Page 24 of The Spitfire Girls
‘We’re all fighting for the same thing, May – to make sure all the Violets in this world don’t have to go through what we’re going through,’ he said gently. ‘I know this is hard on you, but you’re doing something you can be proud of, and whether or not one of your pilots crashes one day? That’s not on your shoulders. You can’t control what happens to them when they’re flying, but you can control how well they’re trained, and I can control whether their planes are in the best shape they can be. All right?’
She nodded, his words sinking in slowly. ‘All right,’ she eventually replied.
‘Now what about your family? Do you have any brothers or sisters?’ Ben asked.
She froze then and tried to hide it, awkwardly reaching for her tea and sloshing half of it over. ‘Gosh, look at that, I’d better make another,’ she mumbled, looking at her wristwatch. ‘And time’s run away with me, too.’
Ben stayed still for a moment, looking at her, his deep brown eyes somehow seeing straight through her façade. Usually she was so prepared, quickly deflecting questions about home, but Ben had thrown her off balance.
When he stood, he reached for her mug, his fingers brushing against hers.
‘Areyou all right, May?’ he asked, voice so low that it almost broke her, his concern overwhelming and sweet at the same time.
She braved a smile, back straight and chin held high. ‘Of course. I’ll see you on the tarmac.’
May walked away, refusing to think about the chink in her armour that she’d just shown to Ben.Never again, she thought. Because if she started thinking about Johnny, if she admitted how long it had been since she’d even written to her family or that she couldn’t bear to see them, then she’d be no use to anyone, and certainly not the ATA.
‘May!’ Lizzie called out to her, her voice booming from the door of the mess room.
May pulled herself together, wondering if talking to Ben about her family would have been easier than dealing with Lizzie first thing in the morning.
‘How can I help?’ she asked, coming face to face with the immaculately groomed, lipstick-in-place, bright blonde-haired Lizzie Dunlop.
‘I want Montgomery off your service,’ Lizzie demanded, hands on hips. ‘He’s overstepping.’
The door was open and May could see through to the other girls, quietly chatting as the wireless chirped in the background about more American soldiers arriving in Europe, painting their nails, knitting, lounging about with steaming mugs in their hands. She wished she could sail straight past Lizzie and collapse into one of the chairs rather than being the one to deal with every crisis, large or small.
‘In what way?’ she asked, indicating for Lizzie to follow her inside. When Lizzie didn’t budge, she realised their conversation was destined to take place in the piercing outdoor air. ‘He’s been nothing but helpful and courteous to me.’
‘He’s acting as if he’s been sent here to rein me in,’ she said. ‘He’s stifling my abilities.’
‘I see.’ May hoped she at least appeared genuine in her concern. ‘Perhaps we should discuss this with him directly, see what his take is.’
‘Histake?’ Lizzie exploded. ‘I doubt that he’s going to see anything at all wrong with telling me to pull my head in.’
Suddenly Montgomery was in the running for being May’s favourite person. ‘Lizzie, you need to show him the respect he deserves, not to mention show respect for his rank. He’s a talented, clever pilot with hours of experience flying warplanes, which means we’re all lucky to have him here.’ She sighed, speaking more softly this time. ‘You included.’
‘He’s so clever that he got shot out of the sky!’ Lizzie ranted. ‘That doesn’t exactly screamcleverto me.’
May’s chest tightened. She clenched her fingers into a ball to stop herself from slapping Lizzie straight across the cheek. Johnny had been one of the best pilots she’d ever seen, and the air force had agreed, but it hadn’t stopped him from being gunned down because no pilot knew what the enemy had in store for them. She took a long, careful breath, and considered Lizzie. She had enough to deal with without having to placate the American.
‘Elizabeth, are you aware that my country is at war, and has been at war for the past three years?’
Lizzie stared blankly back at her. ‘Of course I’m aware. It’s why I’m standing here, isn’t it?’
‘Then perhaps you could show a little respect to not only the men serving our country, but those brave men like Jackson Montgomery who got here before he was even required to be,’ May snapped. ‘At this base, I expect all my pilots and ground crew to be part of a team, and that team must be built on respect, no matter what. Your insolence is insulting to me and to everyone else here – you’re actually here to help the war effort, not run after your own personal ambitions.’
‘I don’t see myself as being part of a team in the sky,’ Lizzie replied, hands on hips. ‘And I doubt my father did whenhewas in the sky, fighting forhiscountry in the Great War, either. Up there, we only have ourselves to count on. Our own smarts, our own instincts.’
‘Really? Well, do you feel part of a team when you see your flight mechanic carefully checking your engine and clearing you for take-off? Do you see yourself as part of a team when you’re sent on multiple missions in one day, and people at each base are relying on you? When our men, who wait for us to ferry planes to them, are able to take off within hours of a new aircraft landing, because of the part we play?’ May was fuming. ‘And I don’t care if your father was the best pilot in the sky in the last war. What I care about is your behaviour under my orders. Are we clear?’
‘Yes,’ Lizzie muttered. ‘Perfectly clear.’
‘Ah, good morning, Commander Jones. Is this a bad time?’
May spun around to find Montgomery standing a few feet from her, his forehead creased in concern.
‘No, this a great time, actually,’ she said. ‘I’ve just been talking to Elizabeth about her attitude, and I thought you might like to discuss that further with her.’
