‘What is worse? Let him tell your father and let it rain one time on your head. What can your father do? He will shout for a day, then return to his sheep. It cannot be worse than what the kleinbaas is doing to you.’

Soela allowed herself to be comforted by Sanna, the sourish smell rising up between the huge breasts reminding her of the woman who’d looked after her and Diena as children. That had been a happy time, before her father’s transgressions and her mother’s silences. The big arms enfolding her alleviated some of her fear.

Willem Kloot and Drieka arrived home after everyone had gone to bed.

The next morning at breakfast, Willem enquired after his grandchild.

‘Sun’s up and everyone’s still sleeping. What’s happening to this household? Where is everyone, Sanna?’

‘The kleinnooi’s not well.’

‘What’s wrong with the kleinnooi?’

‘I don’t know.’

‘It can only mean something is wrong if you say it like that,’ said Drieka.

‘What is it?’ Willem asked again.

‘Grootbaas better ask himself. Come, Vinkie, I kept this crust of bread for you. You like it when it’s hot.’

‘Where’s David?’ Willem asked.

‘Gone. He doesn’t want her to come out.’

‘What do you mean?’

‘He told her to stay in the room.’

Willem exchanged looks with his wife.

‘I don’t like this. Go and see what’s going on, Drieka.’

Drieka knocked on the bedroom door, then went into her niece’s bedroom. The room was in darkness, and Soela was lying on the bed with the baby in her arms.

‘Soela! What happened to your eye?’

Soela had never complained about David’s ill-treatment because she thought she deserved punishment for her sin, but this time David had gone too far. Grateful for the chance to get it off her chest, she told Drieka the whole story.

Drieka listened, then went out and told Willem.

When David came in that evening, Willem was waiting for him at the kitchen table.

‘Sit down.’

David looked from his father to his stepmother.

‘Is something wrong?’

‘You know very well what’s wrong. What did you do to Soela?’

‘Who said I did anything? Did Soela say …’

‘Stop that. What did you do to her?’

David’s jaw tightened in defiance. ‘Nothing a man can’t do with his wife.’

‘You hit her,’ Drieka accused him.

He looked at his stepmother and smiled.

‘Who asked you?’

‘What did you say?’ Willem Kloot demanded, shocked by his son’s rudeness. ‘Is that how you speak to my wife?’

‘Your wife, not mine,’ David got up. ‘I’ll do as I please with mine.’

Willem got up, facing him.

‘She’s someone else’s child, and this is still my house. You’ll behave yourself in it, or …’

David smiled.

‘Or else what, Pa? You’ll throw me out like you did your other son?’

Willem’s fist caught him right between the eyes, and he fell to the ground.

David got up.

‘You’re getting old, Pa,’ he sneered. ‘I would watch where I put my fists if I were you.’

Willem snatched a mug from the table and threw it at David. ‘Shut up!’ David caught the mug and threw it back at Willem. It caught him on the shoulder, hard, and he sat down, stunned by what had just happened.

‘Well,’ Drieka said when David had left the house, ‘he’s raised his hand to his own father. What’s next?’

Willem didn’t answer. His thoughts had wandered far away, to another morning, a dead stallion, a wronged son. Perhaps he’d known even then that Roeloff hadn’t done it, but he had been too angry about what Roeloff had done with Soela in the barn. He’d gone along with the evidence, but he’d known, deep inside, that Roeloff wasn’t capable of such a deed. His anger had stood in the way of reconciliation; that, and Roeloff’s refusal to punish the bosjesman who’d stolen his sheep. He’d protected one son at the expense of the other. He shouldn’t have considered David’s feelings. Soela hadn’t loved David, and here was the result—everyone suffered, especially the child, who bore no resemblance to his eldest son.

Willem was filled with despair. David and Soela’s unhappiness had brought discord to Kloot’s Nek, and he missed Roeloff. Where was he? Was Twa looking after him? Willem was not a praying man, but he asked God to protect Roeloff and the old hunter, and to bring them back to Kloot’s Nek.

When Elsie heard what had happened, she sent word with one of the Hottentots that she wanted David and Soela to come to the Joubert farm right away. They arrived the next day, in time for the midday meal. After the initial shock of seeing what his daughter looked like, Joubert came straight to the point.

‘We heard that there’s been trouble between you.’

David rested his hands on his knees. His manner had changed from what it had been the previous week. If he had little respect for his father, he certainly didn’t trust Joubert. Soela’s eye was swollen and bruised, ample evidence of his ill-treatment.

‘It was my fault.’

Soela stopped eating. She’d never heard him admit to doing anything wrong before. Elsie and Jan looked at each other.