Page 35 of The Spitfire Girls
Ruby didn’t think anything of it until she opened her notebook to read up on the Hurricane she’d be bringing back, wanting to use her time wisely. She’d flown them before, but she still remembered having less than an hour to prepare for her first ever flight in one. It had always amused her that they were given these perfect little 4x6 cards bound on two rings that supposedly contained everything they needed to know about an aircraft, from flying speeds to cruising, landing and stalling speeds. The men who flew them had direct training in each aircraft, but they seemed to think a quick read on the way to collect a plane was enough for the ferry pilots.
‘Oh,’ she said, puzzled as a note fell out.
There will be a car waiting to take you to London to attend an event tonight. I need both you and Lizzie there with me. I’ll tell you more when I see you. Your uniforms will be waiting in your room at the Savoy. Fly safe. MJ
‘I just ...’ Ruby started, as Lizzie held up an identical note.
‘Seems our commander has been keeping secrets from us, but I’m not about to complain about another night out in London.’
‘Me neither.’ Ruby touched her small bag, pleased she always took her powder and lipstick with her on every flight. The last thing she wanted was to spend all day flying and then look dowdy come nightfall. ‘Especially if we get to stay the night in a comfortable bed with a feather pillow ahead of our big flight tomorrow.’
CHAPTER NINE
LONDON,JUNE1942
MAY
May took a deep breath as she surveyed the crowd she was about to plunge into. Compared to flying, it was akin to navigating a minefield.
She straightened her shoulders and self-consciously touched her hair. It had been a long time since she’d had to worry about her appearance – usually brushing her hair and teeth and ensuring her uniform was immaculate were all she had to be concerned about. But today she was wearing make-up, her pink lipstick applied with a shaky hand as she’d wondered who the woman in the mirror really was. She’d started out with the ATA feeling so young and so terribly inexperienced, but the face looking back at her had a maturity far beyond what she felt. Shelookedcapable of being a senior commander now. Inside, she yearned to turn back the clock, to be her old self again: the fun, inquisitive, ready-for-anything girl. Sometimes she wondered if that version of herself was even in there any longer.
I also wonder what that girl would think about trying to impress a roomful of dignitaries, politicians and wealthy Londoners.
On paper she could convey anything she needed to get across, and on base, she never doubted herself or her decisions. But the room she was standing in made her feel way out of her depth. And her brother was lurking in her mind today, perhaps as a result of the letter she’d received from her mother. She could have made the hour-long drive to see her, or she could even have told her to come to London to meet her; but just imagining the sadness in her mother’s gaze was enough to stop her. She couldn’t deal with that, or going home knowing she was never going to see Johnny there again, that she’d never laugh with him and share a meal at their kitchen table, or tease him about one of his many girlfriends.
‘I didn’t think I was going to make it, but here I am.’
May turned and found herself staring at Ben. Her jaw dropped as she took in his black suit and bow tie, his freshly shaved cheeks and his hair brushed back from his face.
‘Benjamin!’ she exclaimed, laughing as he took her hand and leaned in for a kiss. ‘Oh my gosh!’
‘Is this what I’m supposed to do? Kiss your cheek and tell you how great you look?’ he teased.
‘That’s exactly what you’re supposed to do.’ She was so used to seeing him in his overalls, grease smeared over his fingers and his hair all haphazard, that for a moment she didn’t realise how quickly she’d laughed, like she hadn’t in years. There was definitely something about Ben that was good for her soul. ‘You scrub up rather well.’
Now it was him laughing. ‘Don’t go giving me a big head.’
She’d asked him to partner her, mostly so that she had someone with her before the others arrived, and she was pleased she had. She looked skyward, wondering if Johnny was laughing down at her, seeing how rattled she was. She felt so comfortable around Ben, but seeing him in a tuxedo made her realise he wasn’t necessarily the brother figure she’d always viewed him as.
‘Should I get you a drink?’ Ben asked. ‘Or do you want me to stay here with you?’
She smiled at him. ‘Stay with me,’ she said. ‘I’m as confident as can be in the sky, but put me in a room full of strangers and I go back to being a nervous little girl.’
He held out his arm and she looped hers through it. It was Ben, and no matter how he might look, he was still the same flight mechanic that he’d always been. And there was something about him that allowed a flicker of her old self to come to the surface.
‘I won’t leave you,’ he said, his eyes meeting hers.
‘Good evening, Commander.’ The warm, rich American accent caught her attention and May turned to see Jackson Montgomery. He stepped forward to kiss her cheek.
‘Jackson! Look at you, dashing as can be in that tuxedo!’
‘I’ll take the compliment,’ Jackson said with a grin. ‘Thank you.’
‘Champagne?’ Ben asked, taking glasses from a passing waiter.
May gratefully accepted hers and took a small sip.
‘It’s nice to see you here tonight, Ben,’ Jackson said. ‘Nothing beats a night off base, huh?’
