‘I’m glad you spoke like that. I must confess I was hoping to provoke you into putting me in my place, Boss. Or should I say, into trying?’ ‘I’m not trying to put you into...

A fluffy blonde girl came in with a trolley which had a silver tea-set on top and an assortment of cakes underneath. ‘Thank you, Molly,’ Lady Arunawa said. ‘You can leave it with me.’ She...

Andrew went to sleep quite soon. When he awoke there was light from a half moon, just lifting clear of the branches of the trees. Madeleine seemed to be peacefully asleep. He got up quietly,...

‘There’s a law against white vagabonds, boss. You can sleep any place you like so long as you’ve got ten pounds in your pocket. Do you have that money?’ ‘No. Not with me. I didn’t...

‘And you want somewhere to live?’ Madeleine said: ‘Yes.’ ‘I hope you can take it straight. You’re going to have to live in a poor quarter. A very poor quarter. You can’t even afford one...

Madeleine spoke for the first time since they had come into the shack. She said: ‘Where does one get water?’ ‘Why, child, there’s a tap right at the end of the street. You don’t have...

Her gaze had turned from the roof to the nearest wall, and his own followed it. She was looking at one of the plates torn from the Swiss calendar. It was a colour photograph of...

‘Ituno’s jolly nice,’ the smaller boy said. ‘No swank about him at all. And he’s a Chief’s son.’ ‘So is Akki,’ the other said. ‘He’s invited me to stay with him in the next hols....

The man who had accosted him was a Nigerian, in immaculate white drill; he was about twenty-five, tall, heavy-boned, his skin gleaming with health and assurance. ‘Excuse me, sir,’ he said. ‘May I have your...

‘I saw your interview on the rushes.’ ‘Yes, I thought that might have something to do with your dropping in.’ He sipped the Scotch, feeling it tingle, familiar and unfamiliar, against his tongue. ‘For which...