Page 42 of The Spitfire Girls
Ruby shook her head. ‘I think youweresupposed 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 Ihadto.’
‘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 thepowers that bewant 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 this. 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.
