Page 87 of Lessons in Life

‘Oh? To see what? A film? The opera?’

‘You know perfectly well what. She’ll have told you; she tells you everything.’ Eloise stared, obviously confused. ‘You’re not Granny.’ She continued to stare. ‘Your skin is the same colour as Junayd’s.’

‘Junayd?’ Lisa encouraged.

‘Shhhh. Don’t let Mummy know…’

‘It’s all right, Eloise. I won’t tell her.’

‘Well, somebody did.’ Eloise, still in her nightdress, suddenly crumpled and made her way back to the bed, sitting down beside Lisa, who took her hand. ‘She knew about the baby.’

‘The baby?’

‘My little boy. Mummy told Granny to take me to Canada. They came up with the idea between them. And nobody knew, not even Daddy.’

‘You had a baby boy?’ Lisa asked, staring at the other woman. ‘In Canada?’

‘Yes.’ Eloise glared in Lisa’s direction.

‘And where is he now, Eloise?’

Eloise shook her head. ‘In Canada, I suppose. He must be quite a big boy now. I’ve never stopped thinking of him, you know.’

‘I bet you haven’t. When was he born?’ Lisa moved nearer to hear Eloise’s response, but Eloise was struggling with her gold bracelet and didn’t reply.

‘Do you want that off before you shower?’

‘There,’ Eloise said in some triumph, turning the flat face of the identity bracelet over and pushing it towards Lisa for inspection.

‘What? What am I looking at?’ Lisa bent closer trying to work out what was very faintly engraved there. ‘Adam? Is that what it says? And a date – 5 May 1969?’

‘Yes.’ Eloise turned, picking up her pillow and cradling it as one might a child.

‘But that’smybirthdate,’ Lisa said, staring. ‘Exactly! To the very day! How strange. What a coincidence…’ She broke off as a knock came at the door and Jess popped her head round.

‘Mum, Eloise’s husband is here. He’s pretty unsteady on his feet so I’ve kept him downstairs. Let me help you get dressed, Eloise.’ Jess turned to Lisa. ‘Wouldn’t she listen to you, Mum?’

‘Sorry, Jess, we just got chatting.’

Jess, all efficiency now, fetched a facecloth, encouraging Eloise to wash her hands and face. ‘Right, Eloise, how about your lovely red shift dress? With the red cashmere cardigan? You always look like a model in that. I’m not sure what we can do with your hair except give it a good brush. It looks lovely to your shoulders. Makes you look so much younger.’

Five minutes later and Lisa and Jess were accompanying Eloise down the stairs.

‘Really, you know,’ Eloise tutted, ‘I may be forgetting things and, for some ungodly reason, known only to yourselves, I’ve ended up back here at Hudson House, but I’m more than capable of descending a flight of stairs without help.’ And with that she was off, heading for the lounge, where Christopher Howard and his daughter were waiting impatiently in the doorway.

Lisa turned at the bottom of the stairs, debating whether to tackle some of Hudson House’s garden, go to the gym or simply go home and rest. She hadn’t slept wonderfully well the previous evening after Robyn and Jess had returned from their visit to the Foleys and she was beginning to feel tired. She mustn’t overdo it – too much too soon now that she was feeling so well could put her back in bed. She looked at her watch and made the decision to go home and prepare Sorrel’s favourite spaghetti carbonara before driving to St Mede’s to pick her up. She’d insist Sorrel eat a good tea and have another early night.

‘Lisa?’

Lisa turned back towards the front door where Kamran Sattar was standing looking towards her. ‘Hi, how are you?’ What was it about this man that made her mouth go dry whenever she bumped into him?

‘I’m good. Listen, Lisa, er, do you fancy coming to the opening of a new restaurant I’ve been invited to?’

‘A new restaurant?’

‘Yes.’

‘With you?’

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