Page 15 of The London Girls
‘For what it’s worth, I’m proud of you,’ Olivia whispered.
‘We’re not going to be dispatch riders together though,’ Florence whispered back, disappointed by the way the morning had turned out despite the fact she’d redeemed herself. So much for the three of them against the world.
‘Maybe not, but it doesn’t mean we can’t still be friends.’
As they watched Ava receive her instructions, Florence couldn’t help but smile. She’d been so caught up in her own grief these past few months – in simply surviving after her world had fallen apart – but today she’d felt alive again, despite her nerves at the prospect of driving an ambulance. She felt like the old Florence, the one who’d laughed with her father as a teenager as she’d driven around London behind the wheel of an oversized van, before everything about the country and the people she loved had changed. And despite the risk of what she’d done, she had the strangest notion that she’d do it all over again if she had to, that perhaps she was exactly where she was supposed to be because of her bravery.
I’d just try harder not to crash this time.
CHAPTER FOUR
AVA
Ava stepped forward when she was called, thinking how gutsy Florence had been as she digested her instructions and sat astride the motorcycle – a new one that Theresa had brought out, which had set poor old Commander Mac to blustering all over again. It felt different from what she’d expected, the seat firmer, the handlebars more rigid. And she hadn’t expected to be quite so nervous, either. All morning, she’d imagined herself mounting the bike and feeling instantly at home, but instead she felt completely out of her depth, and that wasn’t something she was used to. Not to mention she couldn’t stop thinking about her conversation with the general the evening before, when she’d dashed upstairs to see him before she left for the night, under the pretence of retrieving something from his office that she’d left behind.
‘I hear you’ll be at Camberley tomorrow.’
Ava nervously fiddled with a loose thread on her jacket as she faced him. Sometimes she didn’t know quite how to take him; his tone was friendly but there was something about the way he was staring at her that made it impossible to know what he was thinking. ‘I will be.’
He came closer, and she felt the familiar beat of wings in her stomach. ‘I’m going to miss you, Ava.’
She still couldn’t stop wondering about his wife, more so since Olivia had tried to caution her, but the way he was looking at her made her forget everything else. It was the way she’d waited her entire life for a man to stare at her, especially a man like him. She hesitantly reached out to touch his tie, running her fingers across the fabric just as she’d always wanted to do, emboldened by the fact that her time working for him had come to an end.
‘Will you stay true to your word and come to visit me at night?’
He kissed her then. It wasn’t gentle and romantic as she’d always imagined her first kiss with him to be, but it still sent a thrill through her.
‘I’m worried about your wife,’ she whispered. ‘What if someone sees us?’
‘My wife is in the country indefinitely, I’ve told you that,’ he said, sounding impatient. ‘How about you let me worry about my wife. Haven’t you noticed the way I’ve been looking at you? I don’t make my car available to just anyone.’
Ava smiled up at him, flattered that a man like him could be so attracted to her, even if she didn’t like the way he was telling her what to do. She pushed thoughts of his wife from her mind as his eyes met hers.
‘Would I risk everything if my wife was coming home to me?’ he said, his tone changing. ‘You’re the one I want, Ava.’
Ava knew she’d always been a hopeless romantic – sometimes she felt like she’d been waiting her entire life to fall in love – but she’d imagined that her fantasies about the general would stay exactly that: fantasies. She nodded, liking the way he smiled down at her, how pleased he seemed with her, her heart soaring at how much he wanted her.
A noise behind them alerted her to the fact they were no longer alone on the Army floor, and she backed away, picking up her handbag.
‘I look forward to seeing you again soon, sailor.’
She blew him a kiss and left, already imagining herself drinking Scotch with him at his townhouse, her misgivings about his wifesomehow forgotten as she indulged in the fantasy she’d always had about him holding her in his arms and kissing the breath from her.
‘Wren Williamson?’
‘I’m sorry, what did you say?’ Ava pushed her thoughts away and focused on the woman in front of her.
‘Are you ready?’ Theresa asked, as Commander Mac maintained his position some feet away and she rid her head of all thoughts. ‘Have you ever ridden one of these before?’
Ava shook her head. ‘Never, but I’m as ready as I’ll ever be.’
‘It’s not going to go down well if you crash, not after the last one,’ Theresa said quietly. ‘If you feel things aren’t going well, you’re better just to stop and start again.Please.’
Ava understood; if she mucked this up then she’d be sitting behind a desk for the rest of the war, not to mention all the other girls would blame her for ruining it for them.
Theresa ran over some instructions with her and then stepped back, and Ava carefully went through each step in her mind, eventually managing to kick-start the bike after four goes, which required all of her weight to do it. Then she put it into gear and eased off the brake, gently accelerating. The bike skidded a little and she remembered Theresa’s words, trying again but with less acceleration this time, and then suddenly she was rolling at a modest speed across the grass.
I’m doing this! I’m actually doing this!
