Page 111 of Lessons in Life

‘He and Karen had been teaching in some Pentecostal church school in Quebec somewhere… Wendy couldn’t remember where…’

‘Doesn’t matter – go on,’ I urged.

‘Karen was pregnant and they were to return to England to Adrian’s new job in Surrey before the baby was born. She gave birth early – too early – to a little boy she named Adam. In those days, stillborn babies were quickly taken away without the mother seeing or bonding with her lost child. She was in a terrible state, apparently, beside herself with grief. She wandered onto the ward where girls like Eloise were hidden away to have their babies. Eloise had just given birth to you, Mum, and you were whisked away before Eloise could see you. She wasn’t even told whether she’d had a boy or a girl.’

‘That’s awful,’ Sorrel exclaimed. ‘Howawfulis that?’

‘Wendy was speaking quickly,’ Jess went on, ‘obviously not wanting Karen to know she was on the phone to Mum and me so it was all a bit garbled,’ she added, ‘but as far as I can make out, Karen sawyou, Mum, knew you’d be immediately put up for adoption and obviously decided to get in there first.’

‘She couldn’t just do that,’ I said, stroking Mum’s arm. ‘Lay claim to Mum like that. There’d be papers to sign, hoops to jump through…’

‘Apparently not. Wendy said Adrian told her money had passed hands…’

‘They bought you?’ I stared at Mum.

‘That kind of thing did go on,’ Jo put in. ‘I’ve just been researching it: some Canadian adoptions from years back have now been denounced as cultural genocide. The Sixties Scoop involved the removal and adoption of lots of Native American babies, for example. Many were adopted into non-Native American homes both in Canada, across the border in the States and maybe even further afield. There was a sort of black market in babies…’ Jo shook her head. ‘I reckon where money is involved and with churchy, respectable people offering it…’ She trailed off, obviously concerned her words were upsetting for Mum.

‘Maybe,’ Janice put in, ‘Eloise’s granny had told the hospital that the baby’s father was Indian – you know, rather than Pakistani – and the nurses there assumed she meant Native North American Indian…? Just a thought…’

‘So,’ Jess went on, trying to speak calmly, but the words tumbling out as she continued, ‘Wendy said Adrian told her that Karen was so beside herself with grief that she picked you up, Mum, refusing to let you go, convincing herself you were her baby, that you were a boy, that you were Adam. Wendy appeared to think Adrian didn’t know about the money until much later – she said her brother was always tight and he told herhecertainly wouldn’t have shelled out?—’

‘He was!’ Lisa interrupted with a humourless laugh. ‘He’d lose his temper if you put too much butter on your toast, if you left the lights on…’

‘So,’ Jess went on, ‘a lot of money passed hands with the proviso that Eloise must be told she’d had a little boy called Adam…’

‘But why?’ I still didn’t get it.

‘Why d’you think?’ Sorrel tutted. ‘So that Eloise wouldn’t ever be able to come looking for her baby. And Mum wouldn’t be able to ever find her birth mother.’

‘Wendy seemed to think Adrian and the pregnant Karen were on the point of returning to England to take up Adrian’s new job in Surrey when Karen unfortunately went into labour. They simply came back with a baby.’

‘What about the birth certificate? And a passport for Lisa?’ Janice asked.

‘A birth certificate and adoption certificate would have been ordered showing all the correct details. Not a problem. And babies travelled on the mother’s passport,’ Jo explained. ‘It was all a lot lot simpler fifty years ago and in the wilds of Canada to boot. I assume this Karen Foley made sure you never saw either, Lisa?’

Mum shook her head. ‘I gave up trying to find out anything, to be honest. Once I knew they were biologically nothing to do with me, I was just thankful and left it at that. Luckily, before I ran off with Jayden, I did manage to filch the passport the Foleys had got for me. We’d spent one – really miserable – February half-term holiday when I was fourteen on a rainy conducted bus tour of some horribly boring classical Greek sites. Karen did nothing but moan and complain, and what fourteen-year-old enjoys that sort of thing? Anyway, I’ve never had a problem renewing my passport.’

‘I think you’ll need some sort of counselling, love,’ Janice advised.

‘Possibly.’ Mum nodded. ‘Although all thisstilldoesn’t tell me if the porphyria is inherited.’

‘Well, Eloise doesn’t have any condition other than the dementia she’s suffering with now,’ Janice said. ‘And I never heard that Mr Ralph or Mr Brian at the mill were struck down with anything.’

Mum stared at us all. ‘So, for some reason, for some chance in a zillion, Jayden and I ended up in the very village where presumably I was conceived?’ She turned her beautiful brown eyes on the three of us and then started a little chortle. Which gained momentum until she was giggling, unable to stop.

‘Do something, Jess,’ I said, frightened, as we all moved towards her.

‘I’m fine,’ Mum managed to get out between hiccups. ‘I’m really fine.’ She paused, turning to Janice. ‘And my dad, Janice? This Junayd Sattar? Where is he? Is he still around? Doesheeven know about me?’

‘Sattar? Hey, Mum, you were out with Kamran Sattar last night.’ Sorrel’s eyes gleamed mischievously. ‘You’ll have to ask him if he knows this mysterious Junayd. They’ve the same surname after all. That would be funny, wouldn’t it, if he knows him?’

36

‘I’ve got it, I’ve got it, I’m in. Theywantme!’ Still in her leotard and ballet pumps, Sorrel dashed down the stairs, throwing herself into my arms as I stood, two days later, in the waiting area of the Susan Yates Theatre School in Camden, north London.

‘They’ve told you already?’ I managed to get out. ‘They said they’d write…’

‘She has a place, Ms Allen.’ A rather stern-looking elderly woman had followed Sorrel down. ‘And on a full scholarship. We’re at the end of the interviewing process; we were extremely impressed with Sorrel here and saw no reason to keep her in suspense.’

---