Page 54 of Lessons in Life

‘OK. You’re right.’ Lisa smiled uncertainly.

‘Whatdoyou know of your birth parents, Lisa?’

‘Very little. The people who brought me up wouldn’t tell me anything.’

‘Your parents, you mean?’

‘The Foleys.’ Lisa relented. ‘My adoptive parents.’

‘Any idea why they weren’t cooperative?’

‘They were terribly racist. Actually embarrassed that I had “a touch of the tar brush”.’

‘What? No! Surely not? Your own parents? Against their child?’

Lisa looked at Matt but said nothing.

‘And you’ve never wanted to find your birth parents?’

‘No. They gave me up to be brought up by a quite dreadful couple. Incapable of love, racist, misogynistic. Is it any wonder I turned constantly to Jayden?’ Lisa’s eyes filled with tears. ‘I’m sorry, Matt, I thought I’d got over it all.’

Matt pushed the box of tissues across the desk. ‘Lisa,’ he asked gently, ‘have you never thought about having some counselling?’

‘I’m fine.’

‘Idon’t think you are.’ He paused, holding her eyes until she looked away. ‘OK, but for all the girls’ sake, and any children they might go on to have, you could do with investigating your birth mother and father.’

‘I wouldn’t know where to begin.’ Lisa started to stand. ‘All I know, according to my mother – and I never knew if she was giving me the wrong information – is that my birth mother was from India and my birth father obviously white. British presumably. Karen Foley used to hint athonour killings. You know, a girl from an Indian family becoming pregnant by a white boy? If that’s the case, I really don’t want to know. It’s enough that Jayden’s mother and lover were killed by Jayden’s father. It would be just too much for my girls to take in if both sides of their family are murderers.’

‘Goodness, I can see why you’ve not gone into it.’ Matt paused, obviously debating whether to probe further. Eventually he said, ‘You were born in Surrey? I remember you telling me. But came up to Sheffield when you were nine?’

Lisa nodded, making her way to the door. ‘There’s always something, Matt. Isn’t there? Always something that won’t go away, no matter how hard you try to make it.’

* * *

Lisa was surprised to see all the lights on when she pulled up on the drive of her cottage. Jess’s cottage too. It was gone 10p.m. Robyn had said she was staying with Fabian and yet her car was in the drive. She did hope Sorrel wasn’t still up, cramming those equations. Or worse still, feeling ill again.

She certainly wasn’t expecting, when she let herself through the kitchen door, all three of her daughters sitting round the kitchen table, a plethora of cups and mugs in front of them.

‘Oh?’ Lisa stared. ‘What’s the matter? Is it Lola?’

‘Lola’s fast asleep next door with the door locked. She knows I’m here and she’s got my phone.’ Jess was tense.

Lisa turned to Sorrel. ‘Are you not well again? What?’

‘Sit down, Mum.’ Jess appeared to take charge. ‘There’s tea in the pot.’

18

ROBYN

‘I thought you were staying with Fabian tonight? Or has he driven back to Harrogate?’ Mum looked from Sorrel back to me.

I shook my head. ‘This is more important.’

‘OK, go on.’ Mum sat down without taking off her coat.

‘Where’ve you been, anyway?’ Jess asked almost accusingly. ‘What choir goes on until after ten at night? We were getting worried.’

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