A Flight of Golden Wings (12 page)

‘Of course I am,’ she admitted. What was the point of denying it? ‘And my parents will be over the moon.’

‘Jack!’ There were calls from the inside of the plane. ‘Will you stop gassing? We’ve got work to do.’

‘You’d better get going,’ Ruth laughed, ‘or they’ll take off without you.’

He spun around quickly. ‘Whoa, gals, don’t worry – I’ll get you there in no time at all.’

With a couple of easy moves, Jack was back in the pilot’s seat, the banter continuing as he turned for take-off.

Gussie and Ruth were waving and grinning. Sylvia was still standing beside them.

‘Erm … you seem very friendly with him, Ruth. Would I be treading on your toes by making up to him?’

‘Not at all,’ she lied. ‘He’s a good friend, that’s all.’

‘So you don’t mind?’

‘Do your best.’ Ruth smiled sweetly as the thought ran through her head –
and I’ll break your neck if you succeed
.

They went their separate ways. Ruth collected a Spitfire for delivery to Ternhill, and soared into the air, elated. Jack was staying and she’d just admitted to herself that her feelings for him had grown to more than friendship. She was a fool, of course, but with his decision to stay the day of parting had been postponed.

She listened to the sound of the Merlin engine and felt the power of the plane. This aircraft could do so much but, as ferry pilots, they had to fly them straight from one destination to another. She glanced around, up, down and behind, to check that the sky was empty. No one would know.

For ten minutes she indulged in rolls, spins and even a somersault. When she straightened out again she was breathless with sheer joy. The Spitfire certainly lived up to its reputation. What a plane!

Another quick look around showed she was still up there on her own. She’d just broken all the rules, but that was the kind of mood she was in.

‘Just you watch out, Jack Nelson,’ she shouted. ‘You’re next, and to hell with the consequences!’

There was a lot in the mailbox that morning and Lucy shuffled the letters looking for the important ones. There were two from Jack, one for each of them. He could send letters addressed to both of them, but he never did. Their mother always received a separate one from him. He was thoughtful like that, and she knew it meant a lot to their mom.

Lucy’s hand shook slightly when she saw the letter she had been waiting anxiously for, but she’d save that for later, knowing her mother would be upset if it was a date for her to go to Canada at last. After the terrible attack by the Japanese, she was praying that the idea of sending female pilots over to England had not been cancelled. Even if Jack came home, she still wanted to go. If the scheme was cancelled then she would make her own way to England. Ruth would help her when she arrived, she was sure.

‘Anything from Jack?’ Bet was waiting for Lucy. She handed over her mother’s letters, and they both sat down to read.

‘He’s not coming back, Lucy.’ Bet’s voice was heavy with disappointment. ‘I was sure he would now we are at war as well.’

Jack obviously hadn’t gone into detail in Bet’s letter, but in Lucy’s he had spelt out his reasons for staying. It listed the good and bad points and how important he felt the work was. But the unspoken words came through loud and clear: he loved what he was doing and he loved where he was. She read this out to her mother.

There was silence for a moment as Bet digested her son’s reasons for staying with the ATA. Then she gave Lucy a tremulous smile. ‘He’s happy, isn’t he?’

‘Yes, Mom, I believe he’s found something special in England.’

‘I’m sure glad about that. He was a restless boy from the moment he was born. And as he grew he was always looking over the horizon to see what was there. I never did know what he was looking for, but I guess he’s found it at last.’ Bet read further down her own letter. ‘He says he’s spending Christmas with Ruth’s folks again. I wonder if there’s a romance between him and Ruth?’

‘He’s never said.’

‘No, well, he wouldn’t. You know your brother, Lucy.’

‘Sure do. Whatever he feels for her, he’ll keep to himself.’

The next letter Lucy opened was from Ruth. She yelped with delight when a photo fell out. ‘Wow, look at this, Mom! It’s some of the girls sitting on a Spitfire!’

Bet was immediately next to her daughter as they studied the picture. ‘Which one’s Ruth?’

‘She says she’s on the wing, third from the left. There,
that’s her. Oh, look at the way they’re all laughing, and isn’t she pretty? And don’t they look terrific in their uniforms!’

‘They’re a fine bunch.’ Bet stifled a sigh when she saw her daughter’s animated expression. ‘Now Jack’s staying I suppose you’ll still go and join them?’

‘I’d have gone even if Jack had come back.’

‘Course you would. I raised a couple of brave youngsters, didn’t I?’ She kissed her daughter’s cheek. ‘Have you heard anything yet?’

‘I think this is news.’ Lucy studied the letter in her hands, but made no move to open it.

‘Don’t keep us in suspense. See what it says.’

Lucy slit open the envelope, her heart thumping, and read slowly.

‘Well?’

‘I’ve been asked to go to Canada in six weeks’ time to go through various tests.’ The excitement and relief suddenly became too much for her and she leapt to her feet, dragging her mother up and dancing her around the room. ‘They want me, Mom! They want me!’

‘Never doubted it for a minute. You and your brother are the best damned pilots in the whole world.’ Bet joined in her daughter’s celebration with enthusiasm. ‘I’m real proud of both of you.’

Christmas came and went, followed by the New Year. No one knew what 1942 would bring, but one thing was for sure: if Lucy did well in Canada, she would soon be heading for England. And so would a lot of American troops, by the look of things.

Bet had joined up with a group of women and thrown herself into fundraising to help the war effort. She had also gone to work in an engineering factory making parts for tanks. Lucy was relieved to see all this activity. At least her mother wouldn’t be sitting at home alone while both of her children were overseas.

The time arrived for Lucy to make her way to Montreal, and she was pleased she’d spent the last few months training for her instructor’s rating. She’d seen Jack do this before he’d applied to join the ATA, and she was sure it had helped her in the selection process.

There were twenty-five girls hoping to be chosen, and it was an exciting time. After trying out in Harvards and undergoing lengthy medical and other flying tests, the first ones were selected. Lucy was overjoyed to be chosen as one of the first five to make the journey. The others would follow at intervals. Then it was on a train to Newfoundland to await the convoy to take them to England.

Spring was just around the corner, and Ruth wandered in her mother’s garden. It was always referred to in this way because it was entirely Alice’s domain. Ruth had two days off and had come home to relax. The Hamble pool had doubled in size since they’d moved there, and the women had progressed, taking on more and more different aircraft. Ruth and Gussie had applied for the Class 4+ rating so they could fly all types of twin-engine planes, but they hadn’t heard anything yet.

‘Hi, Ruth.’

She spun around, surprised. ‘Jack! I didn’t know you
were coming. I could have brought you in my car.’

‘I didn’t know myself until Simon told me to clear off for a couple of days. Only not as politely as that.’

‘Why did he do that?’ Now she came to look closely at him, he did appear to be rather drawn and tired.

‘Jane told me that the first batch of American women are on their way. Lucy’s one of them.’

She guessed immediately his concern. ‘You’re worried about the sea journey.’

‘Yeah, it’s damned dangerous.’

‘You made it all right, Jack, and there’s no reason why Lucy shouldn’t.’ She placed a hand on his arm in a gesture of reassurance.

He clasped her hand. ‘I know that, but some haven’t.’

She was well aware that some pilots had been lost at sea on the way over when their ships had been torpedoed, but she spoke brightly. ‘I’m really going to meet her at last! Do you know when she’s arriving?’

‘No, Jane couldn’t give me that information, but she said she’d let me know as soon as the ship docks.’

‘Tea’s ready!’ Ruth’s mother called.

Jack still held Ruth’s hand as they walked back to the house. She couldn’t help remembering her wild ride in the Spitfire and declaring that he was next on her list. But she hadn’t done anything about it. They were closer now and they shared an easy friendship, but he’d only ever kissed her on the cheek, like a brother. She just couldn’t fathom what his true feelings for her were, so she kept their meetings light. However, she was pleased he’d come to her when worried about his sister, but he was certainly different from some of the American troops who
had arrived at the end of January. From the tales she’d heard, they pursued the girls with enthusiasm, and loved the British pubs. They were determined to make the best of being so far away from home, and no one could blame them for that.

‘Why don’t you both go to the pictures tonight?’ Ruth’s mother suggested as she handed round the tea. ‘They’re showing
Gone with the Wind
again at the Rex cinema. You haven’t seen it yet, have you, Ruth?’

She was about to protest that Jack wouldn’t want to go, but was stopped.

‘What?’ Jack looked at Ruth in surprise. ‘You haven’t seen it yet?’

‘I just haven’t found the time.’

‘We’ll have to put that right.’ He turned to Alice. ‘Do you know what time it’s showing?’

‘Last house is seven o’clock.’

‘Shall we go, Ruth? It’ll do us good to relax. It’s a great film and I wouldn’t mind seeing it again.’

He seemed so enthusiastic that she couldn’t refuse. At least it would take his mind off worrying about his sister for a while. She nodded. ‘We can take my car. I’ve got enough petrol for that short journey.’

‘Don’t worry about that, my dear.’ Her father gave her a sly wink. ‘I’ve got a couple of gallons in the garage. I’ve been saving them for you.’

‘Want to drive?’ Ruth asked as they were leaving. When Jack nodded, she tossed him the keys.

He seemed more relaxed now and began to talk about his barnstorming days, and some of the crazy things he and
Lucy had got up to. ‘There was this Austrian pilot who chased Lucy from show to show. She couldn’t get rid of him. He was nice enough, but she just wasn’t interested. The war in Europe put a stop to it when he had to return home – much to Lucy’s relief.’

That reminded Ruth about Sylvia, and she couldn’t stop herself from asking, ‘Have you seen much of Sylvia?’

There was a slight hesitation, then he said, ‘I’ve tripped over her now and again.’

The way he’d phrased the answer told her that Sylvia had indeed been running after him. She was quite lovely looking and had caused a lot of interest amongst the men. They were queuing up to take her out, and Ruth couldn’t imagine that Jack would be immune to her obvious charms. ‘She’s been interested in you ever since she first saw you. Have you taken her out?’

‘Nope. She’s not my type – and I like to do the running.’ Knowing Jack as she did, that was amusing and she laughed. ‘What’s so funny?’

‘Oh, Jack, if a girl waited for you to make a move, she’d be old and grey by the time you noticed her!’

The car screeched to a stop as he hit the brakes suddenly, making her gasp in surprise. They were on a narrow country road and it was pitch black. He’d even turned off the small amount of lights they were allowed on the car.

‘Meaning?’

‘You can’t stop here. If another car comes along they won’t be able to see us.’ She scrabbled in her bag for a torch, a necessary requirement in a country completely blacked out from dusk to dawn.

‘We’re not moving until you explain that last remark.’

‘Don’t mess about, Jack. We’ll miss the picture.’ When he didn’t speak, she sighed. ‘I only meant that you aren’t like a lot of your countrymen. Chasing girls seems to be a favourite pastime of theirs.’

‘They’re a long way from home and lonely, Ruth.’

‘I know that, and the English girls like them too.’

‘We’re a very likable race. Now, back to your last remark. Are you referring to you and me?’

Oh, hell, how did she get herself into this mess? ‘Just forget I said it.’

‘Not a chance. Your ma and pa have been real good to me, and I wasn’t about to throw their hospitality back in their faces by hitting on their daughter, however much I want to. Get out of the car.’

‘Pardon?’ She found her torch and shone it on his face. The damned man was laughing at her!

‘It’s my blasted car! You get out!’

She heard the car door open and then footsteps walking around the back.  She craned her neck, but it was too dark to see what he was up to. Then her door opened and she was hauled out. He pinned her against the car so she couldn’t move.

‘Ma brought me up to be a gentleman where women are concerned, but I’m going to forget all about that now.’

When his lips met hers, the intensity of the kiss literally took her breath away. She’d heard that expression, but had never believed it – until now.

When she slipped her arms around him the kiss softened and she responded, pouring out the love she had kept so carefully hidden.

When he stepped back slightly and began to run his hands up and down her arms, she held on to the car for support.

‘Ah, hell, honey, I knew that would happen if I ever touched you. As much as I need to carry you into those woods and make love to you, I’m not going to. You can’t afford to be distracted at the moment because you’ve been chosen, along with Gussie, to go to the flying school for your Class 4+ rating.’

That news snapped Ruth back to the here and now. ‘How do you know this? We haven’t been told yet.’

‘Rob told me today. The news will be waiting for you when you get back from leave. We need more pilots cleared to fly all the twin-engine aircraft.’

There was a different kind of excitement running through her now. Being this close to Jack had scrambled her brains for a moment, but now she was focussed again. ‘We’re making progress, aren’t we?’

‘You sure are.’ He kissed her firmly. ‘Now, you forget this ever happened and concentrate on what you have to do. I’ll be around, watching and waiting.’

She gaped at him in the dark. She couldn’t believe this. He’d kissed her senseless, and now he was saying that this was the end? He couldn’t do that. She didn’t want him to do that.

He guessed her inner turmoil. ‘Look, honey, we can’t afford to get heavily involved at this time. There’s too much to do, and the job isn’t without risk. We must wait.’

‘Wait? Suppose I meet someone else while you’re
waiting
?’

‘If another man gets anywhere near you, then he’ll have me to deal with.’ He reached past her and opened the door. ‘Now get in. We’ve got a film to see.’

Very aware of the determined tone of his voice, she obeyed. She wasn’t very experienced with men, and he had her thoroughly confused. But she was sure of one thing: she loved this unusual American. How very stupid of her, but it wasn’t any good fretting; it had happened and that was that. It was something she was going to have to come to terms with.

Ruth was sure it had been a good picture, but she couldn’t remember a thing about it. During the long sleepless night her mind cleared, and she knew Jack was right. If she was about to graduate to the twin-engine bombers, then she was going to need all her wits about her.

She smiled when she recalled him saying that any man who came near her would have him to deal with. It showed he cared, and that would have to be enough for the moment. They were in the middle of a war, and while many were rushing into hasty romances, that wasn’t Jack’s way. Only the future would tell if their relationship was going to be permanent – or merely a fly-past.