Going back to the living room, after rubbing at her eyes to make them red and tender-looking, Shona sat down silently opposite her father. Ricky asked gently, ‘Shona, Jaan. This is clearly very important to you. But how do you think I’m going to be able to hide spending £15,000 from your mother?’

Shona looked straight at him. ‘Papa, you’re an accountant. And you’re a very good accountant. I know you can hide spending £15,000 from Amma.’ She glanced down-wards, before giving an almost imperceptible nod towards the bedroom. ‘You can hide all sorts of things, if you want to.’ She added significantly, reassuringly, ‘We both can.’

Ricky realized instantly that Shona knew. He didn’t know how she knew, but she did. He also knew that she wouldn’t tell. Her eyes made a promise to him, Keep My Secret, and I’ll Keep Yours. The fatal impact he feared would never happen and their family would remain safe in ignorance, held together by the close-knit embrace of their lies. Shona reached for his hand and squeezed it. ‘Papa?’ she said questioningly. Ricky nodded slowly, and squeezed her hand back. They had made a deal, and shaken on it.

‘Can I take you out for lunch, Jaan?’ Ricky said, with a rueful smile. His clever, observant daughter. She was wasted on her mother, wasted on that Pakistani. Wasted on him, even.

‘That would be lovely, Papa. But just a quick one. I need to get back before Parvez misses me.’

Ricky picked up Shona’s coat and helped her into it with instinctive courtesy, the natural gentleman. The phone started ringing as they left the flat, and they glanced at each other only for a moment before tacitly agreeing to ignore it.

The Middle-Naming of

the Sons of Parvez and Shona Khan

AFTER THE INVASIVENESS and discomfort of the fertility treatment, when Shona’s pregnancy was finally confirmed, she was too overjoyed to believe it. Although constantly sick right from the beginning, and gaining weight at an alarming rate, she superstitiously insisted that she and Parvez not celebrate, or even tell anyone, until she had her first scan. The scan showed the pregnancy was well established, and revealed the reason for Shona’s unseemly size and unusual level of sickness -there were two heartbeats instead of one. They were having twins.

After they left the hospital, Parvez picked Shona up and gleefully swung her around. ‘Goldie - we’ve hit the jackpot! It’s like these bloody London buses. You wait years for a baby and then two come along at once! Instant families!’

‘Parvez, put me down!’ protested Shona firmly. ‘Think about the babies.’