‘Here it will not be happy, or be well instructed.’
‘No … But Miss Fortune – or may I call you Peach?’ (this gambit misfired too, for she made no reply) ‘—in English law, the baby belongs to the mother. Unless, that is, the parents were married, and even then …’
‘It is an Africa child.’
‘Well, not entirely, is it?’
‘I have no money.’
‘No …?’ (Money again!)
‘My father, my mother, they have money, yes. But they will give some to my brother only for his boat fare home to Africa.’
‘Yes … so he’s told me. But I don’t see …’
‘If he have other money, then he can buy the baby from the woman.’
‘Peach! You just can’t do that here in England. Or rather … she might agree, but then there are regulations about adoption, and emigration, and so on and so forth … Hasn’t Johnny told you all this?’
‘He tell me many things, but I wish to hear you speaking.’
‘Well, I am! We could try, of course, but, honestly, I think it’s unlikely the mother would … and in any case, what about that money?’
She looked at me.
‘My dear Miss Fortune, I haven’t got a cent.’ (Didn’t believe me, obviously.) ‘If you explain everything to your parents, wouldn’t they give Johnny something extra to try it with?’
‘No … My mother, no. My father, yes, but he listen to my mother.’
‘Well, then, excuse me, Peach – but why do you want to get the child? Does Johnny want it?’
‘No.’
‘So you do.’
‘No. But it is my brother’s child, and will not be happy here, not well instructed.’
‘That’s very possible, I admit … Is Johnny going back to Africa, then?’
‘I tell him he should do this.’
‘And he agrees?’
‘Yes, when I speak to him.’
‘Oh. Well, Peach – what can I do? I don’t know … I could try to see Muriel, if you like … And perhaps I could try to get some money somehow if she agrees to listen, which I very much doubt …’ Suddenly I rebelled against this hypnotic girl. ‘Why don’t you talk to Muriel?’ I asked.
‘I do not wish to see this family. No.’
‘Don’t you? I can’t altogether blame you. Well, shall I have a word with Johnny and see what might be done?’ She’d already got up. ‘But I don’t think there’s much hope …’ She was near the door. ‘And how do you like the hospital – and nursing? How do you like it over here?’ I asked desperately.
‘Is good for me to learn these things in London.’
She went down the stairs. Faint sounds of a long confabulation in African drifted up them. The front door banged, and Johnny reappeared.
‘You know it’s impossible, what she wants?’ I said to him. ‘Didn’t you tell her, before you inflicted all this on me?’
‘My sister believes it would be possible.’
‘Does she, indeed! And you: you don’t really want young William in Lagos, do you, even if you could ever get him there?’
‘If I have him in Africa, yes, then I would want him.’
I just stared at him. ‘Johnny! Have you, and your sister, and your entire race, ever reflected that other people in the world want things besides yourselves?’
‘I go out now, Montgomery.’
‘You’d better!’
By force of habit, the only thing I could think of was to tell Theodora. I called up her village on the ’phone, and she didn’t seem much surprised as I unfolded my incoherent story. She even said, ‘If Muriel can be bought off, one might try to short-circuit the regulations and kidnap the child. An air passage would fix it – it’s been done before.’
‘Exactly. Listen. I’ll come up to town tomorrow, and we’ll pay a call together on Muriel.’
‘Hadn’t you better leave the negotiations to me?’
‘When you tried that once before, Montgomery, you weren’t particularly successful. And after all, it’s my money that’s going to be wasted.’
As I hung up, I registered, there and then, a vow that never after this, so long as I lived, never, would I interfere in anyone else’s private affairs. Never! After which, I rang Mr Zuss-Amor to check on the legal aspects.
He was discouraging. ‘The babe is hers until it’s a major. Even if he married the woman it still would be – unless he could sue for divorce for some reason or other later on and get the custody – but is all that likely? Why does he want it, anyway?’