There was no need to call the fowls. The moment they heard the grater in action they raced for the fence, practically throwing themselves against it in their greedy haste. It pleased Hannah that there were two at the mission house who were not neat, polite and well-trained, who bumped each other, squawked rudely and argued over their food with no regard for manners. Hannah scattered the grated coconut evenly so that both fowls would get a fair share. Esmerelda tended to take over. Dubious, at first, about assigning names to potential roasts, Hannah had eventually given in to pressure from Deborah and the two fowls became known as Esmerelda and Virginia.

Today there was a pleasant atmosphere around the house. Everyone had slowed down. In this climate it was better to pace yourself, otherwise the heat and humidity sapped your energy. You could rush if you chose, but then you would collapse—as Hannah knew only too well. Aunt Constance had been right: she felt much better after a sound sleep.

She turned her head as a burst of laughter erupted from behind her. Even if she had heard the exchange that prompted it, she would not understand the joke, so she didn’t ask for an interpretation. The men worked slowly, but they were cheerful, willing, and the new cookhouse was taking shape.

Reverend Flower, a former carpenter like his Lord and Master, had begun by trying to give orders about the construction but everyone ignored him. Being of a complacent nature, he was soon reconciled to having his advice spurned and quietly went about the business of erecting frames to support the thatch.

Two men were seated, cross-legged, on the ground a little distance from the noisy construction. One man tracked through the other’s hair with his fingers, inspecting his scalp closely. ‘Aaah!’ Between thumb and forefinger, he pinched out a speck which was invisible to onlookers, promptly popped it in his mouth and swallowed.

Hannah uttered a distinctly unladylike sound, then jumped as a voice at her side simply said, ‘Lice.’

Joshua didn’t look at his cousin, but stared at the rain gauge in front of him. He whistled as he ran a finger along the waterline. ‘Look how much we had last night!’

Hannah was not surprised. The downpour had echoed in her ears as she fell asleep and was still beating down when she woke hours later. It had not eased until breakfast time. As a result, there were several damp patches on the calico which lined the thatch in her room, and the air was thick with humidity. Steam rose from the saturated earth as the hot sun took back the moisture. Her job finished, Hannah brushed her hands on her apron to remove clinging shreds of moist coconut.

Joshua took an extraordinary amount of time to write down two numbers in the book. Sliding a glance at his cousin, he spoke her name, a new look of admiration and a tinge of wistfulness in his eyes. ‘Where did you go yesterday? You were away for hours. All day, almost.’

It appeared that Uncle Henry had kept his own counsel about the details. Let it remain that way. She shrugged Merelita-style. ‘Here and there,’ was all she said before turning on her heel.

‘Wait!’

Hannah stopped and looked at her cousin with surprise. He frowned, his lips working without sound.

‘What is it, Joshua?’ she asked as gently as possible.

‘I … I’m to go away.’ His expression of displeasure deepened to a scowl.

‘What do you mean?’

Joshua sat abruptly, the recording book clasped to his knees. ‘There was a letter from Matthew, my brother, yesterday. He said that he’s well and learning a lot and the boarding school is good … all the things that my parents would want to hear, not the real things … Mother and Father had a long talk last night. I heard them.’

Hannah had missed that news. She had read her letter three times, blew out what little remained of the candle, turned onto her right side and did not move until the dawn chorus woke her.

‘I wasn’t trying to listen, but I couldn’t sleep and their voices carried. Father wants to send me to New Zealand too, to finish my education.’

Joshua was a positive imp at times, but life on the island would be bleak without him, and she felt her spirits sink. What could she say to ease his distress? If her uncle and aunt had made up their minds, there was nothing to be done. But Hannah understood the sense of panic that travelling alone to a strange country could produce. She sat beside him. ‘You might like it, Joshua. There will be others your age, not forgetting your own brother. It’s a chance to see different places, and other people. You can’t stay on this island all your life and never see anything else.’

‘Why not? The villagers do.’

‘But how do you know they don’t long for an opportunity to see what lies over the water?’ She laced her fingers together. ‘Oh, Joshua, I do understand how you feel. I’ll never forget the moment I stepped on board the ketch. As I lifted my foot I knew that I had left the country of my birth behind, maybe forever. It’s only one step from what you know to what you don’t.’ She squeezed his arm. ‘But you might really enjoy it. It could be tremendous fun.’

‘Do you really think so?’

‘Of course, I do.’ If she had doubts, it would have been cruel to air them. Joshua was anxious enough.