Winter on the Mersey(19)

Kitty’s chin went up. ‘I understand,’ she said, ‘but I have had experience of this already and I know I could continue to work under such conditions. I would be ready to do my duty wherever I am needed.’

Knowles nodded. ‘Again, exactly what I thought you’d say. That’s precisely the attitude we require. So, you would have no problem returning to the northwest?’

‘The northwest?’ Kitty’s jaw dropped.

‘Why, yes. This position is in Liverpool. I understand that is where you come from?’

Kitty struggled to respond and swallowed hard to conceal her surprise. ‘Well, yes. I mean, of course, yes, I grew up on Merseyside. In Bootle, right by the docks.’ She glanced down at her hands, which were tightly gripping each other, the knuckles white. ‘It has been very heavily bombed. But many of my family and close friends are still there, or nearby.’ She paused.

Knowles looked at her directly. ‘Kitty, it is my job to know as much as possible about my senior staff and I have to ask you this now. I am aware that you were in a relationship – am I right in thinking it was a fairly serious relationship? – with a young doctor based there, and that he was killed in one of the bombings. Would that be an impediment to you returning to the area?’

Kitty gasped. So Knowles had been investigating her background. That came as a shock, and also a clue as to the level of sensitivity of the position. She wasn’t sure whether to feel flattered or offended. Realistically, she knew it must be necessary – someone of Knowles’s level wouldn’t waste time on it if it weren’t. So how would she feel, going back to where she had first met Elliott? She took a moment to consider.

‘No, ma’am,’ she said after a brief pause. ‘To tell you the truth, although that is how I came to know him, we spent most of our time together in London. I don’t believe it would affect my work. I have been back several times over the past few years, for my brother’s wedding and things like that, and it gets a little easier every time. Thank you for asking.’

‘No need for thanks,’ said Knowles briskly, ‘I can’t recommend you if I think you will fall apart every time you walk down a certain street with memories. Not that I believe for a moment that you would. So I had to ask.’ She picked up a pen and glanced at a piece of paper to one side of her desk. ‘Right, well, you don’t have to make up your mind straight away. It’s more important we get the right person for this position than rushing it, but I need you to give me your answer by tomorrow. This is not exactly routine procedure, I’m sure you realise, but I didn’t want to order you to take up the posting without giving you a chance to take on board what it means. Not a word to anyone else, obviously.’

‘No, obviously not,’ said Kitty. She rose. ‘I’m … honoured you think me capable of this, ma’am. I’ll have my answer for you tomorrow, if not sooner.’

‘Excellent, Kitty.’ Knowles rose too, and ushered her to the door.

Kitty stood in the cold little corridor, painted the same dull institutional green as the room where she usually worked, her head reeling. Back to Liverpool. How would that feel?

She could see Rita and the new baby. She might be back in time for the christening. That would be wonderful. She would see Danny, and they could work out what would be best for Tommy – his most recent letter had worried her, and she knew they would have to decide about that soon. If they were both in the same place it would be so much easier. She’d see all the other friends and neighbours, whom she’d missed with a dull ache that she rarely allowed herself to think about. She would be back in a big city, with all that had to offer, away from those aspects of country life that she knew she should relish, but which had in fact been testing her patience ever since she’d arrived.

She drew a breath. She had been chosen for this honour, and she knew she had to accept. It was what she’d sworn to do after Elliott died – to go where she was needed, where her patriotic duty lay. This alone would be enough to say yes. He would have done whatever was asked of him and it was now up to her to carry on in his wake.

Excitement and dread battled within her. She would see Frank Feeny; there would be no way of avoiding him. Frank Feeny with Sylvia. Every time she’d gone home she had wondered if she would meet his new girlfriend, but even though she’d seen him very occasionally, he’d always been on his own. She didn’t know how she’d feel about seeing them as a couple, forced to face the reality that he loved someone else.

Well, that wasn’t enough to put her off. Plenty of people were dealing with far worse things day in and day out. He would be nothing to her. If their paths crossed she would be friendly and strictly professional and that would be that. There was no reason at all to think any more of it.

Resolution made, she turned back and knocked on Knowles’s door.

‘Come.’

Kitty went in.

‘Ma’am, I don’t need until tomorrow. I’d be delighted to accept. I’ll go back to Liverpool.’

Rita pushed open the door to her mother’s kitchen with one hand as she held her baby closely to her with the other. ‘Anyone in?’ she called. She saw the teapot was on the table and she reached across to the spout. It was very warm, so that was a good sign.

Dolly came bustling through the door from the parlour, duster in hand. ‘Who’s this, then?’ she said in delight, immediately checking to see if her newest grandchild was asleep or not. ‘Will you look at the eyelashes on her, Rita. They are even darker than Michael’s, and his were gorgeous at that age, weren’t they?’