The women all clapped, some stamping their feet, and Lizzie beamed back, unable to suppress the huge smile any more than she’d been able prevent tears earlier. She held her daddy’s medal in her palm as she spoke, drawing on his strength, remembering him as she stood before the gathered crowd.
‘I present General Arnold to you all. Ladies, thank you.’
The clapping continued, and Lizzie held out her hand to Hap, clasping it and then stepping forward to kiss his cheek. His embrace was full of warmth, and she happily stood back as he addressed her graduates.
‘To all you wonderful women pilots, I would like to say thank you. Not so long ago, I stood and testified before Congress, detailing the most excellent performance record of the WASPs, and every word I spoke was the plain truth,’ he said. ‘It is with great sadness that I come to witness the final graduation ceremony, but it is also a great honour.’ Hap laughed and leaned forward, like he was about to let them in on a secret. ‘Frankly, I didn’t know in 1941 whether a slip of a young girl could fight the controls of a B-17.’ He grinned. ‘Well, now, in 1944, we can only come to one conclusion. The entire operation has been a success. It is on the record that women can fly as well as men. You have worked hard, incredibly hard, and you have buckled down to the monotonous, routine jobs that are not much desired by our hot-shot young men headed toward combat. In some of your jobs, I think the commanders like you better than the men, to be honest.’ He paused. ‘Every WASP has filled a vital and necessary place in the jigsaw pattern of victory.’
Hap clapped his hands together loudly and then gestured to Lizzie, his smile infectious. She had known how much the programme meant to him, but the pride in his words today truly confirmed it. She clapped along with him before taking Hap’s arm and walking from the stage.
‘If I could have made any other decision,’ Hap started, shaking his head as he murmured words for her ears only.
‘Stop,’ Lizzie said, taking his hand and holding tight. ‘You don’t have to explain.’ And she meant it; she’d been so angry when that letter had first arrived, but his hands had been tied. She understood that now. She’d commanded a successful squadron at a time when women had been desperately needed to serve; she’d managed to contribute to the war effort, and make her father proud.
‘Well, at least you don’t have to suffer Captain Montgomery any longer,’ he joked, glancing at Jackson, who was just approaching.
Lizzie groaned. Jackson had one brow raised; he’d clearly overheard. ‘She actually said she had to suffer my presence?’ he demanded.
Hap laughed. ‘There was worse, but I’ll spare you the rest of it, Captain.’
Lizzie’s cheeks were burning. ‘I’m sorry, I . . .’
‘Well, she was pretty damn insufferable herself most of the time,’ Jackson said, before putting an arm around her shoulders. ‘But what I can say is that she eventually grew on me.’
Now it was Hap’s eyebrows shooting skyward. ‘You two? Well, I never would have guessed.’
Lizzie gave Jackson a playful shove, laughing at the apologetic look he gave her. ‘Come on, enough talk about us. We have a party to attend and you’re the guest of honour.’
Jackson proffered his elbow, his grin infectious. What the heck, she thought, accepting it and smiling up at him as they walked towards the empty hangar, where the party was already underway. She’d been a stickler for protocol all this time, but Jackson was part of her life now, and it was about time she came to terms with it. Despite everything that had been taken from her, Jackson had become a pillar of strength, the one and only thing she’d always be able to count on.
She looked nostalgically at the planes lined up on the runway, knowing that, within two weeks, she was going to walk away from them and never see another woman seated at the controls. Would she ever have the opportunity to fly a military plane again?
‘You okay?’ Jackson asked, his voice barely audible.
She leaned her head against his shoulder for a moment. ‘Not really,’ she admitted. ‘But I’ll be fine.’
‘He’d be proud of you, Liz,’ Jackson said.
She imagined her daddy looking down on her, smiling at everything she’d achieved. ‘I know.’
It was over. The WASPs were about to be decommissioned, but no one could take her memories from her. They couldn’t change the fact that she’d been instrumental in putting women pilots in the air, or that she’d flown aircraft that no one would have ever believed a woman was capable of piloting. And that was something that she would hold close to her heart for the rest of her life.
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
ENGLAND, 1945
MAY
May stared out at the horizon. It was a curious thing, knowing that she only had days left at White Waltham. Part of her was relieved, after dedicating such a huge part of her life to the ferry programme; another part of her felt like she was grieving the death of a loved one. But orders were orders, and they were no longer needed. When she and Ruby had talked about it, it hadn’t seemed possible; the war ending had seemed more like a fantasy after almost five years of turmoil and tragedy. Now the few of them that were left were based at their original headquarters, so they’d come full circle in a way.
When Ruby appeared, May opened her arms and enveloped her in a big hug. Things were about to change forever, and she didn’t know if their paths would ever cross again, or what her future held. But she did know what might be in her dear friend’s future. And she did know that not one of her pilots was going to be lost to the skies again, that the women still under her command had made it. The relief that she’d lost so few, that they’d been so lucky despite everything, was almost painful.
‘So now you’re not only the girl who flew a Halifax, you’re the girl who flew a Meteor jet,’ May said. ‘And to Berlin, no less!’
Ruby was grinning from ear to ear, her excitement palpable after her amazing ground-breaking flight. ‘It was pretty incredible,’ she said. ‘I’ve never known anything like it.’
May smiled. ‘Can you believe this war is almost over? That the Allies have actually done it?’
Ruby reached for her and they embraced for a silent, surreal moment. ‘We’ve survived,’ she whispered. ‘My Tom survived, we’ve survived. I just can’t believe we did it.’
May stepped back, wiping her eyes. ‘When you’re in the thick of it, working so tirelessly day after day, it’s almost impossible to imagine that it could ever actually end.’
‘You can say that again.’
May pointed down the runway. ‘Can we walk?’
‘Of course.’
They fell into step, walking side by side in comfortable silence. It was a warm summer evening, and May was sick of being at her desk, completing all the final paperwork and cross-checking all the logbooks, so it was nice to feel the warm breeze on her skin.
‘I have some exciting news for you,’ she said.
‘More exciting than the war ending or flying a Meteor jet?’ Ruby joked. ‘Actually, as surreal as the end might be, I don’t think anything can beat flying at two hundred and seventy miles per hour today. It was like being a bullet!’
May gave her a wink. ‘This might be even better.’
Ruby stopped walking and stared at her. ‘What is it? Tell me!’
‘As you know, most of us are being released from our jobs. There’s a huge surplus of pilots now, and even the best of us can’t be seen to be taking jobs from men.’
Ruby groaned. ‘I’m so sick of hearing people say that! They used us when they needed us, and now they want to pretend we’re the inferior sex all over again.’
May couldn’t have agreed more, but now wasn’t a time to debate the great gender divide. They only had their base at White Waltham left now; all but six pilots had gone, she knew it would soon be as if they’d never even existed. She had no idea how any of the ATA were going to find work, when new jobs were harder to find than butter; and with their pay soon to be stopped, times were going to be harde
r in peace than war.
‘Ruby, now the war is as good as over, you’ve been seconded to the RAF.’
‘What?’ Ruby gasped, all colour draining from her face.
‘It seems you impressed someone with your flying skills. They want you to join them to fly the Meteor jets.’
Ruby squealed and hugged May, jumping up and down. ‘Are you serious?’
May laughed. ‘Yes, Ruby, I’m very serious. You’ve been shoulder-tapped from very high up in the RAF – it seems you have some fans there.’
‘Gosh, I wonder what Tom will say,’ she said. ‘I’m going to have to ask him . . .’
‘Don’t ask him for permission, Ruby. His blessing, perhaps. But this is your decision and no one else’s,’ May said firmly, hoping she wasn’t speaking out of turn. ‘You learnt from the beginning to trust your own instincts, and this shouldn’t be any different. Tom fell in love with you all over again despite the choice you made, remember?’
Ruby nodded. ‘I know.’
‘And I know for a fact that he will be kept on with the RAF, so you might find it all works out perfectly after all.’
They started to walk again, this time with their arms looped, like the two young women they’d been before the war rather than two highly trained pilots.
‘What about you?’ Ruby asked.
‘Well, actually, Ben and I are going to get married. As soon as we’re both home.’
Ruby beamed at her. ‘May, that’s wonderful news! I’m so happy for you. When did he ask you?’
‘It was actually some time ago, but we decided to keep it secret for a while. Now that my duties are over though, I’ll be shouting it from the rooftops,’ May said with a grin. ‘He’s a good man, Ruby. I have no idea how I was so lucky to find him, but I needed to keep him just for me. I had this fear that if I told anyone, I’d lose him, too.’
‘Will you keep flying, do you think?’ Ruby asked.
‘I’m so proud of what we did here, and I’ll always want to fly, but this isn’t me. I mean . . .’ What did she mean? She’d loved her role with the ATA; even when she’d been desperately tired and sometimes didn’t know how she’d face another day, it had been her life and she wouldn’t have had it any other way. She’d been running from her past, from her pain, and it was finally time to stop and take a moment to just breathe. ‘What I’m trying to say is that I always imagined a traditional life for myself in many respects, but one where I continued flying whenever I wanted to. Although I don’t know exactly how I’ll make that happen.’
Ruby nodded. ‘I know the feeling. In my heart I adore Tom and I want more than anything to be his wife, but that’s not enough for me anymore. I need to fly, too, and I don’t think I could be with him if he didn’t understand that.’
‘I have such a jumble of thoughts in my head – it’s nice to be able to talk it through with you,’ May confessed. ‘I doubt anyone in my family would understand, and it’s going to be hard going back to normality after this.’
‘Pretending like we’re just regular women, when in fact we achieved the unachievable?’ Ruby added.
‘Exactly. Only if you take this position, you’ll be the one still achieving the unachievable. I’m so proud of you.’ May thought back to the day she met Ruby, the tiniest woman who’d applied to ferry planes for the ATA, but the one who showed the most potential. If she hadn’t demanded that the doctor ignore her height, Ruby might never have taken to the air and become their poster girl. Ruby had, without a doubt, been her biggest personal achievement within the ATA.
May wondered whether anyone would ever know what so many English women had done during the war, how truly courageous and dedicated they’d been to ferry every plane the military had to wherever it was needed. She looked across at Ruby. It didn’t matter. Even if no one else understood what they’d done, they would know.
‘Have you heard from Lizzie?’ she asked.
Ruby laughed. ‘Yes, and she’s being typical Lizzie. Still demanding that women pilots be allowed to fly for the military and commercial aircrafts too. That woman will never give up – she’s permanently wired to not take no for an answer.’
May smiled. The world needed more women like Lizzie to keep rattling chains. ‘If anyone can do the impossible, it’s her. I pity poor Jackson though. Do you think he has any idea what he’s in for?’
‘He deserves a medal,’ Ruby replied. ‘I doubt it’ll be easy trying to make her settle down, but at least he’s seen her at her worst.’
They both laughed, silenced only by the low roar of a plane approaching.
‘What do you say we all go out tonight?’ May asked. ‘Let our hair down and celebrate surviving this bloody war?’
Ruby clasped her hand. ‘Sounds like a marvellous idea to me, so long as Ben isn’t waiting for you?’
‘Ben can come too, if he’s brave enough,’ May replied, laughing as she watched her last pilot disembark the Spitfire. ‘Tonight I want to be with my sisters in arms.’
‘Can I confess something to you?’ Ruby asked, her cheeks flooding with colour.
May looked at her suspiciously. ‘What have you done?’
‘I may have engraved my initials into the last Spitfire I piloted.’
May swatted at Ruby, who deftly ducked out of her way. ‘Ruby! You’ve vandalised air force property!’
‘After everything we’ve done for them, I think it’s the least they could let me get away with.’
‘Says the only woman asked to join the air force!’
They both guffawed, and May knew in that moment that she’d miss her days with the ATA for the rest of her life. Nothing would ever come close to the work they’d done or the friends they’d made, and she would cherish that for as long as she lived.
‘You ladies waiting for me?’ Sarah, the pilot, called out, shaking her shoulder-length hair out of her helmet.
‘We’re going out to celebrate,’ May called back. ‘You with us?’
Sarah grinned. ‘I’ve never heard such a grand idea in my life!’
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
TEXAS, 1945
LIZZIE
‘Honey, I’m home!’ Jackson called out playfully and Lizzie panicked, desperately trying to pick up the pieces of a letter she’d just shredded all over the carpet.
He popped his head into her office and she quickly stuffed the bits into her rubbish bin, but they fell like snowflakes and Jackson noticed at once.
‘Lizzie?’ he said. ‘What are you trying to hide from me?’
‘I finally received a reply from American Airlines,’ she said nonchalantly.
‘I’m guessing it wasn’t the response you expected?’ Jackson sat down in the big leather sofa that faced her desk.
‘Well, they had the nerve to completely ignore my pilot application and invite me to be a stewardess with them.’ She choked on the word. ‘A stewardess, Jackson. I’m one of the country’s most experienced and highly trained pilots and they asked me to serve cups of coffee!’
‘Come here,’ he said, patting the spot beside him.
‘Is it so wrong that I want to keep flying?’
‘No,’ he said firmly. ‘It’s not.’
She sighed and went to him, falling into the spot beside him on the sofa. Jackson’s arm drew her in, and she relaxed against him as he kissed the top of her head.
‘They’re fools,’ he said, ‘but then so was the army, and look what you managed to achieve. Keep writing. Keep making your voice heard.’
‘Really?’ she asked, looking up into blue eyes that still managed to mesmerise her.
‘Really,’ he insisted, kissing her. ‘There is nothing, nothing that can stop you.’
She groaned and buried her face in his chest. ‘Actually, there is,’ she mumbled.
Jackson pushed her back a little, tilting her face up with his thumb. ‘Lizzie Montgomery, tell me what it is,’ he said sternly.
‘Well, let me begin by saying that I kept meticulous records of all the WASPs
. Well, actually, I made the doctor at the training centre keep them, to ensure we had records of when the women had their periods to track their performance and health.’ Jackson shifted uncomfortably, but she continued, not caring if it made him feel squeamish. ‘What I’m trying to say is that the doctor found that women flew as well at that time of the month as any other – in fact we had less time off, despite having to deal with the discomfort of our periods. At most, some of the women would use a hot-water bottle during a flight to help with their cramps.’
Jackson was frowning now. ‘I’m not sure I’m following. Why are you telling me all this about women’s monthly cycles?’
She averted her gaze. ‘I’m only trying to say that regardless of whether a woman might have her monthly courses or be pregnant even, it has no impact on her flying abilities.’ Lizzie held her breath and forced herself to look at Jackson, her heart thumping.
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