Love or Duty--A saga set in 1920s Liverpool (9 page)

Penny thought that Cannon Court looked even more drab and dirty than it had done the first time she'd visited it. She felt a shudder of distaste go through her as she knocked on the basement door of number five.

When Ellen Murphy finally answered the door she looked as grubby and bedraggled as she had done the first time Penny had seen her. The two smaller children, Brian and Lily, were clutching at her skirt.

Ellen didn't look at all pleased to see them. ‘You'd better come in,' she said a little grudgingly and giving Penny a rather hostile look.

As they went into the living room Penny found the putrid smell that assailed them was almost overpowering. Although there were damp clothes hanging everywhere, the window was tightly shut and the air was fetid.

Brian and Lily stood staring up at her saucer-eyed but refused to speak or even smile at her or Kelly. The baby was lying half naked on a grubby sheet in the old wicker basket, clutching an empty feeding bottle to its mouth and sucking loudly on it.

With Kelly clinging on to her arm like a limpet, Penny explained to Ellen Murphy that Kelly would have to return home almost at once because as a teacher she herself would be starting back at school in less than a week's time.

Ellen Murphy looked stunned.

‘You gave me your word that you would look after my kid until she was proper better,' she stated angrily. ‘Now all of a sudden you've decided to go back on your promise.'

‘Not at all. I have looked after Kelly for almost a month and in another couple of weeks she will be perfectly fit and ready to go to school.'

‘And what am I supposed to do with her until then? Wait on her hand and foot and help her to get around? I can't have her leaning on me arm while I carry the baby and manage the other two little ones all at the same bloody time.'

There's no need for Kelly to lean on your arm, she's able to get about quite well on her own using her crutches.'

‘She can't help me or carry the baby or the shopping, though, when she's on those things now can she?' Ellen Murphy pointed out.

‘True, but since she doesn't need the pushchair any more you can use that for the baby. In fact, Kelly might even be able to walk without her crutches if you let her be the one to push the baby because the pushchair will give her all the support she needs.'

‘No, it's no good.' Ellen Murphy remained adamant. ‘I've enough to do as it is and it would be more trouble to me than she's worth if Kelly came home now.'

‘I'm afraid she will have to do so, Mrs Murphy,' Penny insisted. ‘As I keep telling you I have to go back to work.'

‘You said you'd look after her until she was better. If you don't then I'm off to see the scuffers. I'll tell 'em all about how you knocked our Kelly down with your motor car and the way you have been trying to avoid going to prison by promising to look after her until she is better.'

‘Kelly ran out into the road in front of my car,' Penny said quietly.

‘Even so you knocked her down and then went on your way without bothering about her and that's a crime,' Ellen Murphy insisted doggedly.

‘You know quite well that what you are saying isn't true,' Penny defended firmly. ‘I stayed with her until the ambulance came and then after I had talked to the police I came over here to find out how she was.'

‘That's as maybe but we'll see what the scuffers have to say. They'll have made notes about the accident you can bet your boots on that. If they say it was your fault and that you were driving too fast then it will be their word against yours. And you bloody well know who will be believed when the case comes up in court,' she added triumphantly.

Penny knew it was useless arguing with her. Instead she tried bribery. ‘Look, Mrs Murphy, if I give you some money each week until Kelly is completely better so that you don't have to go out charring in the evenings then surely that would help.'

‘Who told you I go out charring?' Ellen demanded angrily, her sallow face flushing.

‘Kelly said something about having to look after the baby and her little brother and sister when you went out on cleaning jobs in the evening,' Penny murmured.

‘So it was you as what told the welfare people about it and had them trying to stop the few measly bob they gives me,' Ellen said furiously.

‘Not at all, I haven't spoken to anyone about you. I know nothing at all about your affairs. I only want to help.'

‘Then stop going back on your promise. You said you'd look after Kelly until she was proper better. She's no use to me until she can help me around the house.'

‘I'm sure she will be able to help you a great deal,' Penny murmured.

‘If she can't walk proper then she can't carry the other kids around, so she's no use to me at all and I don't want to be lumbered with her. I have enough to do as it is,' Ellen Murphy added as she picked the baby up in an attempt to stop it crying.

‘I've already explained that I have to return to work next week,' Penny reminded her.

‘Then take her to work with you the same as I have to take these three along with me when I go out cleaning now.'

‘If Kelly was back at home with you then she could look after them again while you did that,' Penny pointed out.

‘How? She can hardly walk herself so how is she going to carry them around or lift them back into bed if they falls out?'

‘Come, come Mrs Murphy, how often does that happen?'

‘They can be right little devils so how is she going to stop them from fighting if she can hardly walk,' Ellen Murphy went on, ignoring Penny's remonstration.

‘No, you stick to what you promised, miss. You said you'd look after our Kelly until she was better and that's what you'll have to do. Ain't that right, Kelly?'

For the first time since they'd entered the place she looked directly at her eldest daughter and seemed to notice her clean appearance and the pretty dress she was wearing.

‘Just look at her all dressed up in her fancy glad-rags and with a ribbon in her hair. You don't want to come back here anyway do you, Kelly. Not after living in a big posh house and prancing around like a lady, now do you, luv?'

‘Not really, Mam,' Kelly answered with a grin. ‘This is a dirty old hole and you look grubby and dead scruffy.'

‘There, what did I tell you,' Ellen Murphy exclaimed triumphantly.

‘I got a bed all to myself at Penny's house and their garden is as big as a park,' Kelly went on smugly.

‘There, what did I say! Spoilt her rotten you have. She doesn't even want to come back home to her own mam and her family.'

‘I'm sure she does,' Penny said lamely. ‘She knows that I have to go back to work quite soon and that it is impossible for her to stay with me any longer.'

‘You mean your mother doesn't want her there, more likely,' Ellen Murphy said sourly.'

‘She don't. Her mam hates me, says I'm a little guttersnipe. Her dad don't like me either and nor does her boyfriend Arnold either,' Kelly confirmed.

‘That's nice to know now, isn't it? No matter how much they dolls you up in fine clothes, shiny new shoes and puts a ribbon in your hair they still thinks of you as a kid from the Liverpool slums do they,' Ellen sneered.

‘Mrs Murphy, I don't think you should say things like that,' Penny said reprovingly.

‘Why not? It's the bloody truth, now, ain't it? Poor little bugger she won't know where she is when she gets back here. All the other kids will tease the living daylights out of her for being so bloody stuck up and having such la-di-dah ways.'

Leonora Forshaw looked utterly astounded when Penny walked back into the house again and she saw that Kelly was still with her.

‘I thought you were taking that child back to her own home,' she said reprovingly. ‘I hope you haven't forgotten that you are due back at school in two days' time?'

‘I know. We'll talk about it later … after Kelly is in bed,' Penny said shortly as she helped Kelly out of the pushchair and parked it in an alcove in the hall.

‘No, Penny, we'll talk about it right now; I want to know where things stand,' her mother said firmly. ‘Why have you brought that child back here again?'

‘Kelly's mother is not able to look after her and I did undertake to do so until she was quite better if you remember,' Penny answered in a low voice. ‘I don't want to discuss it in front of her.'

‘Really! I hope you know what you are doing and I hope you are going to be the one to explain the situation to your father,' her mother said sharply.

‘Of course!'

Leonora Forshaw's mouth tightened into a thin disapproving line but she said no more. Turning on her heel she walked away.

‘She don't want me here do she,' Kelly pouted. ‘I like you but I don't like her one little bit.'

‘Hush, I've told you before that you mustn't say things like that,' Penny admonished quietly. ‘What about a glass of lemonade and one of those biscuits you like so much,' she added quickly as she saw the tears filling Kelly's eyes.

‘You mean those wafer ones that have the chocolate inside them,' Kelly grinned, her face lighting up as she brushed away her tears with the back of her hand.

‘That's right, and since it is such a nice day we'll sit outside in the garden.'

Penny settled Kelly in a canvas chair on the terrace and took her out some lemonade and two wafer biscuits. When she returned to the kitchen to collect her own glass of lemonade she was rather annoyed to find that her mother was waiting there for her.

‘Let me make it quite clear from the start, Penny, that I have no intention of looking after that child while you are at school,' she said in a firm uncompromising voice.

‘I never for one moment thought that you would,' Penny told her as she took a sip of her lemonade.

‘So what do you intend to do with her? I'm not prepared to look after her and I will not permit either Mary or Mrs Davies to do so.'

‘Thank you, Mother you have already made that quite clear so the answer is obvious.'

‘What do you mean? You can't be thinking of taking her to school with you,' Leonora Forshaw exclaimed her eyes widening in alarm.

‘That is precisely what I shall be doing,' Penny said determinedly.

‘Now you really are being ridiculous. I'm quite sure Miss Grimshaw won't stand for that,' her mother told her scornfully. ‘You have only to look at the child to see that she won't fit in with any of the other children who attend there.'

‘Well, I'll soon find out if you are right or not since school starts the day after tomorrow,' Penny stated.

At first Kelly was quite excited when Penny explained to her that as she had to go back to work she would be taking her along to the school with her. Then suddenly she went quiet and there was a look of doubt on her face.

‘Have you asked me mam if it's all right for me to go to school. She said that once I started I'd have to go every day otherwise the school board man would be hammering on the door to know where I was and she'd be in trouble.'

‘I don't think there is any need for you to worry about that,' Penny assured her. ‘This is a private school and no one in Liverpool will know anything about it.'

Although she made sure that Kelly had on a suitable dress and that her hair was well brushed and neatly tied back from her face with a ribbon, Mrs Forshaw's prediction was right. Miss Grimshaw was appalled by the idea of admitting Kelly to the school.

‘How do you think you can possibly give your full attention to your class if you have a disabled child to take care of at the same time. What on earth are you thinking of Penelope.'

‘I caused her injuries and I have promised her mother I will take care of her until she is better,' Penny explained. ‘It will only be for a very short time until she is able to walk. Once she no longer needs crutches for support she will be going back to her own home in Liverpool.'

Miss Grimshaw shook her head. ‘I'm sorry, Miss Forshaw,' she said formally, ‘I cannot countenance it. It would be against all school protocol.'

‘It's only intended to be a temporary arrangement,' Penny insisted.

‘No!' Miss Grimshaw's face tightened. ‘To start with you said yourself that she had never attended school before so she will have no idea about the rules or how to mix with other children.'

I'll make sure that she doesn't transgress any of the rules,' Penny promised.

‘No, most definitely no!' Miss Grimshaw stated firmly. ‘I'm afraid you will have to make other arrangements; either that or I shall have no alternative other than to temporarily suspend you from your duties.'

‘I rather think my father will have something to say about that,' Penny stated, looking Miss Grimshaw in the eye. ‘After all this is a private school and he is one of the governors.'

‘He may be but there are six others,' Miss Grimshaw reminded her frostily.

Penny could see that she was losing the argument and that getting all heated up was not improving the situation one iota so she decided to change her tactics.

Taking a deep breath she decided that for Kelly's sake she must put her own pride and feelings to one side and adopt a different approach.

‘Surely we can give it a try Miss Grimshaw and see how it works out,' Penny begged in a softer more cajoling voice as she looked hopefully at the stern figure facing her.

In her tailored grey cotton dress with its stiffly starched white collar and cuffs, and her dark hair in a tight bun, Miss Grimshaw looked so determined and uncompromising that Penny suspected that her argument was falling on deaf ears.

‘I understand from what I've heard from Captain Forshaw that this child is from the Scotland Road area of Liverpool,' Miss Grimshaw stated in a severe voice. ‘Now, how do you think the parents of the other children attending our school are going to feel about that?'