotten him? Was she watching the sun go down, too? He was reminded of other times, other sunsets. His beloved Oupa Harman. What advice would he have given now? To stick to the plan or call on the alternative? ‘Sometimes you have planned for you one thing, Roff, and the Almighty has planned another. Don’t waste time regretting what could’ve been. Call on the alternative.’ It had sounded easy when he’d said half a year to Wynand Roos. The half-year was over, but they weren’t ready. Another year would swell his purse and, with the proceeds from the tusks, help give him a start, with the purchase of a wagon and supplies. They could then live in the wagon while they searched for land of their own.

‘Kudu?’

He turned.

‘What is it, Twa?’

‘Zokho’s bringing up all her insides. She looks bad.’

Roeloff walked back with Twa. Zokho was on her knees at the back of their quarters.

‘What’s the matter, Zokho?’

She answered with another bout of vomiting. He scooped a cup of water from the barrel and gave it to her.

‘You ate too much of that meat.’

She shook her head to indicate that it wasn’t so, and put her hand on her belly.

‘What?’

‘Yes.’

‘How do you know?’

‘I know.’

‘Zokho, you cannot possibly know about growing babies. Do you realise what you’re saying?’

‘I’ve had one before.’

‘You’ve had one before?’

Twa watched the exchange.

‘What’s the matter, Kudu? You thought potatoes would come from all your lying with Zokho?’ He laughed, and left them to sort things out themselves.

‘You’ve had a baby?’

She looked at him with watery eyes, realising she had made a mistake.

‘Yes.’

‘You never told me. When?’

‘After Toma fetched me.’

‘It was Toma’s?’

She was unsure how to answer. She’d thought he would be upset that she was having a baby, not that she’d already had one.

‘No.’

‘Whose?’

‘Your brother’s.’