Sonia sat back, smoothing her short hair with both hands. ‘That’s for you to sort out, isn’t it, I’m happy to say. You’re the boss.’

Chapter Five

‘They’re not vegetarian, are they?’ Sarah asked while they were still in bed the day before Daniel and his wife, Akela, were due for dinner.

‘Probably.’

That evening she said, ‘Daniel aspires to be vegetarian but isn’t very strict. Akela, on the other hand, is the real deal. Deborah says that Daniel started out being strict but when he gave up alcohol he became an occasional carnivore again. We must get used to calling him Abdul.’

‘Must we?’

‘You’d expect your family to make an effort, wouldn’t you, if you’d changed your name?’

‘Not my family.’

Charles had suggested they took them out for dinner but Sarah felt that would look too much as if they didn’t want to be bothered with cooking at home, which was true. ‘Besides, I feel I ought to make some effort for my godson.’

‘For Deborah, you mean.’

When the day came Akela arrived in a black trouser suit and white blouse, though she still wore her headscarf. Daniel wore clean jeans and a lurid green jersey. ‘Do we call you Daniel or Abdul?’ Charles asked as he invited them in. ‘We want to get it right.’

Daniel smiled. ‘Whichever is easier for you. My friends and Akela’s family call me Abdul but my family and people who’ve known me all my life can be forgiven for calling me Daniel. The Prophet – peace and blessings be upon Him – is tolerant of other beliefs.’

Reluctant either to contradict any form of religious avowal or to allow his endorsement to be tacitly assumed, Charles’s usual response was a swift transfer to another topic. This time, though, he felt he should make the effort to engage.

‘I believe Islam had an early reputation for tolerance of other faiths, didn’t it? With religions of the Book, anyway.’

‘The Muslims permitted Jews and Christians to live among them while keeping alive the flame of learning during what Christians call the Dark Ages. Many Jews and Christians, perceiving truth, converted. You will hear some people argue that there were forced conversions and that those who refused suffered discrimination, but that is part of Christianity’s anti-Muslim mythology.’

Daniel had stepped through the door first and now he stopped as he spoke, keeping Akela behind him in the narrow hall. ‘We’re lucky to live in a time of religious toleration,’ Charles said as he tried to usher them through.