Love or Duty--A saga set in 1920s Liverpool (24 page)

‘Kelly will be staying here in hospital overnight,' Bryn said firmly. ‘She is still suffering from shock and it is important that we keep her under observation for at least twenty-four hours.'

Ferdinand Bilkie looked slightly taken aback. ‘In that case I will return tomorrow and collect her.'

‘It is not quite as simple as that, Mr Bilkie,' Bryn prevaricated. ‘Kelly has had an accident and it is one that must be reported to the authorities.'

Bilkie's manner changed abruptly. ‘Surely that's not necessary,' he blustered. ‘I'll make sure she is looked after and in a couple of days the incident will be forgotten.'

‘No, Mr Bilkie, I'm afraid it is the rule that when an accident occurs in a public place it has to be reported. I don't intend to contravene it,' Bryn Cash stated firmly.

As Penny watched the two men standing there like stags at bay arguing about what had to be done, her own thoughts were more concerned by what was best for Kelly.

If the police were informed about the accident Kelly had been involved in there would be an enquiry about how she came to be at the circus in the first place. And then, when they discovered who she was and the rest of the details, she would be taken back to St Saviour's Remand Home. Penny was determined to stop that happening if it was at all possible.

From his manner she sensed that Ferdinand Bilkie didn't want the police involved either so at least he was on her side as far as that went. On the other hand, she knew that Bryn was anxious to let the police know that Kelly had been found so that they could call off their search.

She tried to intervene in the conversation but both men ignored her. Their argument became more heated and personal.

‘I see no reason at all for involving the police,' Ferdinand Bilkie stated, his dark eyes flashing angrily. ‘What happened was a mere incident not a full-blown accident.'

‘In that case, Mr Bilkie, why are you so concerned about the police being informed? If it is only a mere incident then they will simply make a note of what happened for their records and take the matter no further,' Bryn pointed out.

‘You do not understand,' Ferdinand Bilkie said in an exasperated tone. ‘When you are running a fairground and circus you try not to become involved with the police because they begin asking all sorts of difficult questions. They inform all sorts of other officials who then send inspectors to make sure that all the safety regulations are being observed. They are also concerned that the animals are well-cared for and—'

‘And they ask for details of where all your dancers and acrobats have come from especially when they are very young children,' Bryn interposed. ‘By the way, how did Kelly Murphy come to be involved in one of your circus acts?'

Bilkie looked from Bryn to Penny and then back again in a hostile manner. ‘What are you trying to imply, Dr Cash? I hope you are not accusing me of kidnapping this little girl?'

‘When neither of them answered but continued to stare at him questioningly he shrugged and spread his hands wide in a gesture of despair.

‘Very well, I will tell you all. She was brought to me by a youth who for a short time worked for me at the fairground. He was a no-good type of lad, a desperado. He has cheated and stolen from me in the past; but he is also clever. He knew that I have for a long time been looking for someone very small, very appealing and dainty to act as a fairy or angel because he knew that the child who was playing the part at the start of the season became sick and so …' he shrugged, leaving the rest of the sentence unfinished.

Bryn's jaw hardened. ‘So when this young blackguard brought a scrawny little girl along and said that she wanted to join the circus you thought your luck was in.'

Ferdinand Bilkie shrugged. ‘She certainly seemed to be exactly what I was hoping to find,' he agreed.

‘You were prepared to shell out the money he was asking for her and ask no questions about her background in return for him saying nothing to anyone about what had taken place between you,' Bryn went on relentlessly.

Ferdinand smiled as though in relief. ‘I can see that you are a man of the world Dr Cash; you comprehend perfectly.'

‘I understand what you did but I don't approve of your motives,' Bryn Cash told him. ‘For one thing, it would seem that you did not make any checks at all about her background or why she was on her own. Did it never occur to you that she might be running away from home?'

‘I am well aware that many young children run away from home sometimes because they are unhappy and they usually make for the circus,' Ferdinand said deprecatingly.

‘Kelly Murphy didn't run away from home,' Bryn said quietly.

‘What do you mean? Are you saying that this boy forced her to do so in some way?'

‘Kelly had run away from St Saviour's Remand Home,' Penny said quietly.

Ferdinand Bilkie looked startled. ‘Heavens! Do you think the boy knew that?'

‘Oh yes! What is more he had promised Kelly that you would take her back to Spain at the end of your season at New Brighton,' Penny told him.

Bilkie looked bemused. ‘How do you know all this?' he said, frowning.

‘He told me so when he demanded money from me before he would tell me where Kelly was and how to find her.'

‘I had no idea at all about any of this!' Ferdinand Bilkie declared firmly. He looked perplexed and shook his head in a gesture of bewilderment.

‘Anyway, Kelly must stay here in hospital overnight for observation,' Bryn interrupted. ‘We will see how she is tomorrow and then decide what action we must take.'

‘Would you like one of us to get in touch in the morning and let you know what is happening?' Penny asked.

‘Yes, yes; you must do that,' Ferdinand Bilkie stated forcefully. ‘Meanwhile I shall give the matter some serious thought.

‘Dr Cash, promise me that you will not report what has happened to the police; not before consulting with me first?' he requested as he moved towards the door.

Penny tensed as they waited for Bryn's answer. She hated the thought of Kelly having to go back to St Saviour's knowing she would be punished for absconding. Yet, at the same time she wondered if it would be an equally fraught future for Kelly if she remained with the circus people and they took her to Spain with them.

She sensed that Bryn was also concerned about Kelly's future but, when he finally replied, he was noncommittal.

‘I will contact you in the morning, Mr Bilkie and let you know how Kelly is and what I propose to do,' Bryn said dismissively as Ferdinand opened the door to leave.

There was a long uneasy silence between Penny and Bryn after Ferdinand Bilkie left the consulting room.

Finally, Bryn stopped shuffling the papers on his desk and looked up. Penny saw how exhausted he looked and on impulse suggested that they went for a meal.

Bryn nodded. ‘I think it's what we both need. Once we are clear of this place then perhaps we can think more clearly about what is the right thing to do.'

‘Can I go along and see Kelly before we leave?'

‘There's not much point in doing that. She's been sedated and I don't imagine she will be awake until morning,' Bryn told her as he walked towards the door and waited for her to follow.

Penny and Bryn barely spoke, apart from discussing the menu, as they ate their meal. Both of them were immersed in their own thoughts about what had happened that day.

Before they left the restaurant an hour later they'd agreed that perhaps it would be better if they delayed discussing what to do about Kelly's future until the next morning.

‘Let's sleep on it, shall we,' Bryn suggested as they reached his flat and he took her into his arms and kissed her goodnight outside her bedroom. ‘It may all look better in the morning.'

In that he was very wrong.

Penny tossed and turned most of the night unable to put Kelly and what she had witnessed at the circus out of her mind. Whatever happened now, no matter how much it might anger her father, or even what Bryn might advise was right, she was quite determined to protect Kelly. She would also endeavour to give her a better life.

By the time the first morning light crept round the edges of the curtains she had everything planned out in her mind. She knew what she was going to say as well as what she intended to do.

When she joined Bryn in the kitchen for breakfast she told him of her plans to disappear from Liverpool and take Kelly with her as soon as she came out of hospital.

‘I thought if I changed my name and Kelly's so that no one knew who we were and then moved to North Wales you would be able to recommend somewhere where we could stay. I also thought that since your family are living in that area then when you visited them you could check that Kelly was all right.'

‘It all sounds quite feasible but will you be able to find a teaching job there?' he questioned as he poured her out a cup of coffee and handed her a slice of toast.

‘They have schools there don't they?' she asked in a teasing voice.

‘Yes, but the children all speak Welsh; you don't do you?'

Penny shook her head, her face registering her dismay. ‘I never thought about that,' she admitted.

‘Even if you do find a school that accepts you as a teacher there's also the question of a reference.'

Penny sighed. ‘Never mind, I suppose I will have to find some other kind of work.'

‘You will have to wait until Kelly is well enough to leave hospital and by then after all the newspaper headlines about Kelly's accident at the circus the police will doubtless have tracked her down.'

‘I thought you said that she was only staying in hospital overnight as a precaution so that they could make sure there were no after-effects from her accident.' Penny frowned.

‘That was the initial idea but we will have to wait and see what the report on her is today.'

‘Then in that case let's get cleared up here and I can come to the hospital with you and find out,' Penny urged picking up her cup and plate and taking them over to the sink where she began to fill a bowl with hot water.

‘Not so fast! The paediatrician won't be making his rounds until mid-morning so nothing will be decided until after that. I'll come back for you when I hear his verdict.'

The waiting seemed to be endless to Penny. She tidied the flat and then prepared lunch for them both all ready to serve the moment Bryn came in at midday. When he did, he told her the news was good, Kelly had not suffered any lasting ill effects from her accident.

‘The police haven't come looking for her either?'

‘Not yet, but we really must tell them, Penny. I know you are anxious to make a better life for Kelly but I'm sure you must realize how impossible your plan to run away with her really is and that I simply cannot condone it.'

‘Very well, but let me take her to North Wales first, even if it is only for a few days' holiday. I want to have some time on my own with her so that I can explain why she will have to go back to St Saviour's for a little while but after that she will be able to live with me for as long as she wants to do so.'

It was barely two o'clock when they reached the hospital. ‘I didn't expect to see you back here again today, Dr Cash,' the ward sister said as she came forward to meet them. ‘I trust everything went smoothly,' she said with a smile.

‘Everything went smoothly?' Bryn repeated in a puzzled voice. ‘What do you mean, sister?' he asked looking at her questioningly.

‘With little Kelly.'

‘I'm afraid I don't understand. We've come to collect her; since I understand that she is well enough for us to take her home.'

It was the sister's turn to look bemused. ‘She has already gone, Dr Cash. She was collected shortly before eleven o'clock by a young woman who said she had been sent by you.'

Bryn and Penny exchanged bewildered glances. ‘Surely not the police,' Penny murmured, clutching tightly to Bryn's arm.

Bryn frowned. ‘Can you explain what has happened, sister? The arrangement was that Kelly should stay here overnight for observation and that she would be checked over by the paediatrician this morning. If there were no complications then Miss Forshaw would be allowed to take her home.'

‘There were no complications and she was ready for discharge from here so when this young lady said she had been sent by you to collect Kelly we let her go.'

‘You have her signature?'

The sister shook her head. ‘We didn't ask for one. I … I thought that it was you,' she said looking at Penny. ‘She was the same height and build and about the same age. She had fair hair and was wearing a very smart navy-blue suit and a white blouse under it.'

‘Didn't Kelly seemed surprised; didn't she tell you she didn't know this woman?' Bryn asked.

‘Well, she did protest at first but the young lady said she was taking her to Spain and that seemed to make Kelly quite happy.'

‘Marcia Miller,' Penny said quietly.

‘Who on earth is Marcia Miller?' Bryn asked looking even more puzzled. ‘What on earth was a stranger doing collecting Kelly?'

‘I'll explain later,' Penny said her mouth tightening.

‘You think someone from the circus has collected her and taken her back to New Brighton?' Bryn persisted.

‘Oh no! It's much more sinister than that,' Penny said, tight-lipped.

‘What on earth do you mean?'

‘I'll tell you later. I think we should be going,' she added quickly, pulling on Bryn's arm so firmly that he hastily thanked the sister and followed Penny from the ward.

‘What was all that about?' he demanded once they were outside the ward.

‘Come on, Bryn, we must get to the docks right away if we want to rescue Kelly.'

‘Rescue her? What are you talking about; I don't understand.'