it in front of the other children.
Leading her to the far end of the television room where they could sit quietly, she handed Kitty a letter.
“Read it,” she urged, her face beaming from ear to ear.
Intrigued, Kitty glanced at the envelope.
“But it’s addressed to you.”
“Ah, yes! But it’s to do with you, my dear.” Retrieving the envelope, she withdrew the letter from it.
“There! Now read it and tell me what you think?” Holding out the letter, she waited for Kitty to take it from her.
Something in Miss Davis’s manner told Kitty the letter contained news she had been fearing.
“It’s from them, isn’t it?” Her heart sank at the reply.
“If you mean Mr. and Mrs. Connor, then yes, it is.” Her smile stiffened then disappeared altogether as Kitty’s expression told its own story.
“I see.” Miss Davis stared into Kitty’s face, her voice stern as she instructed, “I think you had better come into my office.” With that she stood up and marched away.
Kitty reluctantly followed. As she walked past the group of children clustered round the television, she caught Georgie’s attention. The two smiled at each other.
“Keep your pecker up, gal!” Georgie whispered harshly. And Kitty was encouraged.
“Now then, my dear.” Miss Davis sat behind her desk and Kitty sat before it.
“Explain yourself. I really thought you would be delighted that Mr. and Mrs. Connor have agreed to foster you.”
Not wanting to seem ungrateful, Kitty thought carefully about her answer. She looked at Miss Davis and was momentarily distracted by the sheer volume of that great body squashed into the confines of an upright chair.
“I’m sorry. Miss Davis,” she answered, ‘but I don’t want to be fostered out. “
Miss Davis nodded her head for what seemed an extraordinarily long time. Then she sat still, cleared her throat and, just when Kitty was sure she would speak, began nodding again. It was unnerving.
“So!” The nodding stopped and Kitty was immensely thankful.
“Are you saying you don’t want to be fostered out at all… or is it that you don’t want to be fostered out to Mr. and Mrs. Connor in particular?” She leaned over her desk, folded her blubbery arms and stared at Kitty through her little spectacles.
Kitty had been dreading this day, and now it was here, she felt trapped.
“I’m happy where I am,” she replied.
“Please don’t send me away to strangers.” It had taken many months for Kitty to get used to living in this communal situation. Now she was settled, the idea of change was frightening.
“I don’t understand you, Kitty.” Miss Davis was shaking her head now.
“You’ve been with us for nearly two years. Surely you want to be with a proper family?”
“They’re not my family.” Her family was dead. Though she missed her mother every minute of every day, she had got used to being without her. There could be no substitute.
Miss Davis was undeterred.
“You’ve met Mr. and Mrs. Connor three times already. You knew there was a strong possibility that they would be the ones to foster you. You said you liked them, and you know that they have a son just a year older than you. When he came with them on the visits, I really thought you got on well together.” She frowned.
“You did like Adam Connor, didn’t you, Kitty?”
“He was all right, I suppose.” Anxious not to seem ungrateful or churlish, she didn’t reveal she thought the boy a little strange. Even though he chatted to her and smiled at everything she said, he still managed to make her feel unwanted.
Obviously relieved, Miss Davis took in such a great gulp of air that her chest swelled to twice its size.
“Oh, Kitty! Just think how wonderful it would be if you could go to the family before the end of this month … in time to celebrate your fourteenth birthday.”
“I’d rather be here, with Georgie.”
Patience was growing thin by now.
“Listen to me, my dear.” After waiting
Leading her to the far end of the television room where they could sit quietly, she handed Kitty a letter.
“Read it,” she urged, her face beaming from ear to ear.
Intrigued, Kitty glanced at the envelope.
“But it’s addressed to you.”
“Ah, yes! But it’s to do with you, my dear.” Retrieving the envelope, she withdrew the letter from it.
“There! Now read it and tell me what you think?” Holding out the letter, she waited for Kitty to take it from her.
Something in Miss Davis’s manner told Kitty the letter contained news she had been fearing.
“It’s from them, isn’t it?” Her heart sank at the reply.
“If you mean Mr. and Mrs. Connor, then yes, it is.” Her smile stiffened then disappeared altogether as Kitty’s expression told its own story.
“I see.” Miss Davis stared into Kitty’s face, her voice stern as she instructed, “I think you had better come into my office.” With that she stood up and marched away.
Kitty reluctantly followed. As she walked past the group of children clustered round the television, she caught Georgie’s attention. The two smiled at each other.
“Keep your pecker up, gal!” Georgie whispered harshly. And Kitty was encouraged.
“Now then, my dear.” Miss Davis sat behind her desk and Kitty sat before it.
“Explain yourself. I really thought you would be delighted that Mr. and Mrs. Connor have agreed to foster you.”
Not wanting to seem ungrateful, Kitty thought carefully about her answer. She looked at Miss Davis and was momentarily distracted by the sheer volume of that great body squashed into the confines of an upright chair.
“I’m sorry. Miss Davis,” she answered, ‘but I don’t want to be fostered out. “
Miss Davis nodded her head for what seemed an extraordinarily long time. Then she sat still, cleared her throat and, just when Kitty was sure she would speak, began nodding again. It was unnerving.
“So!” The nodding stopped and Kitty was immensely thankful.
“Are you saying you don’t want to be fostered out at all… or is it that you don’t want to be fostered out to Mr. and Mrs. Connor in particular?” She leaned over her desk, folded her blubbery arms and stared at Kitty through her little spectacles.
Kitty had been dreading this day, and now it was here, she felt trapped.
“I’m happy where I am,” she replied.
“Please don’t send me away to strangers.” It had taken many months for Kitty to get used to living in this communal situation. Now she was settled, the idea of change was frightening.
“I don’t understand you, Kitty.” Miss Davis was shaking her head now.
“You’ve been with us for nearly two years. Surely you want to be with a proper family?”
“They’re not my family.” Her family was dead. Though she missed her mother every minute of every day, she had got used to being without her. There could be no substitute.
Miss Davis was undeterred.
“You’ve met Mr. and Mrs. Connor three times already. You knew there was a strong possibility that they would be the ones to foster you. You said you liked them, and you know that they have a son just a year older than you. When he came with them on the visits, I really thought you got on well together.” She frowned.
“You did like Adam Connor, didn’t you, Kitty?”
“He was all right, I suppose.” Anxious not to seem ungrateful or churlish, she didn’t reveal she thought the boy a little strange. Even though he chatted to her and smiled at everything she said, he still managed to make her feel unwanted.
Obviously relieved, Miss Davis took in such a great gulp of air that her chest swelled to twice its size.
“Oh, Kitty! Just think how wonderful it would be if you could go to the family before the end of this month … in time to celebrate your fourteenth birthday.”
“I’d rather be here, with Georgie.”
Patience was growing thin by now.
“Listen to me, my dear.” After waiting
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