Love or Duty--A saga set in 1920s Liverpool (2 page)

‘It's not as simple as that, miss,' the policeman told her, reopening his notebook, licking the stub of his pencil and then recording what she had said.

‘By rights I have to take you straight to the Police HQ in Manor Road so that you can make a full statement about what happened and sign it.'

‘Oh dear!' Penny looked crestfallen. ‘Do you have to do that? Can't I go there after I've collected Mr Watson from Seacombe?'

The officer shook his head. ‘I really ought to take you along there myself, miss.' He hesitated as he looked at his notes and read her details again.

‘I see you live in Penkett Road, so is Captain Marcus Forshaw your father, miss?' he asked deferentially.

‘Yes, that's right. He's a magistrate as I'm sure you know,' Penny affirmed.

‘Well, in that case, if you report to the duty sergeant at Manor Road just as soon as you have picked up Mr Watson, I suppose it will be all right,' he agreed reluctantly.

‘Yes, of course I'll do that,' Penny promised.

As she made to get back into the driving seat of the Humber, several bystanders who had witnessed what had happened pushed forward angrily as if to try and stop her leaving but the policeman waved them back.

Arnold Watson looking very much the successful young businessman in his well-tailored dark grey suit, pristine white shirt and grey and black striped tie was impatiently striding up and down outside the terminal. As Penny pulled up alongside him he made a point of consulting his gold pocket watch with a deep frown on his handsome face.

The moment he had seated himself in the car Penny explained to him about the accident and everything that had happened since. Doing so brought everything back and all her fears about how badly the child may have been injured flooded her mind. Within seconds she burst into tears.

‘Oh, Arnold, it was terrible; you should have seen the poor little mite lying there in the road screaming with pain. She looked all twisted and no one seemed to know how badly hurt she was. I was so frightened because the crowd that gathered were so hostile,' she added choking back the deep sobs that seemed to shake her from head to toe.

‘Well, it's all over now,' he told her briskly as he patted her on the shoulder.

‘Do you really think so?' She gave him a pleading look, her blue eyes still awash with tears. More than anything she wanted him to take her in his arms and comfort her but she knew that wasn't Arnold's style; not in a public place where everyone could see what was happening.

‘A couple of weeks in hospital and she'll probably be quite all right and home again chasing round the back streets of Liverpool as if nothing had ever happened to her,' he commented brusquely.

Penny bit down on her lower lip. ‘I do hope you're right.'

‘Come on, we'd better make a move; your parents are expecting us for lunch and we're late already,' he said crisply. Once again he took out his pocket watch and frowned when he saw the time.

‘Oh dear! I've been told to report to Manor Road police station on my way home in order to sign a statement. I promised the policeman that I would do it the minute I'd picked you up so we'd better stop there on the way and do that. It should only take a few minutes; I gave the policeman all the relevant details,' she added with a watery smile.

‘If the accident was that serious and they think you are in some way to blame for what happened then should you be driving?' Arnold said, frowning.

‘If I don't then how are we going to get home?' Penny questioned. ‘We could take a tram I suppose,' she added hesitantly, ‘but I can't simply abandon the Humber; father would be furious if I left it here.'

‘Then you'd better let me drive. Furthermore we'd better go back to your home first and explain the situation to your father before you go to Manor Road police station,' he told her decisively.

‘Do you really think so? I was hoping not to say anything about the accident when we got home; well, at least not yet, not until I know how seriously hurt the little girl is.'

Arnold shrugged. ‘We're wasting time, Penny. You'd better move over into the passenger seat and let me take the wheel,' he said firmly.

‘I'm not sure if I should let you drive,' she protested hesitantly. ‘You've never driven this car before.'

‘Don't be so naive, Penny. If you are caught behind the wheel after such a serious accident they could charge you with dangerous driving and you might be detained for hours or even arrested.'

‘I don't think you can be right about that, Arnold,' Penny protested.

‘Oh yes I am, which is why we are going straight back to your place before you go to Manor Road police station.'

‘But I promised …' She wanted to argue with him and reminded him that the policeman had seen her get in the car and he had not said she couldn't drive. Yet Arnold was usually so right in these matters that she said nothing.

‘The best thing you can do is to explain the whole situation to your father before you do anything else,' Arnold insisted. ‘Remember it is his car that was involved and since he is a magistrate he won't want that fact to be divulged to the local newspapers, now will he.'

‘Oh dear, I hadn't thought of that!'

‘If you talk to him first it will give him the opportunity of finding a solicitor to represent you before you are charged. He might also want to have a word with the chief constable; after all, they are old friends and in the same lodge.'

They drove in silence, Arnold concentrating all his attention on the road. Several times Penny started to say something but she noticed the way Arnold's shoulders immediately tightened when she began to speak, so she remained silent.

‘The whole thing gets worse by the minute,' Penny murmured, her voice quivering as they pulled into the driveway at Penkett Road. ‘I really don't know how I am going to tell my parents about what's happened. They will be so upset.'

‘Yes, I'm sure they will be,' Arnold agreed grimly. ‘This is only the start of it all,' he muttered as he turned to face her. ‘My own parents aren't going to be any too pleased by all the adverse publicity your accident will engender.'

‘The accident wasn't my fault, Arnold, truly it wasn't,' Penny defended unhappily, her face clouded by misery.

‘Then whose fault was it? You were the one driving the car!'

‘Yes, I know, but I was momentarily distracted by the ball. The little girl must have dashed out into the road after it and she was such a tiny little thing I simply didn't see her.'

Arnold shook his head as if he didn't accept her explanation. ‘Anyway, what on earth were you doing driving your father's Humber? Why weren't you in your own car?'

‘I had a flat tyre,' Penny told him. ‘I know how you hate to be kept waiting, so I asked if I could borrow the Humber.'

She stretched out her hand to take Arnold's but he completely ignored it. At that moment more than anything she needed him to take her in his arms and tell her that he understood and assure her that given time everything would be all right.

She waited in vain; Arnold remained stern-faced and elusive. It was almost as if he didn't want anything to do with what had happened.

With an exasperated sigh he reached for the briefcase that he'd tossed on to the back seat and then opened the car door and walked towards the house leaving Penny to follow.

‘Where the devil have you two been until now?' Captain Forshaw demanded gruffly, his thick bushy eyebrows drawn together in a frown, as Penny and Arnold walked into the dining room.

‘It's really too bad of you to keep us waiting like this, Penny. You know we always like to start our lunch promptly at one o'clock and it's now almost gone two; our meal is probably spoiled,' Leonora Forshaw added in a petulant voice.

‘I'm sorry we're late, Mother, but it was quite unavoidable,' Penny told her as she bent to kiss her mother's rouged cheek.

‘Unavoidable? What do you mean? Was the boat delayed or something?' Leonora asked tetchily as she patted her marcelled hair to make sure that Penny hadn't ruffled it.

‘No, nothing like that; I was involved in … in a sort of accident,' Penny explained tentatively.

‘You had a prang!' Captain Forshaw exploded, the colour deepening in his florid face. ‘I hope my Humber's not damaged in any way.'

‘Oh dear … I … I don't really know. I didn't check it,' Penny stuttered, looking helplessly towards Arnold who avoided her eyes and merely shrugged his shoulders in a non-committal way.

Muttering to himself, Marcus Forshaw put down the glass of sherry he'd been drinking and headed for the door.

‘Not now, please, Marcus. Lunch is late enough as it is. Surely you can leave it until later to see if there are any marks or dents on your precious car,' his wife pleaded.

Marcus Forshaw hesitated then, scowling, he picked up his drink again.

‘Very well, come along then, let's all sit down. Ring for Mrs Davies and ask her to send Mary in with the first course providing it isn't already ruined by being kept waiting for so long.'

‘Arnold, you sit over here,' Leonora beamed, indicating the chair beside her.

‘I'm sorry, Mother, Penny interrupted, ‘but we can't stay for lunch you see …'

‘You can't stay for lunch!' Leonora Forshaw's voice rose to a crescendo. ‘Of course you must; we have waited all this time for you to join us. Now sit down and stop being so silly.'

‘Mother, we can't. I have to report to Manor Road police station. I shouldn't even have come straight home because I promised the policeman who was at the accident that I would go there as soon as I had picked up Arnold. We only came home because we thought you might be worried when we were so late and …'

‘I thought it might be advisable if Penny came home and discussed the matter with you before reporting to Manor Road, sir,' Arnold interrupted, looking directly at Captain Forshaw. ‘I thought that you might not want it generally known that it was your car that was involved in the accident.'

‘What the hell are you both on about? What sort of accident was it that you were in? Was it serious?' Marcus Forshaw demanded.

‘It happened about an hour ago,' Arnold explained. ‘A young child was involved. She was knocked down and had to be taken to hospital—'

‘Good God! This gets worse by the minute,' Marcus Forshaw exclaimed exasperatedly. ‘How were you involved, Arnold? Surely you weren't driving my car?' he asked fiercely.

‘No, Father, I was the one driving it,' Penny admitted, her face scarlet and her eyes brimming with tears.

‘
You
were!' He seemed to become even more angry as he waited for the details.

‘I was driving along the promenade towards Seacombe and suddenly a ball bounced into the road in front of the car and then this child must have run out into the road after it. I'm afraid I didn't see her because she was so small and the next thing I knew she was lying in the road in front of the car screaming. A crowd had gathered round and—'

‘Do I take it that the police were involved?' interrupted Marcus Forshaw.

‘Yes. A policeman came and then an ambulance and the child was taken to hospital. I told the policeman what had happened and he said I must report to Manor Road HQ right away and sign a statement about what had taken place. I promised him that I would do so as soon as I'd picked Arnold up from Seacombe,' Penny told him breathlessly.

‘Have you been there and done that?'

‘No. Not yet. Like Arnold has told you we decided that we ought to come home first and let you know what had happened.'

‘Also, I thought you would be very worried because we were so late,' Arnold added addressing Leonora Forshaw.

‘Dear Arnold, how very thoughtful of you,' she beamed.

‘I also thought that you might wish to have a word with the chief constable first before Penny went along to the police station since he is very well known to you,' Arnold said looking directly at Marcus. ‘You might even wish to arrange for your solicitor to accompany Penny to Manor Road police station.'

Marcus Forshaw nodded his head thoughtfully. ‘Very sensible,' he agreed. ‘My God, what a mess, and for it to happen while you were driving my Humber, Penny, makes things so much worse. Are you quite sure that my car isn't damaged? Or that you aren't hurt in any way,' he added as an afterthought.

‘You're not hurt are you, Penny?' her mother repeated anxiously, looking her up and down.

‘No, I'm not hurt but I am rather shaken up by what has happened.'

‘I'm sure you must be, darling.' Her mother shuddered.

‘A glass of wine and some food will soon steady your nerves,' Arnold stated.

‘Yes, you are quite right, Arnold. Now can we forget about all this until after we've had our lunch?' Leonora Forshaw pleaded as Mary, their little maid of all work, came into the room carrying a tray loaded with plates and dishes.

‘Yes, yes, very well,' Captain Forshaw agreed as he took his place at the head of the table. ‘Sit down and let's eat. We certainly need to talk the matter through and decide what is the most appropriate procedure,' he muttered.

‘What about my promise that I would go straight to Manor Road police station on my way home?' Penny asked in a subdued voice.

‘We'll deal with that the moment we've finished lunch,' her father decided. ‘In fact, I'll set our minds at rest on that point right away,' he said, putting his napkin down on to the table and standing up.

‘Where are you going now?' Leonora asked, frowning.

‘I'll only be a minute. I'm going to telephone James Robertson, the chief constable, and see if he thinks it really is necessary for Penny to report to Manor Road police station. In all probability it will suffice if my solicitor goes along and acts on her behalf,' he added as he left the room.