Page 78 of The Spitfire Girls
They’d been at their location at Avenger Field in Sweetwater, Texas for a couple of months now, and it was so much easier to run her operation from the bigger, more suitable airfield; she was so much closer to her father, too. The difference was that now it wasn’t just in theory: they actually had women in the air ferrying planes, and the realities of what her female pilots were up against had hit her hard. The news of Polly’s death, a death that could have been avoided, had filled her with sadness at first, then made her angry – angry that women could be treated so unfairly, as if their lives somehow weren’t as important.
She cleared her throat, glancing at Captain Montgomery, who was standing out to the side, and two officers who’d been instrumental in training her pilots. She had to begin.
‘Ladies, I’m so proud of every single one of you,’ she said, annoyed by the croak in her throat. She cleared it and tried again. ‘As of today, you have all passed your training and become WASPs. Well done!’ She clapped, and they all joined in. She studied their faces, knowing that it was her job to fill them with confidence. ‘It’s time for you all to go on and make me proud. I hand-picked every one of you, sat through hours of interviews and reviewed so many candidates – you are the women I chose to fly our mighty warplanes. You will be ferrying planes over our great country, which will allow our men to fight, and to succeed in winning this war.’
Polly was gone. She swallowed hard, refusing to let the thoughts creep in. She held her head high and jutted out her chin. She’d underestimated how difficult it would be to deal with the turmoil in her head, but she wasn’t about to ruin the day by failing to deliver her speech – not with so many women graduating.
‘We are all making history here, paving the way for women to not only fly, but also to defy the gender roles that we are so often defined by. Women can make a difference, and we are showing that against all odds, and despite having to fight to be heard and fight to be here flying, we deserve our title of pilot. The army may not recognise us as such, but that does not take away from the incredible role each and every one of you will play.’
A single tear plopped down her cheek and she steeled herself, waiting for the moment to pass. Her breath shuddered as she thought again of Polly, imagining her terror as her plane smashed into the hillside. She opened her mouth, but this time, not a sound came out.
Captain Montgomery was at her side then, standing close to her, almost shoulder to shoulder. Then he stepped forward to take over, as if he could feel her pain and wanted to spare her, and she was both stunned and grateful. They would have all heard a pin drop as he began to speak.
‘I have treated you like I would any soldier, and you women, every single one of you, have proven me wrong,’ he said, his voice low and deep. Everything about the man oozed authority, and Lizzie admired the strength in his stance and the breadth of his shoulders as he stood on the small makeshift stage. ‘You are all courageous and fiercely talented, and I applaud you as you graduate here today and take the next step in your careers.’ He paused and held out a hand to Lizzie. ‘You have this very special woman to thank for your new positions, because without her determination to see women in the air, you wouldn’t be sitting here today.’
Everyone in the room clapped and Lizzie smiled, trying to be brave.
As Captain Montgomery saluted the crowd and stepped from the stage, Lizzie tracked him with her eyes. He was the perfect example of a leader in the way he held himself and the way he commanded, but she’d also found him to be overly exacting and demanding of her pilots. Yet today she’d seen a different side of him, and she was shocked to find respect replacing her disdain for him.
As she moved through the crowd and congratulated each woman individually, fixing their wing pins to their jackets, Lizzie decided it was time to thank him; it was stupid to continue with their rivalry and unfriendliness.
‘Congratulations, girls. You will find out later today which bases you will be sent to. Please enjoy the afternoon,’ Lizzie announced, before seeking Montgomery out.
‘That was quite a speech,’ she said, hoping to break the ice.
‘I could say the same,’ he replied, one eyebrow arched. ‘You’ve done well today.’
She touched her hair, her fingers absently smoothing strands that were already perfectly in place. ‘I don’t often admit to being wrong, but I think we not only started off on the wrong foot, we’ve stayed there.’
He smiled, and for the first time she saw how handsome he was; a dimple flared in his right cheek and humour shone from his bright blue eyes. It was quite a combination, such blond hair and golden skin, and eyes that matched the sky on a perfectly cloudless day.
‘Come with me,’ he ordered.
Lizzie opened her mouth to rebuff him, but quickly closed it. They didn’t have to butt heads all the time – for once she could follow his orders. They started to walk, and Lizzie was soon struggling to keep up. He didn’t even look like he was moving quickly, but his long, determined stride was almost impossible to keep pace with.
‘Where are we going?’ she demanded.
‘Dunlop, who the hell ever had the patience to be your flying instructor?’ he asked.
She stopped walking and gaped at him. ‘Excuse me?’
‘You heard me.’
‘I could say the same to you,’ she shot back. ‘Who on earth could put up with your arrogance and single-minded bloody ...’
‘Bloody?’ he chuckled. ‘I think you spent too much time with the Brits.’
‘Ugh!’ She threw her hands up in the air.
‘Come on, sweetheart,’ he said. ‘I was only wanting to offer you a drink.’
Sweetheart?How dare he! ‘I’m not yoursweetheart,’ she snapped. ‘Some respect would be appreciated, and I’d actually have liked to stay on the right foot instead of landing on the wrong one all over again!’
He was smiling. The idiot was smiling at her like he found all thisfunny!
‘I’ve two minds not to have a drink with you at all,’ she fumed.
‘Fine, but I thought it was about time we cleared the air between us,’ he said. ‘Now you can either huff off back to your quarters, or we can sit down and open a bottle of good whiskey.’ He held out a hand to his office door. ‘It’s up to you, but I know I could use one, and I think you could, too.’
