Love or Duty--A saga set in 1920s Liverpool Read online

  As she saw the grazes and deep lacerations on the child’s face and arms Penny wanted to gather her up, smooth the greasy hair back from her little elfin face and try and comfort her.

  As Penny approached the bed Kelly pulled the grubby sheet up over her face so that only her eyes were visible.

  ‘What you grizzling about now?’ Ellen asked as she leaned forward and pulled back the sheet. ‘Come on, sit up and show the lady your bad leg.’

  Kelly tugged hard at the sheet and cowered back down, sneaking a sideways glance at Penny as if not at all sure who she was and half afraid that she might be in some sort of trouble.

  Ellen pulled it back, completely exposing the child who was wearing only a dirty vest that was wrinkled halfway up her body.

  Penny gasped and her heart beat faster as she saw the heavy plaster cast on the child’s leg.

  Kelly looked fearfully from her mother to Penny and back again and then tried to lift her leg in the air but the weight of the plaster made it impossible for her to do so and her sobs became louder.

  ‘You can see for yourself that she’s pretty badly hurt,’ Ellen Murphy stated with a triumphant note in her voice.

  Penny nodded, too overcome to speak. She wanted to comfort the child but she knew that she must not do so. Her father’s warning words about the possibility of the family suing for damages when the case came to court rang in her head.

  ‘Time you were up,’ Ellen told Kelly harshly. ‘I can’t keep running backwards and forwards waiting on you all day. Come along.’ Catching hold of Kelly’s arm Ellen hauled the child off the bed and on to her feet.

  Kelly swayed and then clutched wildly at the bed frame as she tried to balance. As she put her weight on her injured leg she let out a yelp of pain the moment her foot touched the ground. Tears rolled down her cheeks but she brushed them away with the back of her hand.

  ‘Come on, I haven’t the time to stand here all day,’ Ellen muttered, hitching the baby higher in her arms and grabbing hold of Kelly by one shoulder and half lifting, half dragging her. ‘Into the kitchen with you and I’ll find you a crust. You’d better come along as well and I’ll make us both a cuppa and we can have a talk,’ she added looking over her shoulder at Penny.

  The kitchen was at the far end of the passage. It was a narrow room with an oblong table in the centre of it. On one side of it, under the window that looked out on to a yard that was cluttered with a miscellany of junk, there was a wooden bench seat. On the other side were three wooden chairs. The centre slat was missing in the back of one of the chairs and the seats of the other two were stained with spilled food and drink.

  A tousled-haired little girl who looked about two years old was tied into a rickety high chair. She was picking up food with her fingers from an enamel bowl that was on the tray in front of her. Another child, a boy who appeared to be a couple of years younger than Kelly, was sitting on the floor pushing a battered tin car backwards and forwards and making zooming noises as he did so.

  Ellen Murphy pushed Kelly towards the bench and left her to struggle on to it. She dumped the baby she was carrying into a dilapidated wicker clothes basket on the floor. Then, delving into the pocket of her skirt, she brought out a dummy and jammed it into the baby’s mouth. Picking up a box of matches she lighted the gas ring that was standing on top of a low wooden cupboard and put a tin kettle on top of it to boil.

  Kelly was whimpering in a high-pitched whine and the small girl banged her metal dish on the tray to try and attract attention.

  ‘Shut up the lot of yer,’ Ellen Murphy yelled at them. ‘Let’s be having a bit of quiet while I talk to this lady. Sit yourself down,’ she ordered, wiping crumbs from the seat of one of the chairs with her skirt before pushing it towards Penny.

  Penny hesitated for a moment because there was still a greasy patch on the seat of the chair but decided that there was nothing she could do about it so smiled politely and accepted.

  ‘So you were the one who knocked our Kelly down, were you,’ Ellen Murphy stated triumphantly. ‘As you can see her leg’s broken and they says at the hospital that she won’t be able to walk properly for a month or more. She’s hurt her arm and shoulder as well and she’s bruises all over. How the hell I’m going to manage to look after her for that length of time I don’t know. Brian’s a little terror and I needs to be keeping my eye on him most of the day as well as Lily who’s into everything unless I keep her tied into the high chair,’ she rattled on as she banged a couple of chipped cups down on to the table in front of Penny.

  ‘Takes me all my time looking after the new baby so I count on Kelly to keep an eye on Lily and young Brian. Now, the state she’s in she won’t be able to do so will she? Not that you’d understand what it’s like to be tied with four young kids; not you, a well-to-do young lady who’s dressed up and drives round in a big motor car all day.’

  Penny felt the hot blood creeping into her cheeks. Although Ellen Murphy hadn’t added ‘and knocks children down’ it was implied by the tone of her voice.

  ‘I do understand you have problems, Mrs Murphy,’ Penny told her. ‘I’m a school teacher, so I do know how demanding young children can be, especially if they are not kept entertained or occupied.’

  ‘Entertained? What’s that when it’s at home?’ Ellen asked with a shrill laugh. ‘If you mean being taken to the park, playing ball games or going to the flicks well that’s all very well if you have the money to do all those sorts of things. My lot have to make do with playing out in the road. Takes me all my time to find enough bread and scrape to fill their little bellies, especially our Paddy’s. He’s me older boy, and he’s growing so fast that he’s hungry all the time.’

  ‘Yes, I can see you have your hands full,’ Penny murmured uncomfortably.

  ‘Humph!’ Ellen Murphy made a scathing noise as she turned to make the tea. In silence she filled the cracked brown teapot and put down the kettle. ‘So you are a school teacher are you, miss. Then in that case you’ll be on holiday for the next few weeks. In fact, practically all the time my Kelly will have that great heavy plaster on her leg. Maybe the court would think more kindly about what you did if you was to look after Kelly while you are on holiday.’

  ‘Court? What are you talking about?’ Penny blustered. She could feel her heart thumping and she knew her voice was pitched higher than normal. She wished she had not told Mrs Murphy that she was a school teacher and once again her father’s words about them being sued for compensation rang inside her head like a warning bell, but it was too late now to do anything about it.

  ‘As I was saying,’ Ellen continued as she poured tea into the two chipped cups and pushed one of them towards Penny, ‘when we goes to court about poor little Kelly’s accident the judge would probably be a lot less harsh on you if I was to be able to tell him as how you helped me to look after her.’

  Penny looked down into the pool of dark brown liquid in front of her desperately trying to marshal her thoughts. Her father had been so right. If he ever found out that she had been here he would be absolutely furious and so would Arnold. That was unless she was able to persuade Ellen Murphy not to make any charges about the accident, she thought hopefully.

  ‘Here, help yourself.’ Ellen pushed a tin jug of milk and a jam jar half full of sugar towards her.

  ‘Thank you.’

  ‘If you’s a school teacher like you said, miss then as I was saying, you’ll be doing nothing for the next few weeks. That means you could look after young Kelly, then,’ Ellen Murphy persisted.

  ‘And if I did as you asked and looked after her does that mean you wouldn’t be going to court about her being knocked down?’

  ‘I’m not so sure about that!’ Ellen stirred her tea noisily and shook her head doubtfully. ‘I’d have to wait and see what my Shamus thought about it all. He’s away at sea at the minute.’

  ‘Shamus? Is he your husband? He’s Kelly’s father is he?’

  ‘Of course he’s Kelly’s dad and the fath
er of all my children,’ Ellen Murphy answered sharply.

  ‘So he doesn’t know anything about Kelly’s accident yet?’

  ‘No, not yet. I’ve told Father O’Flynn all about it though and he said he would write a letter to him but it may be days or weeks before Shamus gets it. Wonderful man Father O’Flynn. He’s promised that if Shamus isn’t home from his trip then he’ll help me to sort things out and come with me when I has to go to court. I could tell him to put in a good word for you and he’d be sure to do so if he knew you’d been helping out with Kelly,’ she added craftily.

  Penny took a sip of her tea. It was so strong that she shuddered. As she looked across at Kelly, who was watching and listening to what was being said, Penny wondered if she could do a deal with Ellen Murphy to stop her going to court at all.

  Perhaps if she did agree to look after Kelly then Ellen would drop all charges so that no one outside her immediate family need know about the accident, Penny mused. There would be no adverse publicity; nothing in the newspapers, so Arnold’s name would not be dragged into it and her family’s reputation would remain unsullied. Her mother and father would not be incriminated, so they’d both be able to hold their heads high as pillars of the local society.

  It would mean her own life would be badly disrupted though, she reminded herself. If she had to look after Kelly then she would probably have to forgo all the exciting outings, picnics and countless other activities that she had arranged and which she and her many girlfriends had been looking forward to enjoying during the summer holidays.

  There was also the very important question of how Arnold would react if she took on the responsibility of looking after Kelly. She had been planning to partner him in several tournaments at the tennis club as well as competing in some swimming events at Guinea Gap Baths.

  She cast a quick glance at Kelly and suppressed a shudder; she was so pitifully scrawny and unkempt that she seemed half wild. She couldn’t see Arnold agreeing to letting her take Kelly with them on any of their outings.

  She knew that Ellen Murphy was waiting for her answer so she took another sip of the strong bitter tasting tea in order to give herself time to think.

  If she did agree to take Kelly home with her then would her parents understand that she was doing it to save their reputation? Or would they think she was stupid to let herself be pressurized into such a compromise. Whichever decision she made she knew that her father would upbraid her for visiting the Murphys in the first place.

  As Penny put down her cup, Kelly stretched out a grubby hand and caught hold of her arm. ‘I’d be real good, miss, I promise.’

  ‘I’m sure you would be,’ Penny said quickly, a lump rising in her throat at the pleading in Kelly’s voice. ‘It’s just that I have to think about it; I’m not sure where you would sleep.’

  As her voice trailed off uncertainly, Kelly gave her a wide grin. ‘I can always sleep with you in your bed. I don’t take up much room. I sleep with Lily and Brian so I’m used to sharing a bed.’

  ‘The lady wouldn’t want to have someone like you in her bed,’ her mother cut in with a contemptuous laugh, ‘You could always put down a mattress for her on the floor,’ Ellen Murphy added quickly.

  ‘I don’t think that would be very comfortable, not with her leg in a plaster.’

  ‘Be better for her than having to share a bed with our Brian and little Lily.’

  Penny shook her head. ‘I don’t think it would be a very good idea,’ she prevaricated.

  ‘Father O’Flynn says that if you saves a person’s life then you should care for them for the rest of their lives because from then on they’re your responsibility,’ Ellen Murphy mused.

  ‘I didn’t save Kelly’s life,’ Penny said quickly. She felt utterly bewildered by the way the argument was going. She could understand that Ellen resented the added burden of Kelly being a semi-invalid during the school holidays. Even so, it seemed unnatural that she was so willing to let her go and live with a complete stranger.

  ‘No, you nearly took it from her, though, so in my eyes it amounts to the same thing. You should be the one looking after her at least until she can walk again,’ Ellen Murphy declared heatedly.

  Penny remained silent. She didn’t agree with what had been said but she was so consumed by guilt about what had happened that she felt helpless.

  Four

  ‘You’ve been where and you’ve promised to do what? Oh Penny, how could you. I warned you not to have anything at all to do with those people. What a preposterous idea,’ her father exclaimed angrily.’

  ‘You must be out of your mind, Penny, to go there and then to agree to look after her. I really can’t believe that you’ve even contemplated the idea of bringing some little street urchin here. As for expecting us to welcome her into our home, well, that is beyond belief,’ Leonora Forshaw exclaimed almost hysterically.

  ‘What about all the outings you’d planned with your friends during August and, most important of all, what about me and all the holiday plans we’ve made?’ Arnold exclaimed tetchily. ‘I’ve certainly no intention of having a slum kid accompany us.’

  Tears stung Penny’s eyes as their chorus of disapproval rang in her ears on Monday night and she saw the angry faces all around her.

  She had been afraid that her father wouldn’t approve of what she had done but she had hoped that perhaps her mother would understand that she had done it for the best. She had certainly expected Arnold to give her his support. Judging from their reactions this was far from being so; she had been wrong on all counts since none of them approved of her action.

  ‘How could you act in such a stupid manner, Penelope?’ Captain Forshaw exploded, his face puce with anger, as he paced up and down the room. ‘It would appear that you didn’t listen to a word I said when I warned you not to go anywhere near the child’s family or have anything to do with them because they were bound to be trouble.’

  ‘It was because of what you said that I went to see the Murphys,’ Penny defended. ‘I was afraid that if they did take the matter to court your name would be besmirched and I was trying to stop that happening. I thought that if I went to see the little girl’s family and explained exactly how the accident had happened and told them how sorry I was about it, then they would accept my apology and let the matter drop.’

  ‘What utter rubbish, you silly child! They’re far more likely to press charges and want compensation now that you have admitted your guilt than they would have done otherwise,’ her father told her in a scathing voice.

  ‘Don’t you understand, that’s the whole point of my promising to care for Kelly while her leg is in plaster and she is unable to get around,’ Penny argued. ‘Mrs Murphy has promised that if I take care of Kelly until her leg is better then she will let the matter drop and she won’t go to court about the accident.’

  ‘And you believed her!’

  The scorn in her father’s voice brought fresh tears to Penny’s eyes.

  ‘Even so, Penny, to say you would have the child here is preposterous,’ Mrs Forshaw intervened. ‘It’s quite out of the question. You’ve already admitted that the child is dirty and unkempt, and by the sound of things she’ll have no table manners at all.’

  ‘Why not simply put her in a home of some kind until her leg is better and pay for her to be looked after,’ Arnold suggested.

  ‘I promised Mrs Murphy that I would take care of Kelly myself,’ Penny said stubbornly.

  ‘Putting her in a nursing home would be taking care of her,’ Arnold insisted. ‘Furthermore, it would ensure that she would have proper treatment for her leg and she would be taught how to walk again after the splint is taken off,’ he added.

  ‘No!’ Penny shook her head vehemently. ‘Caring for her until she is able to walk again is my responsibility and that is what I have promised to do.’

  ‘A very selfish promise,’ Mrs Forshaw protested. ‘You didn’t stop to think how it was going to affect your family or dear Arnold. Having t
he child here will disrupt all our lives. Where on earth is she going to sleep? I certainly don’t intend putting her in the guest room.’

  ‘She can sleep in my room.’

  ‘What utter nonsense, Penny! You’ve no idea what you are talking about, my dear. She’s probably got fleas and possibly head lice as well. The next thing we know we’ll all have them.’

  ‘Mother, she’s one small sick little girl who is in a great deal of pain and can hardly walk more than a couple of steps unless someone helps her.’

  ‘That’s how she is at the moment, my dear. Give it a couple of weeks and she’ll be as active as anything. She’s probably used to playing out in the street with all the other children so she won’t be content to stay indoors on her own all the time. She’ll be into everything; she’ll run wild and break things and cause absolute mayhem.’

  ‘She won’t have to stay indoors. I intend buying a pushchair and taking her out and about and she will be able to play in the garden.’

  ‘Furthermore,’ Mrs Forshaw went on, completely ignoring what Penny had said, ‘she’ll be missing her mother and her brothers and sisters and probably be crying most of the time.’

  ‘Well, now that you’ve said all the bad things possible about my idea perhaps you should stop and consider what might happen if I go back and tell Mrs Murphy that I’ve changed my mind about taking care of Kelly,’ Penny pointed out.

  ‘If Mrs Murphy goes ahead and takes me to court then I might end up in prison and it will all be reported in the Liverpool Post and the Liverpool Echo and you know how they like to build things up.’

  ‘Really, Penny, this is outrageous,’ Leonora Forshaw said wearily, pressing a hand to her brow.

  ‘Very likely they will mention your name, Mother, and all the committees you are on,’ Penny went on relentlessly. ‘They will most certainly mention father’s name, his business and all the committees he’s on. Possibly they will also mention Arnold …’