by Molly Green
Happy though she was that his leg was so much better, and he’d be coming out of hospital soon, she was once again exasperated that he was jumping ahead with no hint from her that this was what she wanted.
She desperately needed to talk to Alec. She missed him with such an ache it hurt. But when should she tell him? He deserved to know about Doug right away. She closed her eyes for a few seconds as though her own instinct would give her the answer. But she was disappointed.
As usual, when something played on Raine’s mind, it was her work that saved her. She was simply too busy to deal with anything emotional as she’d had to cover for yet another pilot, working several ten- and twelve-hour days, one after the other. She sent a note to Doug telling him she’d let him know as soon as she got a few spare hours off. Doug wrote a disgruntled note in return.
‘Four of you will be flying in a gaggle tomorrow from Scotland delivering the four Tiger Moths – it’s the most efficient way to get them to the same place at the same time.’ Pauline Gower’s eyes swept round the group of pilots waiting to pick up their day’s chits. ‘Stephanie, Dolores and Audrey …’ She paused. ‘Audrey, you can take over from the other taxi pilot on the outward journey when necessary.’
It was going to be a long trip.
Pauline’s eyes landed on Raine. ‘Lorraine, you’ll make up the fourth.’
Raine had heard about gaggles and the difficulty of keeping in formation and she didn’t like the sound of it one bit. They had enough to do navigating their own routes without instruments, let alone making sure three other planes stayed in sight, but if that was the instruction, then they would carry it out.
‘Any questions?’
‘Our route?’ Stephanie enquired.
‘Ah, yes. You’ll be leaving here in an Anson heading for Perth where you’ll stay the night and next morning pick up the Tigers – that’s when you’ll be flying in a gaggle – and deliver them to Hawarden near Chester. From there you’ll separate and make any deliveries they have you down for. With a bit of luck you might even get off lightly and not have another one.
‘The main thing is to contact us when you reach Hawarden and let us know where you’re heading next, or whether you’re coming straight back to the station. That could mean a long train journey unless any other pilot is going your direction.’
Raine knew the others, like her, were trying to imagine flying from Scotland to Chester in an open cockpit in cold, windy British March. And more than likely a long miserable train journey back to London.
‘You’ve all flown in formation, I take it?’
‘Actually, I haven’t,’ Raine confessed.
‘Nor have I,’ Dolores admitted.
The CO regarded them with raised eyebrows.
‘It’s not difficult. All you have to do is keep each other in sight. If you do that you’ll be fine.’
‘Any chance, darling, of getting off for a few hours the day after tomorrow?’
It was Alec. It had been more than a month since their time in Windsor that she’d seen him.
‘No chance at all, I’m afraid,’ she said. ‘Four of us are off to Perth tomorrow. We’ll have to stay the night and then we’re delivering four Tigers to Hawarden. From there I might, if I’m really lucky, be able to cadge a lift back. If not, I’ll have to take the train and goodness knows what time I’ll arrive. And I’ll be so exhausted I won’t want to see anyone.’ She paused. ‘That’s assuming I don’t have to make another delivery from Hawarden. Pauline wasn’t sure. It’s all a bit flexible at the moment.’
‘Damn. It’s the only free time I have,’ Alec said. ‘The day after tomorrow evening and maybe a few hours Wednesday evening.’
She squashed the disappointment.
‘Look,’ he went on, ‘I’ll come to White Waltham the day after tomorrow evening and wait for you. I don’t care how long. I just want to set eyes on you again. I might forget what you look like if I go on much longer.’
‘It’s too chancy. Why don’t I telephone you when I’m back in case I’m laid up with bad weather somewhere or sent to another far-flung station.’
There was a pause.
‘I suppose that’s sensible, though I’m not feeling very sensible at this moment.’ Alec’s voice softened to an intimacy that made her quiver. ‘Oh, Raine, I miss you so terribly. I want to feast my eyes on you. Kiss those luscious lips again. I can’t wait.’
‘Nor can I,’ Raine said, her heart giving a little skip of excitement. ‘But I’ll be home before we know it, and if it’s not too late I’ll ring you. If that’s the case, I’ll phone first thing Wednesday morning.’
‘Then I’d better say goodnight, my love.’
‘Goodnight, Alec.’ She let seconds tick by on purpose. ‘By the way, don’t get too cocky,’ she grinned to herself, ‘but I miss you, too.’
She heard him chuckle. ‘Good. That’s how I want it to stay.’ Then he added, ‘Don’t forget I love you.’
‘I won’t.’
‘You promise?’
‘I promise.’
She put the receiver down and hugged herself. She’d be seeing him soon. Very soon.
To Raine’s surprise it was the Czech pilot, Max Janda, casually leaning against the fuselage of the taxi, who was taking them to Perth. A long way, she would have thought, with only one arm, though he’d have Audrey to take over every so often. Audrey was already standing by his side, her head close to his as he spread the map out on the wing and showed her the route he’d marked with a red pencil. A delighted grin smattered Audrey’s strong features as she nodded her approval.
‘Good morning, ladies,’ he said, looking up and smiling. ‘I hope you will have a comfortable flight. There is some wind but we should be okay. Audrey will be my co-pilot as it is a long flight. We will break it up, of course. So if you take your place, we will prepare for take-off.’
Raine took a seat with Stephanie and Dolores in the cabin. While Max was going through the checklist with Audrey, Raine glanced at Stephanie, remembering how hurt the girl had looked when Beryl told her she had no letters for her. Today Stephanie looked pale underneath her powder and lipstick. It was strange. She hadn’t liked Stephanie much when she’d first met her, but she’d grown very fond of her. Stephanie had proved herself a loyal friend.
Bit like Alec, Raine thought ruefully. She hadn’t liked him either at first – too self-assured for his own good – but he’d turned out to be her love. It just showed that first impressions weren’t always the truest. And that one should be careful not to jump to the wrong conclusions. A feeling like a warm blanket wrapped around her. She was so lucky. Glancing sideways, Raine noticed Stephanie was staring straight ahead, her expression set. She gave Stephanie’s hand a fond squeeze.
‘Are you okay, Stephanie?’ she asked, when Stephanie turned and gave her a look of surprise.
‘Yes, fine.’ Stephanie lowered her voice even though Max had already started up the engines. ‘Though I’m rather worried about the one-handed flight. These Ansons are heavy beasts to fly. I did it once and felt it was in control of me, rather than the other way round. But I suppose I’d get used to it soon enough if I had another go.’
‘Max will manage perfectly. They say he’s one of the best pilots. And anyway, he’s got Audrey with him.’
‘I hope you’re right,’ Stephanie said. ‘Well, nothing we can do. We’re in his hands, so to speak.’ But her smile was stilted.
‘We’ll be landing at Burtonwood in a few minutes for a refuel and a leg-stretch,’ Audrey announced.
They were back in the Anson in no time. Carlisle was the next stop where they refuelled again. The weather had been better than expected and Max had made two smooth landings for the refuelling. But now they were approaching Perth, Raine could see that it was changing. The soft blue sky that had accompanied them most of the way on this six-hour journey had gradually changed to a dingy grey, and clouds were gathering in worrying formations.
Raine’s heart sank. This w
eather seemed set. Although Chester wasn’t considered a long journey at just under three hundred miles to make their deliveries, it was long enough to freeze in a much smaller, less powerful plane, and in an open cockpit. She didn’t relish it at all, but there was a job to do and she’d just have to get on with it. Alec’s scarf would simply have to work extra hard!
Max had taken the now poor visibility in his stride and made his third perfect landing. Looking over his shoulder Raine realised he was using instruments. Not for the first time she wished they’d been given instrument training which would have come into its own with this long winter weather, but the ATA were adamant that their pilots always keep below the clouds, whatever happened. She shrugged. They’d given all the pilots superb training so they obviously knew what they were doing.
After signing in, Max ordered a cab to take them into the town to a small guesthouse where they were booked for the night.
‘I am staying at the camp,’ he said, while they waited for the cab, ‘so we will see each other tomorrow morning at nine o’clock here.’
The two twin rooms in the guesthouse were clean but bitterly cold. Raine had thought her room at Mrs Grayson’s was freezing but this was twice as bad.
‘Haven’t they heard of electric fires?’ Dolores said, coming into the room Raine was to share with Stephanie. ‘It’s like the Dark Ages.’
‘I’m going to demand that we have a bath and go to bed with a cup of cocoa and hot-water bottles,’ Stephanie said. ‘We won’t be fit to fly planes if we don’t get warmed up soon.’
‘We’ll come with you for moral support,’ Raine said.
‘There’s no hot water after five o’clock,’ Mrs McCloud, the landlady, asserted.
Her smug expression told them clearly she was not going to put herself out for four silly women who fancied themselves by taking men’s jobs.
‘We’ve been flying for hours and need to wash properly,’ Raine said. If there was any chance of seeing Alec tomorrow evening, she wanted to wash her hair. ‘Could you bend the rule this once? We’ve come such a long way – from near London.’
‘Well, I knew you weren’t a Scot with those fancy accents.’ Mrs McCloud stood with one hand on her hip. ‘No, I’m sorry but you’re much too late. You can have a kettle of water and wash in the sink in your room.’ She looked at each of them. ‘And I’ve only two stone water bottles, so you’ll have to take them in turns.’
‘I see,’ Audrey said, staring at the woman. ‘Well, we’d all appreciate cocoa to warm us … and some biscuits.’
‘No biscuits,’ Mrs McCloud said firmly, ‘but you can make yourselves cocoa in the kitchen so long as you clean up after yourselves. I won’t have my kitchen left like the last lot,’ she went on, not stopping to draw breath.
Raine sighed. Mrs McCloud obviously ignored the popular feeling at the moment that they were ‘all in it together’. Thank goodness she and the other pilots were only stopping for one night.
Although Stephanie was already snoring by the time she crept into bed, Raine slept well, dreaming she was flying by using her own wings attached to her back. She flew straight into Alec’s arms. She smiled when she woke, enjoying the sensation and not wanting to break it. But she knew she was being silly – and she couldn’t lie here all day – so she hopped out of bed and washed her face. To her surprise, there was hot water in the tap. She looked up to the mirror. Her hair wasn’t looking its best, but it would have to do because it was too late to start washing it now.
She was the first downstairs and looking forward to some real porridge she’d heard the Scots were famous for. Mrs McCloud plonked a bowl of what looked like gruel in front of her. It didn’t look anything like she’d imagined. She glanced round the table for some sugar or treacle but couldn’t see anything that would do – she’d have to eat it as it was. She took a spoonful and almost spat it out. Ugh. Where there should have been sugar, it tasted of salt. Had Mrs McCloud added salt instead of sugar by mistake? She took another tentative mouthful. It was no good. She laid down her spoon.
Mrs McCloud pursed her lips when she saw Raine had left her porridge.
‘What is the matter with it?’ she demanded.
‘It’s rather salty,’ Raine murmured.
‘It’s how it should be.’
‘I suppose I’m not used to it.’
‘No, I don’t suppose you are.’ Mrs McCloud looked down her broad nose. ‘You English girls are so delicate, you don’t know what’s good for you.’
Raine was thankful to be given a cheese roll which she tucked into her bag for later. She looked at her watch. Already eight o’clock. She’d better go and wake the others.
‘We’ll refuel the Tigers in Carlisle again,’ Audrey said that afternoon, automatically taking charge of the little group. ‘Then when we get to Hawarden and sign our deliveries we’ll go straight to wherever they give out the chits and see if they have any more for us.’ She grimaced. ‘I hope not. I think we’re all going to feel really tired from yesterday and today’s flights.’
Max had stood waving to them as the four women started their engines and took off.
What a nice man, Raine thought. A real gentleman, but a very sad one. She only hoped he heard from his family now and again, although there were whispers of terrible stories of the Nazis’ treatment of Czechoslovakians and Poles since the Germans had invaded those countries.
Clear your head, Raine. Concentrate on keeping in the gaggle.
Audrey was ahead, and Stephanie and Dolores were behind to the left and right, while Raine was bringing up the rear in a diamond formation. They’d hardly been in the air for half an hour before she admitted she wasn’t really enjoying it. Having to keep close to the others felt less liberating. Not only that, but in spite of her layers of clothing and her fur-lined flying jacket she was already feeling thoroughly cold.
She scrunched and released her toes in her boots, trying to keep her circulation going. How she longed to be in a Spitfire or a Hurricane … or anything that had a closed cockpit. But it was no use moaning – there was no one to hear her.
She glanced from left to right, noticing the clouds becoming lower. Sometimes she could only just make out Audrey in the front and the others disappeared from her peripheral view every so often and then came back again. She hoped they weren’t having too much trouble keeping Audrey in sight from their different angles. Immediately this thought crossed her mind she realised she couldn’t now see any of them.
Peering through her goggles she could see nothing. No speck in front. Well, she hadn’t relished this formation flying and she was right to do so. She checked her compass to make sure she wasn’t off course. No. She should be approaching Chester at any moment. Thank God, a space. She peered down and there it was – a large airfield. Dodging through the clouds, she prepared her descent.
Just as she approached the aerodrome she saw Audrey still in front and Dolores to her right. She watched both women land and waited for Stephanie’s plane to come into view. She couldn’t see any plane approaching. After circling a couple of times she decided she should land. Stephanie would no doubt be behind her and would come in shortly.
Audrey and Dolores climbed from their planes and waited for her to join them.
‘Where the hell is Stephanie?’ Audrey said.
Raine shook her head. ‘It was pretty thick cloud and you all appeared to dip in and out. One minute I could follow you and the next you’d all disappeared.’ She looked up at the sky. ‘I’m sure she’ll be here in a few minutes. She may have gone slightly off course. We shouldn’t worry because she says she’s known for flying in bad weather.’
‘You’re right,’ Dolores said, banging her gloved hands together. ‘She said they even called her Stormy Stephanie at her flying school! So I think we ought to go in and wait for her. She’ll know we’ve gone to the mess to get warmed up after signing in.’
‘Good idea,’ Raine said. ‘She may even be in the mess. She could’ve beaten us and have he
r hands warming round a mug of tea, giving us one of her triumphant grins.’
But she knew she was saying this to comfort herself as well as the others as she followed them across the damp grass and into the heated building.
Raine’s fingers were so numb she could hardly hold the pen to sign in.
‘Stephanie Lee-Jones hasn’t arrived yet, has she?’ she asked hopefully.
The adjutant glanced at the signing-in book.
‘Not yet,’ he said. ‘We’re expecting her soon.’ He looked up. ‘Wasn’t she with you in a gaggle?’
‘Yes,’ Raine said. ‘But we hit cloud coming in and we lost sight of her.’
‘Right. I’ll get on to that straightaway.’ He picked up the telephone and delivered the message, then looked up. ‘I’m sure she’ll arrive soon.’
‘Do you know if we have any more deliveries to make?’ Raine asked, crossing her fingers and praying they didn’t.
He nodded. ‘Yes, we do need you ladies this afternoon, but go and have something to eat first and we’ll sort them out.’ He looked at his watch. ‘Why don’t you report back at two. Gives you ninety minutes to have a proper break.’
Raine stood in the queue behind Audrey and Dolores in the NAAFI. She didn’t really fancy anything even though she hadn’t eaten for several hours. Her stomach felt too het up worrying about Stephanie. The smell of sliced Spam and the mush of overcooked vegetables made her feel queasy. If only Stephanie would appear.
She looked on the counter at the various offerings. Something sweet – a bar of chocolate with her tea might do the trick.
‘Do you have any Kit-Kat?’ she asked the woman behind the till.
‘You what, love?’ The woman put her hand behind her ear to drown out the noise of the clattering and chatter.
‘Kit-Kat,’ Raine repeated loudly.
‘In that box on your left.’ The woman pointed.
‘I didn’t recognise them,’ Raine said, tossing a couple of bars on her tray.
‘Nor did we. When I asked the rep why they’d changed the wrapper to blue he said there’s a war on.’ The woman curled her lip. ‘As if I’d forgotten. He said it reminds people they’ve had to change the recipe because of the rationing. As if anybody cared. All they want is to get some chocolate down their necks. Waste of money, I told him.’ The woman rolled her eyes as she rang the till.
