Read Online Love or Duty--A saga set in 1920s Liverpool by Rosie Harris - Free Book Online

morning’s display I hope you realize that the child you are proposing to look after hasn’t been trained to sit at table and eat in a civilized manner. From now on I must ask you to feed her in the kitchen or if Martha Davies says that isn’t convenient then you must use the morning room after we have finished our breakfast. You will also serve her other meals in there and not with us. Is that understood?’
    â€˜I think it is a very appropriate decision,’ Leonora Forshaw agreed quickly with a smug little smile of approval.
    â€˜That is so unfair,’ Penny exclaimed. ‘I agree she made one or two mistakes this morning but she is very unsure of herself. All this is new to her. You are treating her as if she was a pet animal. How do you think she is going to feel if she is isolated from us all at mealtimes?’
    â€˜Well, I suppose you could ask Mrs Davies to let her eat with them in the kitchen,’ Captain Forshaw murmured.
    â€˜I’m not sure if that is fair on them,’ Leonora stated very forcibly.
    â€˜The only other alternative if you don’t want her to eat on her own is that you have your meals with her in the morning room,’ Captain Forshaw stated, not giving Penny a chance to pursue the argument.
    â€˜Yes, that might be a much better idea,’ his wife agreed. ‘We certainly don’t want to upset or inconvenience Mrs Davies because she is such a treasure.’
    â€˜If you decide to use the morning room Penny, then in the evenings you had better make sure that the child is fed and in bed by seven o’clock. If you do that then you can sit down and have dinner with us in a civilized manner,’ Captain Forshaw added pompously.
    â€˜I think you are both being highly unreasonable,’ Penny told them heatedly. ‘I’m quite sure that seven o’clock is far too early for Kelly to be put to bed. How do you think she is going to feel about that?’
    â€˜You should have thought of all these many different aspects before volunteering to look after the child,’ her father said dismissively.
    â€˜In fact, you should have done what Arnold suggested and put the child in a convalescent home of some kind for a few weeks until she could walk again,’ her mother reminded her. ‘If you’d done that then we wouldn’t have had to have any dealings with her whatsoever.’
    Penny took a deep breath then simply shrugged her shoulders in acceptance. She knew it was pointless arguing with them and she felt so angry that she was afraid she might say something she would later regret.
    â€˜I’ll go and take Kelly out into the garden, she’s probably wondering what is happening,’ she said resignedly. ‘She shouldn’t be in anybody’s way out there and she can’t do much harm to the grass,’ she added sarcastically.
    â€˜Well clean her up first; she has egg around her mouth and probably sticky hands. And do make sure she doesn’t pull the heads off any of the flowers or the gardener will be cross,’ her mother warned.
    â€˜Shall I carry her through to the garden for you, Miss Penny,’ Mary asked eagerly when Penny said she was going to take Kelly out there.
    â€˜Thank you, Mary, but I will be putting her into the pushchair. I need to take her upstairs first so that I can wash her face and hands and to find hats for both of us because the sun is already very hot out there.’
    â€˜I’ll help her wash her hands down here if you like,’ Mary offered.
    By the time Penny came back downstairs with two straw sunhats Mary had already settled Kelly into the pushchair and offered to wheel her out into the garden.
    â€˜I wish I could stay out here and play with her but Mrs Davies will scold me if I don’t get back to the sink and deal with all the dirty breakfast dishes,’ Mary said wistfully when Penny thanked her for her help.
    â€˜Is Mary your sister?’ Kelly