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Bond interrupted the rather solemn narrative. ‘The only trouble with beautiful Negresses is that they don’t know anything about birth control. I hope he managed to stay out of that sort of trouble.’
The Governor held up his hand. His voice held an undertone of distaste for Bond’s earthiness. ‘No, no. You misunderstand me. I am not talking about sex. It would never have occurred to this young man to have relations with a coloured girl. In fact he was sadly ignorant of sexual matters. Not a rare thing even today among young people in England, but very common in those days, and the cause, as I expect you will agree, of many – very many – disastrous marriages and other tragedies.’ Bond nodded. ‘No. I am only explaining this young man at some length to show you that what was to come fell upon a frustrated young i
Bond took a sip of his brandy and stretched out his legs. He was enjoying the story. The Governor was telling it in a rather elderly narrative style which gave it a ring of truth.
The Governor continued: ‘Young Masters’s service in Nigeria coincided with the first Labour Government. If you remember, one of the first things they got down to was a reform of the foreign services. Nigeria got a new Governor with advanced views on the native problem who was surprised and pleased to find that he had a junior member of his staff who was already, in his modest sphere, putting something like the Governor’s own views into practice. He encouraged Philip Masters, gave him duties which were above his rank, and in due course, when Masters was due for a move, he wrote such a glowing report that Masters jumped a grade and was transferred to Bermuda as Assistant Secretary to Government.’
The Governor looked through his cigar smoke at Bond. He said apologetically: ‘I hope you aren’t being too bored by all this. I shan’t be long in coming to the point.’
‘I’m very interested indeed. I think I’ve got a picture of the man. You must have known him well.’
The Governor hesitated. He said: ‘I got to know him still better in Bermuda. I was just his senior and he worked directly under me. However, we haven’t quite got to Bermuda yet. It was the early days of the air services to Africa and, for one reason or another, Philip Masters decided to fly home to London and so have a longer home leave than if he had taken ship from Freetown. He went by train to Nairobi and caught the weekly service of Imperial Airways – the foreru
‘Philip Masters gazed out of the window, seeing her in the sea of white clouds below. In his mind’s eye he examined her minutely, marvelling at her perfection. She was small and trim with a milk-and-roses complexion and fair hair tied in a neat bun. (He particularly liked the bun. It suggested that she wasn’t “fast”.) She had cherry red smiling lips and blue eyes that sparkled with mischievous fun. Knowing Wales, he guessed that she had Welsh blood in her, and this was confirmed by her name, Rhoda Llewellyn, which, when he went to wash his hands before luncheon, he found printed at the bottom of the crew-list above the magazine rack beside the lavatory door. He speculated deeply about her. She would be near him now for nearly two days, but how could he get to see her again? She must have hundreds of admirers. She might even be married. Did she fly all the time? How many days off did she get between trips? Would she laugh at him if he asked her out to di
‘Luncheon came, and reassurance. When she fitted the little tray across his knees, her hair brushed his cheek. Masters felt that he had been touched by a live electric wire. She showed him how to deal with the complicated little cellophane packages, how to get the plastic lid off the salad dressing. She told him that the sweet was particularly good – a rich layer cake. In short she made a fuss of him, and Masters couldn’t remember when it had ever happened before, even when his mother had looked after him as a child.
‘At the end of the trip, when the sweating Masters had screwed up his courage to ask her out to di
Bond said: ‘I fear the worst. She married him because his life sounded exciting and “grand”. She liked the idea of being the belle of the tea-parties at Government House. I suppose Masters had to murder her in the end?’
‘No,’ said the Governor mildly. ‘But I daresay you’re right about why she married him, that and being tired of the grind and danger of flying. Perhaps she really meant to make a go of it, and certainly when the young couple arrived and settled into their bungalow on the outskirts of Hamilton we were all favourably impressed by her vivacity and her pretty face and by the way she made herself pleasant to everyone. And, of course, Masters was a changed man. Life had become a fairy-tale for him. Looking back, it was almost pitiful to watch him try to spruce himself up so that he could live up to her. He took trouble about his clothes, put some dreadful brilliantine on his hair and even grew a military- type moustache, presumably because she thought it looked distinguished. At the end of the day, he would hurry back to the bungalow, and it was always Rhoda this and Rhoda that and when do you think Lady Burford – who was the Governor’s wife – is going to ask Rhoda to lunch?
‘But he worked hard and everyone liked the young couple, and things went along like a marriage bell for six months or so. Then, and now I’m only guessing, the occasional word began to drop like acid in the happy little bungalow. You can imagine the sort of thing: “Why doesn’t the Colonial Secretary’s wife ever take me out shopping with her? How long must we wait before we can give another cocktail party? You know we can’t afford to have a baby. When are you due for promotion? It’s awfully dull here all day with nothing to do. You’ll have to get the di