“Whatever do you mean, Kitty?” she enquired. “Either your aunt is going to take responsibility for you, or she is not. Which is it?” Kitty was in a dilemma. “It isn’t as straightforward as that,” she said lamely. The fear uppermost in her mind was that the authorities would not allow Mildred to foster her; after all she hadn’t even been able to take care of herself, let alone be a responsible guardian for her niece. Miss Davis pointed to the chair before her desk. “It seems to me you have a problem,” she told Kitty kindly. “I think you had better sit down so we can thrash it out.” Kitty did as she was told. Then she sat in the chair for a whole two minutes before she could reveal what was on her mind. Meanwhile, Miss Davis sat and waited, patient as ever, her eyes never leaving the girl’s troubled face. Realising there was only one way to tackle it, and that was head on. Kitty took a deep invigorating breath before speaking out. “My aunt has asked me to move in with her…”
