Page 114 of Lessons in Life

‘Youknow, don’t you?’ I asked.

‘About Junayd and Eloise?’ Kamran nodded. ‘But not until recently. It’s been the big Sattar family secret for years: Junayd packed off back to Lahore to an arranged marriage once his family got to know what he’d been up to.’

Jess took Mum’s hand. ‘And did Junayd bring his new wife back here? Back to Beddingfield? Is he still here?’

Kamran shook his head. ‘No, according to the story, he became very ill…’

‘Porphyria!’ Mum said softly, her eyes closed.

‘Sorry?’ Kamran frowned. ‘If that’s the posh name for a burst appendix with complications, then yes.’

‘Oh!’ The relief on all three of our faces must have been comical to see.

‘Junayd apparently was really poorly,’ Kamran went on, ‘and was in Lahore General for a long time with probably what we’d called sepsis, today. Anyway, once he was well enough, he was married to Alina…’

‘He married her?’ Mum interrupted, her eyes huge. ‘Even though Eloise – my mum – was pregnant with me?’

‘Family, tradition, religion,’ Kamran said. ‘You have to understand, Lisa, things were so different fifty years ago in a traditional Muslim family in Pakistan. Junayd had brought great shame on his family.’

‘And I guess the plan was to bring his new wife back to Yorkshire?’ I asked Kamran.

‘As far as I know, Alina wasn’t allowed to come to the UK immediately after the marriage because of the nikah…’

‘The nikah?’ Fabian frowned. ‘Isn’t that a religious marriage contract that can be held separately to buy time, or to circumvent British legal or immigration systems?’

‘You know more than me, Fabian.’ Kamran smiled. ‘Suffice it to say, their return to the UK was delayed again and again. By which time Junayd had found work as a photographer with local, and then with national, newspapers in Pakistan.’ Kamran paused. ‘Junayd Sattar is today renowned for his beautiful nature photographs – particularly of Pakistan’s birdlife.’

‘So, he never returned to the UK?’ Fabian asked. ‘Not to see his family even?’

‘No.’

‘Is he still alive?’ Mum asked, leaning forwards. ‘Is my dad still alive, Kamran?’

‘Yes, he is.’

‘Does he know about me?’

‘I wouldn’t imagine so, Lisa. I’m sure Eloise would have told him she was pregnant, but he was whisked off back to Pakistan even before Eloise was sent to Canada. With Eloise thinking you were a boy and adopted overseas…’ Kamran smiled ‘…Janice filled me in on the details in the car park… well, presumably Junayd knew he’d never have contact with his child. The Sattars have always known of the scandal of Junayd and the boss’s daughter. It’s only in the past few weeks, with our intention to buy Hudson House, that I’ve really looked into all of this in relation to Eloise Hudson.’

‘So, on Friday, when you took Mum flying, you’d no idea she was Eloise and Junayd’s daughter?’ I asked.

‘No! Why would I? Why on earthwould I?’ Kamran turned to Mum. ‘It’s come as much of a shock to me as to you, Lisa.’

‘I doubt it!’ Jess said tartly.

‘And…’ Mum started ‘…do you know… how…howrelated are we…?’

Kamran appeared to forget Jess, Fabian and I were in the room. Or he just didn’t care. Walking over to Mum, he took her hand and bent to kiss her cheek, smiling down at her. ‘Junayd Sattar is my grandfather’s cousin’s son. My grandfather and Junayd’s father left Mirpur together back in the early sixties and both came to work at Hudson’s. I can’t quite work it out. Fabian? You’re obviously a clever bloke – what does that make us?’

‘You and Mum are cousins twice removed, I believe,’ Jess said archly, her mathematical brain obviously working overtime. ‘All totally above board to?—’

‘Jess,’ Mum and I both hissed together.

‘So, Jess – and Robyn – do I have your permission to take Lisa out again?’ Kamran was laughing at us both. ‘Oh, and one more thing…’ he now turned specifically to Fabian and Jess ‘…how do the pair of you feel about pitching in with me and turning the white house into a fabulous, upmarket restaurant?’

‘Oh, I don’t think so, Mr Sattar,’ Jess said crossly. ‘It was our idea first. Mine and Fabian’s?—’

‘Hang on, Jess,’ Fabian interrupted, turning to Kamran. ‘What makes you think we had any notion of doing that?’

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