The Girls of Heatherly Hall by Julie Houston

Author:Julie Houston [Forster, Kate]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781803280059
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing

18

‘Hello, my darling girls.’ Eva, back at the house in Heath Green and waiting impatiently for Laila and Nora to be brought back from visiting Azra, Rayan’s widowed mother in Bradford, ran down the garden path to welcome them home and usher them back inside where they belonged.

‘We’ve had party,’ Nora shouted in excitement, desperate to impart the news before Laila could.

‘A party?’ Eva smiled. ‘How lovely. A birthday party?’

‘No,’ Laila tutted knowingly. ‘It was Eid-al-Fitr.’

‘Oh,’ Eva smiled again. ‘I thought that was last month?’

‘Of course it was, Mummy,’ Laila agreed condescendingly. ‘But Nanni Azra said seeing you hadn’t let Nora and me celebrate it when it was really on, she’d invite everyone over to her house and do it all over again.’

‘Not let you? I—’ Eva broke off when Laila waved an imperious hand in her direction as they walked up the path towards the house and Eva saw both of her daughters’ hands were decorated in henna.

‘That’s beautiful, Laila.’ Eva admired the mehndi tattoo. ‘And you have one too, Nora? How lovely. I want one.’

‘Florence McLean is going to be so jealous when I show her,’ Laila crowed. ‘And, Mummy, you can’t have one. Nanni Azra said so. You are kafir.’

‘I beg your pardon?’ Eva glanced at Rayan who had joined them, laden down with cardigans, jackets, school book bags and sweets.

‘I made moons like bananas,’ Nora said happily. ‘And blew up big yellow balloons. And I’ve had lots of cake.’

‘Crescents, Nora,’ Laila corrected her three-year-old sister. ‘The crescent moon is the beginning and ending of Ramadan.’

‘Kafir?’ Eva hissed in Rayan’s ear as the girls ran into the house to reunite with the two goldfish Eva had bought for them the previous month. ‘Did your mother call me kafir? That is a really rude term to use, isn’t it?’

‘Leave it out, Eva,’ Rayan said almost tiredly. ‘She didn’t mean anything by it. She just can’t get used to the situation.’

‘Neither can I, Rayan.’ Eva grabbed at his hand. ‘Come on, let’s get the girls ready for bed together and then… you know… at least talk.’

‘It’s only seven o’clock,’ Laila interrupted crossly, coming back into the kitchen and glancing at the huge clock on the wall. ‘Put Nora to bed, Ammi, not me.’

‘Ammi?’ Eva stared at her elder daughter and then across at Rayan.

‘It’s what Sharjeel and Usaid call Aunty Hadhira,’ Laila explained, looking up at Eva from under her lashes.

‘OK, Laila, Mummy’s going to put Nora to bed and then I’m going to hear you read.’ Eva spoke firmly.

‘Daddy’s already heard me,’ Laila replied. ‘I read all the last three chapters of Harry Potter to Daddy and Nora in the car coming back from Bradford.’

‘Without feeling carsick?’

‘I’m never carsick,’ Laila said pointedly. ‘Not like Nora. We had to stop when we got into Westenbury. Just by Aunty Rosa’s church where the road is bendy.’

‘Nora was sick?’ Eva looked across at Rayan who was filling the kettle.

‘Only a bit.’ He looked tired. Appeared defensive.

‘Too much cake,’ Laila crowed. ‘I told Nanni you wouldn’t let her have three slices, Mummy.

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