The Spitfire Girls

by Soraya M. Lane

  She’d done it! The flight had been perfect, and she’d even shown them that she could outmanoeuvre the enemy if she needed to with her perfect roll. Ruby had played by the book, but she’d shown them exactly how versatile she could be.

  Lizzie climbed down, laughing as Ben helped her, taking off her flying helmet and running her fingers through her hair.

  ‘What did you think?’ she asked him, used to his ready smile and words of encouragement. ‘Was that a perfect run, or what?’

  Ben said nothing, only pointed towards May and mumbled something she couldn’t decipher. Lizzie shrugged, unconcerned, and sauntered off, surprised to see Ruby staring at her feet and May looking furious. Where were Major Grey and Captain MacMillan?

  ‘So how did we do?’ Lizzie asked as Ruby slowly met her gaze.

  ‘How did you do?’ May asked, her face reddening as she lifted her chin and glared back. ‘How did you do?’

  ‘I wasn’t aware it was a loaded question,’ Lizzie teased, wondering why May looked so angry. ‘What’s going on?’

  ‘You embarrassed not only your commander, who has so generously hosted you here, but your country, Lizzie. Not to mention that Grey and MacMillan both stormed off in disgust before you even landed,’ Montgomery snapped, stepping forward. ‘It was a very easy decision to concur with them and tell Senior Commander Jones that I don’t believe you’re deserving of the first bomber flight for the ATA, and she wholeheartedly agreed with me.’

  Lizzie baulked, and heard Ruby gasp.

  ‘Excuse me? Did you not see me up there?’ she asked, looking between them. ‘Is this a joke?’

  ‘No, Lizzie, this is no joke,’ May said, shaking her head, her eyes filled with such obvious disappointment that Lizzie stepped closer, only to be rebuffed as May stepped quickly backwards. ‘You took off before it was safe to do so and then attempted to entertain us with theatrics that had no place in your test, or in a Halifax, full stop. Flying recklessly like that could put an end to women being cleared to fly four-engine bombers at all! It’s as if you missed the entire point of this exercise and what we’ve been training for.’

  ‘May, please . . .’ Lizzie blinked away tears. Had she been so reckless? Had May truly believed in her so much, in her ability, and she’d thrown that respect away?

  ‘The decision has been made, and that’s final,’ Montgomery interrupted. ‘Rivalry is one thing; it helps to push pilots to their limits and encourages them to do their best. But you went too far.’

  ‘Too far?’ She lifted her chin, not about to let them treat her like this, even if she was struggling not to cry. ‘With or without your support, I know I’m the best pilot here. I’m going to make a name for myself in the sky just like my father did, and neither of you can stop me!’

  ‘You’re excused, Elizabeth,’ Jackson said.

  ‘Excused?’

  ‘Excused,’ he repeated. ‘And you’re nothing like your father. He would have been ashamed of you today.’

  His words were a blow, but she refused to back down. ‘My father would have been proud to watch me fly like that! How dare you talk about him as if you know him!’

  Montgomery walked closer, so close she could feel his breath on her face. ‘Our fathers were in the same squadron,’ he said, so low she doubted anyone else could hear. ‘And I know that your daddy flew for the team, for his squadron, and if they hadn’t been there supporting him, protecting him from enemy fire, he never could have had his victories.’

  She stared back at him. ‘I don’t believe you.’

  ‘Ask him yourself, then,’ he said, backing away. ‘But your father wasn’t always the big gun out the front. He supported his crew and they supported him. There’s no point being the best out front if there’s no one on your tail or to your side to back you up.’

  ‘Congratulations, Ruby. You flew a perfect, textbook flight today, and you are a talented, respectful pilot who deserves to represent the ATA by being the first woman to ferry a four-engine bomber,’ May said in a loud voice, her back turned to Lizzie now. ‘We are all so proud of you.’

  Ruby’s cheeks were flushed, and Lizzie couldn’t stop her mouth from falling open. Shivers raced down her spine as she stared at the people in front of her, unable to comprehend what had just happened. And how dare Montgomery act as if he knew anything about her father’s victories!

  ‘You know she’s not as good as me!’ Lizzie fumed, anger lashing through her body in waves.

  ‘I was speaking honestly in London, Lizzie. You were neck and neck until today, and I supported you both equally all the way, but the decision was simple in the end,’ May said bluntly, giving her no more than a cursory glance. ‘The best pilot has been given the honours, and that’s final. Depending on the success of Ruby’s first flight and your own conduct, you’ll be cleared to ferry four-engine bombers within the month, too.’

  ‘You spineless bastard!’ Lizzie screamed at Montgomery. ‘How could you not support me? How can you not see how capable I am?’

  Montgomery stepped closer again, unblinking. He took her by the elbow and steered her away from the others. ‘You’re out of control, Lizzie. Rein it in.’

  ‘Don’t speak to me like that!’

  ‘You’re easily the best pilot here, I’ll give you that,’ he muttered. ‘But there’s no use in being the best if your leader can’t rely on you to follow orders. It’s time you looked at the bigger picture, Lizzie.’

  Lizzie stood in stunned silence as May and Ruby disappeared, and then Montgomery walked off too. She realised then that the entire crowd had gone, and she had no idea how much any of them had heard. Now it was just her, standing alone in a field, horrified by her public outburst.

  Tears slid down her cheeks then, fast and furious. Lizzie wiped at them before giving up, falling forward and crying, fists clenched as she sobbed.

  What had she done? Was Montgomery right – was she out of control? How had she become this person? Or had she always been her?

  Suddenly her clever tricks and fast take-off seemed immature, everything she’d thought so incredibly clever actually so terribly, terribly wrong. She’d lost the flight, the one thing she wanted more than anything, and she had no damn idea what to do about it.

  Suddenly black boots appeared on the ground in front of her and she looked up through tear-blurred eyes.

  ‘Get up.’

  A hand extended towards her and Lizzie blinked, taking it and looking up at Jackson Montgomery. Why had he come back?

  ‘What have I done?’ she whispered. ‘How did this all go so horribly wrong?’ Her daddy would be waiting for the mail, eager to hear news of whether she’d been awarded the first flight, and now she was going to have to tell him that she’d lost it.

  ‘You behaved like a princess,’ he said, letting go of her hand. ‘And if you can’t see that then I can’t see how I can help you.’

  She gulped. ‘I think I can see that now.’

  ‘Good,’ he replied. ‘So brush away those tears, pull yourself together and go tell your fellow pilot how proud of her you are, and that she deserved the first flight.’

  Lizzie was hollow inside, and she sucked back a breath. ‘I can’t.’

  ‘You can and you will. And then you’re going to start following orders and proving that you’re not only the best, but that you’re also reliable and capable of being part of a team. We’re not all born with a silver spoon in our mouths, Elizabeth, and even those who are still need to work hard. Some of us have had to work for every step up the ladder, and I want to see the same attitude from you. Do you think I could have pulled stunts like that and got away with it?’

  She listened, unable to take her eyes off his face. His expression had softened; he was no longer barking orders but coaching her like he actually wanted her to succeed.

  ‘No,’ she said honestly. ‘Of course not.’

  ‘You can’t expect to lead your own squadron back home if you can’t get your act together here,’ he continued. ‘So s
top acting so entitled. No one likes a show-off, especially one who doesn’t seem to take the war seriously.’

  He started walking and she scrambled to keep up. Just like that, he’d managed to give her the kick up the backside she’d needed. If someone else was given command of a squadron back home, if she missed that job? Then life truly wouldn’t be worth living. If this was her second chance, then she was taking it with open arms.

  ‘Thank you,’ she said, in a low, husky voice.

  ‘I’m sorry, what was that?’

  Lizzie groaned. ‘I said thank you!’

  ‘Now that’s more like it.’

  She still hated him, but for the moment at least, she respected him, and that was something.

  ‘Do you really know my daddy?’ she asked.

  ‘I’ve heard a lot about him from my own father,’ Jackson said. ‘Perhaps it’s time you wrote to him and asked him for some advice.’

  And for once, Lizzie had to admit that Captain Montgomery might just be right.

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  HAMBLE AIRFIELD, HAMPSHIRE, ENGLAND,

  JULY 1942

  RUBY

  The cloud cover had been thick all morning. ‘Like pea soup,’ May had muttered, storming back to her desk. Ruby knew there was as much pressure on her commander as there was riding on her today, but if they had to call the entire thing off due to weather conditions for a third day in a row it would be infuriating.

  She sat outside, waiting. She was going to stare at the sky for as long as it took, because she was flying that four-engine bomber today, and nothing was going to stop her. She still couldn’t believe she’d won against Lizzie, and she still couldn’t help but wonder if she was actually the better pilot. If Lizzie hadn’t shown off, she would have won; she’d heard what Montgomery was saying. But Lizzie hadn’t won, and that meant that Ruby needed to believe in herself. If Tom’s letter, his words of discouragement, hadn’t been sowing seeds of doubt in her mind, she might not have found it so hard.

  Ruby’s stomach lurched at the thought of being the first, of the pressure of flying pitch-perfect. There would be hell to pay and she’d become the most hated pilot in the ATA if she failed in any way – as well as being plastered over every newspaper as the girl who’d thought she was good enough to fly a bomber made for men. She shuddered. It wasn’t worth thinking about. But if she mucked this opportunity up, women might not be permitted to fly four-engine aircraft after all.

  ‘Are you going up today?’ Lizzie asked, dropping down to sit beside her.

  ‘I think so. Well, actually I don’t know,’ Ruby replied. ‘I suppose I’m holding out hope that it’ll clear.’

  ‘Just remember that it’s your call. You’re the pilot. Don’t let anyone pressure you into it,’ Lizzie said, clasping Ruby’s hand. ‘The visibility will be terrible all day and you know it. It’s not your fault the weather’s been awful all week and the last thing I want is something happening to you up there.’

  Ruby nodded. ‘It’ll clear,’ she said optimistically. ‘Thanks for your support though.’

  Unlike the male RAF pilots, they got to make their own decisions about whether to fly or not. It was their risk and their decision. Some of the girls thought it made them more important, but Ruby wasn’t so naïve. It meant the authorities didn’t care so much if they lost them; though they’d be more than annoyed to lose a plane, she was certain.

  ‘Have this,’ Lizzie said, holding out her other hand. ‘This is me saying in the only way I know how, well, how incredibly sorry I am for my behaviour. The best pilot is taking to the skies today, and I want you to know it.’

  Lizzie dropped something into her palm, and Ruby saw it was chocolate. ‘Ohhh,’ she murmured, salivating at the perfect dark square. ‘I suppose I can’t be angry with you now, can I?’

  Lizzie grinned, and Ruby laughed when she produced a smaller piece of chocolate from her pocket. ‘I’ve saved a little piece for myself.’

  Ruby popped the square into her mouth at the same time as Lizzie, rolling it around, and savouring the bittersweet taste.

  ‘You know, I’m really proud that you’re representing us all today, Ruby. I honestly thought I deserved it, that it was supposed to be me, but I was wrong.’

  Ruby shook her head. ‘I think you were supposed to be the first.’

  ‘No,’ Lizzie said, her smile kind. ‘I wasn’t. Because we’re both just as good up there in a Halifax, we’ve both put in the hours and we’re both excellent pilots. But I was wanting the first flight for me, and that’s not what it was all about.’

  Lizzie brushed away tears and Ruby realised just how much losing the flight, and being called out by her superiors, had affected her.

  ‘I believe in you, Ruby,’ Lizzie carried on. ‘You’re the one to pave the way, to show there’s so much more women can do to help, and you’re going to do us all proud.’

  ‘Thank you, Liz. It means a lot.’

  Lizzie gave her an awkward hug and they both laughed. ‘This friend thing is kind of difficult,’ she teased. ‘But I could probably get used to it, if I had to.’

  ‘Don’t go making too much of an effort for my sake,’ Ruby quipped straight back.

  Lizzie grinned, and then her smile faded. ‘You know, the powers that be really want you in the sky today,’ she said.

  ‘How do you know what the powers that be want from me?’

  ‘May’s inside right now with Chief Instructor Captain MacMillan, and he looked like he was about to have kittens.’

  Ruby gulped and almost swallowed the chocolate. ‘What? They’re talking now?’

  ‘Uh-huh. And I don’t think they want to delay this flight, from what I heard. They desperately need that Halifax delivered, and everyone’s on edge about the whole thing.’

  ‘Anything else?’ Ruby asked, wiping her hands on her trouser leg to dry her sweaty palms.

  ‘They want the rest of us up and flying them by the end of the month, but they need the good publicity from you first, and then higher up needs to sign off on it.’ Lizzie grimaced. ‘And I hate to say it, but everything hinges on whether you’re a success or not. I heard them say that every inch of your journey from take-off to landing is going to be scrutinised.’

  Hmmm, Ruby thought sarcastically: she just needed to fly perfectly and not get lost in cloud cover, crash into a mountain or muck up her landing. All despite the fact she had no instruments, no radio and no crew as back up – all things a male pilot would have at his disposal.

  She looked up again and saw that the cloud wasn’t as thick; or maybe it was her imagination. And then it started to rain.

  ‘Bloody hell!’ she cursed under her breath. ‘Could today get any worse?’

  ‘First Officer!’

  Ruby turned her head to see May standing on the step of the main building with the captain beside her. She had a feeling it was time to fly, weather be damned.

  ‘Good luck,’ Lizzie whispered, squeezing her shoulder. ‘Not that you need it.’

  Ruby’s heart was pounding all over again as she marched back over.

  ‘How are you feeling?’ May asked, as they all walked to her desk.

  ‘Aside from furious about the weather?’ Ruby joked, not wanting anyone to see how nervous she actually was. ‘How can we have so many dismal days at this time of year?’

  ‘Well, by all accounts it should clear soon,’ Captain MacMillan said, his voice less gruff than usual. ‘It’s your decision as pilot to go up or not, but . . .’

  ‘Let’s prepare regardless,’ Ruby said, surprised by how confident she sounded. ‘The cloud cover is clearing, and a little bit of rain isn’t going to put me off.’

  MacMillan nodded and so did May, and Ruby went to find some water, deciding to have a small glass now. It was always a balancing act, trying to stay hydrated for the flight, but knowing it would be a long time before she could relieve herself.

  She heard them talking but tuned it out, not wanting to eavesdrop. She could do thi
s. She touched her chest, feeling the weight of her engagement ring hanging there. There was another reason she wanted to go today – a reason she hadn’t shared with anyone else. Tom might be there. May had whispered to her that it might pan out well; a week earlier, Ruby had heard that he was stationed at Elvington, Yorkshire, but he hadn’t known how long for. At the time she hadn’t thought anything of it – but she hadn’t received her ferry chit at that point. Now she realised that if he was still there, if he wasn’t flying, if the stars aligned, perhaps she’d be able to see him. It had been so long – over a year now – since she’d actually held him in her arms and gazed up into those beautiful hazel-brown eyes.

  When she shut her eyes she could feel his hands gliding up her arms, she could imagine the softness of his lips as they brushed against hers. And part of her kept thinking that if she could only see him, if he could only see her and how capable she was, then all the animosity over her decision to fly would disappear. But at the same time, she was ready to scream bloody murder at him and tell him to sod off with his mother’s four-week deadline to return home. She had almost reached that deadline now, and she had no intention of packing her bags.

  ‘Sanders?’

  She said a silent prayer before turning back to her superiors.

  ‘It’s starting to clear.’

  Ruby nodded. ‘Wheels-up as soon as we can, sir.’

  ‘You know, I have every confidence in you,’ MacMillan said, surprising her; his praise was as rare as a rooster that laid eggs. ‘I was in the control tower the day you landed after your first solo training session in a Halifax, and the group captain nearly fell off his chair when he was told a woman was bringing the beast in to land. I think his jaw hit the ground when he watched how well you’d mastered it, although he wasn’t impressed to see a woman land a plane that his men moan about trying to bring down.’

  His praise did precisely what he’d no doubt intended. A weight immediately lifted from Ruby’s shoulders and she smiled, knowing how badly he wanted her to succeed. And how much he believed in her.