‘Pardon?’ asked Rafi.
‘There’s no easy way to say this,’ said Charlie. ‘I met Lateefa, your grandmother, in India just before its partitioning with Pakistan. We fell in love and then calamity struck: she told me that our relationship had to end, but she would not tell me why. I didn’t find out until later that she was carrying my child and had been disowned by her family. Had it not been for your grandfather, Mansur, a servant in her household, it would have been a disaster. He sought me out and explained why Lateefa had broken off our relationship.’
Rafi could see the beginning of tears in Charlie’s eyes.
‘I had been transferred to the Green Howards and was being posted to Sudan. I had so wanted to go back and see Lateefa, but there just wasn’t time. And to have become a deserter from the army would only have made things worse. When I told Mansur that I had to go, I had expected him to be angry with me. Instead he smiled and asked if he could help. It transpired that he had been in love with Lateefa since his childhood.’
Charlie looked sadly at Rafi. ‘The partitioning caused largescale and violent cross-border migration of Muslims, Hindus and Sikhs. It was this upheaval and Lateefa being without family support that prompted Mansur to find me. I was impressed – he had it all planned. He asked me to arrange passes for Lateefa and him to get to England. Mansur then found Lateefa and they emigrated there. I helped them with what little money I could.’
‘So my father was your son?’ Rafi exclaimed, finally understanding what Charlie was trying to tell him.
‘Yes.’
‘Why on earth didn’t you tell me before now?’
‘I promised your parents that I would not interfere,’ said Charlie.
‘Hold on a minute!’ said Rafi. ‘Did you have anything to do with my going to Haileybury and Saara going to a private day school?’
Charlie nodded. ‘After decommissioning I went back to my studies, became a teacher and then accepted a job at Haileybury. Several years later, I had been visiting a school in Stepney with which Haileybury had long-standing links and, as good fortune would have it, on the way home I stopped off at a local bakery in the East End of London. I unexpectedly met Mansur again. He looked much older, but I recognised him instantly.’
Charlie poignantly related how he had returned the following weekend and had met Mansur and Lateefa. ‘I had a tear-filled reunion with your grandparents. We talked about Jansher, their only son and decided that the past should remain in the past – it wouldn’t have been fair on them for me to come back into their lives. I asked if I could help them with their finances. They were too proud to accept any help. In the end, they allowed me to help with the education of any grandchildren that they might have.’
Rafi smiled. ‘That explains why I went from a deprived state school to a smart private boarding school!’ He was overcome by emotion.
Charlie sat quietly waiting for Rafi’s response.
‘Wow,’ replied Rafi. ‘So as of today the number of my close family relatives has doubled… Let me give you a hug.’ Rafi embraced him warmly and then sat back down. ‘I always knew Mansur as grandpa. Could I call you grandfather?’
Beaming, Charlie nodded, not trusting his voice.
‘Saara will be delighted; I can’t wait to tell her face to face.’
‘Unexpectedly, Mansur wrote to me once or twice a year keeping me up to date as to what your father, Jansher, was doing. It was just like him to be so thoughtful,’ said Charlie.
The conversation drifted back to when Charlie had first met Lateefa, Rafi’s grandmother. ‘She came from an immensely powerful and wealthy family. They commanded respect for tens if not hundreds of miles around,’ said Charlie. He went on to describe the close-knit community in India before independence, the partitioning and painful birth of Pakistan. Charlie talked about the British Army families – the nannies and the family helpers – and about his relationship with Lateefa – ‘it should have progressed to marriage,’ Charlie’s voice faltered. ‘It broke my heart to lose her.’
‘Did you meet my mother, Ameena?’ asked Rafi.
Charlie hesitated. ‘No… I’m sad to say, I did not…’
‘Why the hesitation?’ enquired Rafi. ‘Is there something I don’t know…? Please tell me, if there is…’
‘OK, then…, your grandpa was approached by your family in Pakistan who sought an arranged marriage between your father and Ameena, a distant cousin. It transpired that the eldest son of the head of the family had fallen for Ameena, but his parents wanted him to marry the daughter of a wealthy merchant. Mansur reluctantly agreed to Ameena coming to stay for a couple of months, as a guest, but on the condition that your father was not to know about any suggestion of an arranged marriage.’
Charlie paused. ‘Your parents enjoyed one another’s company and fortunately it didn’t take long for them to fall in love. They got married seven months later in a small ceremony.’
‘Thank you,’ Rafi thought for a moment. ‘Could you tell me about my family in Pakistan?’
‘Your cousins are very powerful people. Their fiefdom stretches over an area of thousands of square miles. Perhaps you should pay them a visit one day,’ suggested Charlie.
It was approaching 8 o’clock.
‘I’m afraid we should be going soon,’ said Rafi. ‘We’ve got an early start tomorrow.’
‘Would you like to stay for a quick bite of supper?’ asked Charlie hopefully.
Rafi was about to decline the offer when Kate interjected, ‘That sounds like a lovely idea.’
The conversation switched to Kate, her family reunion and her teaming up with Rafi to track down the terrorists.
Rafi talked about Saara and he promised to visit with her. After lengthy and fond goodbyes, they finally left at 10 o’clock.
The journey back into London was slow but straightforward and they arrived at the packed hotel just after midnight.
Rafi opened the door to their room and found a white envelope lying on the carpet. It contained two messages: one from Kate’s boss and one from Saara.
Kate picked up the phone and spoke to David. It was a short call. ‘We’ll be picked up from the front of the hotel at 07.30. He wants me at work early.’
She passed the phone to Rafi who dialled his sister’s number. There was a delay before the phone was answered. He guessed he’d woken her up.
They spoke briefly and she updated him on the meetings she and Aidan’s economics team had had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer and representatives of the Bank of England.
‘They’re playing their cards very close to their chests. Heaven only knows what the Chancellor is going to do and say tomorrow. At least it’s a bank holiday and the markets will have to wait until Tuesday morning to digest things,’ said Saara. ‘I’m going back to Birmingham tomorrow evening. I’ve missed a couple of deadlines and don’t want to let my colleagues down… And I’m missing Steve.’
‘How are you getting home?’
‘Coach of course,’ came the reply. ‘I got the ticket booked for me earlier today by a helpful man at Number 11. I can’t wait to get back to normality. Let’s talk soon when things are calmer. Please give my love and a hug to Kate. Tell her Steve and I look forward to seeing you both in Birmingham. Bye.’ He put the phone down. He felt guilty, as he had not told Saara about their grandfather. He wanted to tell her face to face, but was it fair to keep the news from her?
Kate meanwhile had slipped into the bathroom. She washed quickly. Back in the bedroom she undressed and slipped under the luxurious duvet. Her thoughts turned to Rafi. She hoped he would not be long…
Rafi finished his drink, turned the sitting room light out and went to see where Kate had got to. The bedroom lights were on, but she was fast asleep. Moments later he slipped into bed and turned off the light. He lay there thinking back over the day. Unexpectedly, it had been a very good day.