A Daughter's Choice (4 page)

‘Have you finished there, Eileen?' Kitty turned to the girl who had soda bread baking in the oven, made from her Irish aunt's own special recipe.

‘Just a minute more.' Eileen gazed at her from expressionless blue eyes. ‘Where is it now we're going?' she asked in her soft Irish brogue. ‘And why isn't Katie coming with us?'

Why indeed? thought Kitty, but Katie had vanished half an hour ago and she had no idea where. ‘We're going to see the Queen Mother. It'll be something for you to write to your parents about.' She smiled at the girl.

‘She's not my Queen Mother,' said Eileen firmly. ‘We're a republic.'

‘I know that,' said Kitty, realising not for the first time that the girl could speak up for herself when she felt strongly about something.

‘Will Mam want to know what she's wearing?' she asked, taking the bread from the oven.

‘It'll help fill a page.' Kitty went over and switched off the oven. ‘Come on now or we won't see anything.'

But she could not hurry Eileen and it was ten minutes before they left the hotel. It was Wednesday but even so school children lined the pavements, despite the rain, and there were plenty of mothers with tots, and middle-aged men and women. Union Jacks fluttered in gnarled hands as well as small dimpled ones and there was a ripple of excited chatter as the news was passed along that the royal visitor was coming.

Kitty forced Eileen on until they reached a spot not far from the front of the new building and managed to drag her reluctant figure through a narrow gap in the waiting crowd, saying to those who protested that the girl had never seen royalty before and she was a visitor to the city. They were just in time. Hundreds of flags fluttered and a cheer went up as a black shiny limousine came into view. The matronly figure in cornflower blue waved graciously as she stepped out of the car and a dignitary held a large umbrella over her.

Kitty's heart swelled with affection as the Queen Mother waved to the crowd again before going inside the building.

‘Is that it now?' said Eileen, twitching her shoulders with a restless movement.

Kitty glanced down at her and thought she looked pale. ‘Are you OK?'

‘Don't like crowds,' she said, twisting a length of hair round one finger. ‘Can we go?'

Kitty took her arm and forced a way through but they had not gone far when the girl let out a shriek and collapsed on to the pavement. She went rigid, her eyes staring unseeing up at the sky. Kitty froze with shock. Then the girl began to thrash about, eyes rolling in her white face. Her breathing sounded terrible and for a moment Kitty thought she was going to die. She guessed the girl was having some kind of fit and remembered hearing there was a danger of the tongue being swallowed and the sufferer choking to death.

Trembling, she crouched on the pavement, aware that people were skirting round them. What to do? What to do? she thought frantically. What was it she had heard about spoons and them helping people to stop choking? But she didn't have a spoon. What was she thinking about?

‘Can I help?' said a voice.

Kitty glanced up with a relieved expression. ‘Please!'

The woman crouched beside her and turned Eileen on to her side. She dragged off a scarf and eased it under the girl's head. ‘Hopefully she'll be out of this in a minute.' She glanced at Kitty. ‘Is this her first?'

‘I don't know. Thanks for stopping.'

‘That's OK.' The woman's clear grey eyes gazed into hers. ‘I've seen this happen before. It's always frightening the first time.'

‘I was thinking I'd need a spoon to put under her tongue?'

The woman's mouth curled into a smile. ‘Have you ever tried to do it?'

‘No.'

‘You could have your fingers bitten off.' She glanced down at Eileen. ‘She's coming out of it now. Give her some room.'

Kitty stood back as Eileen rolled over. Her face was ashen and her eyes dazed. Kitty hastened to reassure her: ‘You're OK, love. You just had a funny turn. Can you sit up?'

Eileen did not move or speak.

‘It'll take a bit,' said the woman.

‘How long?' said Kitty in a worried voice. ‘She'll be soaked with this rain and could end up with pneumonia.'

The woman hesitated and then said, ‘Do you live far?'

‘Not very. On Mount Pleasant.'

‘I'll give you a hand to get her home.'

‘Thanks!' Kitty could not conceal her relief.

The woman, who looked to be somewhere in her thirties, helped hoist Eileen to her feet and they proceeded to half-carry her to the Arcadia.

John was in Reception reading a newspaper. He looked up as soon as they entered and hurried towards them. ‘What's happened?'

‘Eileen's had some kind of fit,' gasped Kitty. ‘She's wet, but if you carry her to her room, love, I'll be up soon.'

‘Don't you worry, I'll see to her.' He lifted Eileen in his strong arms and left the two women staring after him.

‘Poor kid,' said the woman, easing her left arm. ‘But what a weight!'

Kitty's expression was concerned. ‘I'm really grateful to you. You'll have a cup of tea, won't you? It's the least I can do after all your help.'

The woman smiled. ‘I didn't do much. Is she your granddaughter?'

Kitty shook her head. ‘My cousin's girl. I was lucky you came along. I didn't even know she took fits!'

‘That's the way it goes sometimes. Some families are ashamed to talk about it.'

‘But Annie and I used to be so close … Anyway, let me take your coat.'

‘I can't stay long,' said the woman. ‘I've a train to catch.'

‘D'you live far?'

‘Southport. I'm Rita. Rita Turner.'

‘Kitty Mcleod, the owner of this establishment.' She held out her hand and they shook firmly.

‘Lucky you,' said Rita, smiling.

At the sight Kitty felt something similar to an electric shock. For some reason she was reminded of Celia but before she could reason why, Rita had walked over to study a picture. ‘That's a nice flower print. Victorian, I should say.'

‘You're right. It originally belonged to an employer of my mother's.' Kitty hurried after her guest. ‘Shall we go into the kitchen or would you rather the Smoking Room?' Kitty's voice sounded strained even in her own ears.

‘The kitchen's fine,' said Rita, facing her. ‘It's
the
important place in a hotel, in my opinion. People love their stomachs.'

Kitty thought Rita looked quite different now but as she led the way into the kitchen her own heart was beating painfully against her ribs and she was hoping that Katie would not be there. To her relief the kitchen was empty. ‘Have a seat,' she said.

‘Thanks.' Rita sat at the table and her eyes ranged the room as Kitty put the kettle on and fiddled with cups and teaspoons.

‘Where did you learn how to cope in the street back there?' she asked.

‘In a nursing home during the war. One of the patients used to take epileptic fits.' Rita smiled at Kitty. ‘She used to shout “Flukes alivo!” and then thrash about. It was funny, frightening and pitiful all at the same time.'

‘I wonder why
Flukes
?' Almost without realising she was doing it, Kitty was searching the woman's features for a reason why she should have been reminded of Celia. She tried to bring to mind the girl's thin freckled face and slender body as she had seen her before her committal to the sanatorium in Cheshire, suffering from TB, but it was difficult because that was more than Katie's lifetime away.

‘That's what I wondered.'

The two women stared at each other and Kitty noticed Rita's eyes were that same clear grey touching on mauve as Katie's, and almost stopped breathing. ‘It's peculiar, isn't it?' said Rita.

‘What?' Kitty collected her thoughts. ‘I mean, were you a nurse?'

‘No, a patient. I had a fall on a train and knocked myself out. When I woke up, I didn't know who I was.'

‘What!' Kitty's heart began to thump all over again. ‘But you'd have had identification on you?' she said with a hint of breathlessness. ‘They'd have known who you were, surely?'

‘Oh, yes!' She accepted a steaming cup from Kitty. ‘But for a long time,
I
didn't know who I was.'

Swiftly Kitty assimilated that information. It would explain so much about Celia's absence all these years, and yet … ‘Do you know who you are now?' she asked earnestly. ‘I mean, really know inside yourself who you are, or are there parts of your life that are missing?'

Rita took a sip of tea. ‘There's still things I don't want to think about. It was painful when the memories started flooding back. Nobody came forward to claim me and I had to accept that I was all alone in the world. That fall changed me.'

Kitty did not know what to say. She could not tell simply by looking at this woman if she was the Celia she had once known. There were curves beneath the bright green and white spotted frock Rita wore and her hair was a different shade altogether, being a vibrant auburn. Her face was a perfect oval and there was hardly a freckle in sight. Of course, hair could be dyed, powder hides freckles, and weight could be gained. Could this woman really be Celia? What should Kitty do? What should she say? All she had to go on were those grey eyes so like Katie's, but Kitty had the strangest feeling that this woman was important to her. Was it her female intuition telling her this was Celia?

Suddenly Kitty was overwhelmed by a surge of conflicting emotions but the strongest of all was the instinct to hold on to what she had fought for all these years in bringing up Katie as her own daughter. ‘Did you get your memory back completely?' Her voice was harsh. She barely recognised it as her own.

‘You sound as if it matters to you. That's nice.' Rita smiled before glancing towards the table. ‘Is that soda bread? I love soda bread. My gran used to make it. She lived off Scottie Road before she moved in with me and Mam.'

Kitty thought: Celia lived off Scottie Road
and
she had a grandmother. At that moment Kitty could have hit the woman in front of her because she was convinced she was playing games. She took a deep steadying breath. ‘Please have some bread. Eileen made it.' She picked up a knife and sawed at the loaf. Unexpectedly her conscience smote her. ‘I suppose I should have checked on her.'

‘She'll be OK,' said Rita. ‘Your husband looks like a man who can cope.'

‘He is but –' How could she tell that without knowing anything about him? thought Kitty, and forced a smile. ‘He's a man and there's some things that they can't do as well as us women.'

‘I wouldn't argue with that!' Rita's expression was suddenly grim. ‘They're not trustworthy, some of them.'

There was a silence and Kitty wondered if she could be referring to Mick but before she could question her, Rita said, ‘Does Eileen work for you? And do you have any other girls?'

Kitty's mouth went dry as she thought, What a leading question! ‘Why do you ask?' she croaked.

Rita's eyes gleamed. ‘I'm interested. How many rooms d'you have here? And do you have men other than your husband working for you?'

Kitty thought, If this woman is Celia, playing games with me, she might think Ben or Jack's still here. She won't know Mick is still alive because he was missing presumed dead when Katie was born. She thought how the old Celia wouldn't have played such games because she'd lacked confidence, but this woman said she had changed since her accident …

Kitty cleared her throat. ‘What's your interest?'

Rita smiled. ‘No big mystery – I work in an hotel. Southport has quite a few of them, you know. Come the season we're always looking for extra staff and Liverpool's not a bad place to snaffle them from.'

It sounded reasonable, but what a coincidence! Kitty's heart rate began to slow down. She was getting neurotic just because it was that time of year. ‘Is that why you're in Liverpool today? Looking for staff?'

Rita laughed. ‘Hell, no! I came to see the Queen Mother and to visit an old friend.' She rested her elbows on the table. ‘Plenty of butter on my soda bread, please, if I may?'

‘You may.' Kitty was feeling calmer now and spread the butter thick. ‘Jam?'

‘Do you have plum?'

Kitty darted her a swift glance. ‘My daughter loves plum. It's her birthday tomorrow. She hasn't asked directly but has given out enough hints about wanting a record player. She loves music.'

‘She's a lucky girl. How old will she be?'

‘Seventeen.'

‘A nice age. Does she work for you?'

Kitty nodded.

Rita bit into the bread with strong even teeth and there was silence. Kitty hoped Katie would continue to stay missing for the moment but was on pins and could contain herself no longer. ‘What time's your train? You said you couldn't stop long. It's not that I want you to go but …'

Rita glanced at the kitchen clock. ‘Hell, is that the time? I'd best get the next one.' She smiled at Kitty and said, ‘You'll be wanting to have a look at Eileen. I'll tell you something, though, you're a hero taking her on. She could drop pans, anything, if she has a fit. It's real nice of you to care for her.'

Kitty sighed. ‘What else could I do? She's family. I have to give her a chance.'

‘Family? A good enough reason for her to stay then,' said Rita with a catch in her voice. She drained her cup and picked up her shopping bag, gazing at Kitty with a warm expression in her eyes. ‘Thanks for the tea and soda bread. They've filled me up nicely.'

Kitty felt better now she was going and said cheerfully, ‘Thanks for your help. I'll see you out.'

They walked to the front door and Rita paused in the hotel doorway and gazed out at the rain. ‘I hope this isn't set for the summer.'