Page 22 of The London Girls
Pete, you’d be so proud of me. I have my own motorcycle! I’m going to be riding it every day, delivering messages all over London!She wasn’t certain when she’d see her brother and Leo again, but shecouldn’t wait. Actually, they’d both be so proud of her; Leo was as supportive of her as Pete was, they’d never told her there was anything she couldn’t do, and it made her love them both all the more.
Olivia shut her eyes for a moment, squeezing the handlebars tightly now as she imagined how it would feel to be riding fast, the wind blowing through her hair, that intense feeling of freedom that she’d only ever had when she’d been riding a motorcycle.The last time I felt like that was when Pete and I raced across the grass and around the apple tree, making our own little race circuit, squealing when he came so close he was able to nudge me with his elbow.
‘Olivia?’
She looked over at Ava.
‘Stop drooling over your bike and hurry up.’
She realised everyone was already starting to turn and push their motorcycles to various stations that had been set up in the large workshop, and she hurried to catch up.
Olivia parked her motorcycle where she was told to and took the pair of overalls handed to her by one of the mechanics. She gratefully stepped into them and buttoned them up, laughing to herself about how comical she must look as she rolled the sleeves up to her elbows. And then she caught sight of Ava and couldn’t keep her laughter to herself – her tiny friend was drowning in hers, not to mention pouting about the practical work.
‘Nothing some good sewing can’t fix,’ Olivia assured her. ‘I’m going to be busy on my sewing machine tonight, that’s for sure.’
‘You can sew?’ Ava asked, looking surprised.
‘Of course!’ Olivia looked back at her, realising she wasn’t joking. ‘Can’t you?’
‘Ah, we usually have someone to do those things for us.’
‘I’ll do it for you – you can come home with me after training one day,’ Olivia said, wondering just what kind of life Ava was used to leading. She’d grown up in a well-to-do type of family, butshe’d still been expected to learn how to sew, and her mother was excellent at altering anything that no longer fitted.
‘I wonder what Florence is doing right now?’
‘Probably up to her elbows in grease, just like we’re about to be.’
Before they could talk any further, George left them in the capable hands of the mechanics, and suddenly Olivia’s fingers were stained with black grease that she doubted would ever come off her skin, no matter how hard she scrubbed. Although, when she glanced over at Ava, it appeared her friend was already using her charms to get a young mechanic to do the work for her.
Olivia had never felt so energised in all her life. They were training at the New Cross Speedway on Old Kent Road, a week after passing their mechanical course, and it was like nothing she’d ever experienced before.
‘Excellent work, Olivia!’ George called out.
She beamed, her heart racing as she took off her hat and ran her fingers through her hair, fluffing it off her forehead and the back of her neck to help alleviate how hot she was. Never in her life had she imagined riding at such speeds, but the more she did it, the more comfortable she felt, and even though she knew they wouldn’t be riding that fast around the haphazard streets of London, it was reassuring to know what she was capable of.
‘Next!’
She parked her bike out of the way and went to watch Ava. They’d developed a friendly kind of rivalry, competing to see who could change oil the fastest in their first week at Camberley, and now in their final week seeing who could beat the clock. But although Olivia liked to win, Ava seemed obsessed by it.
Olivia cringed as Ava appeared to take the first bend too fast, her motorcycle coming dangerously close to losing control, before she managed to correct it, the rear wheel wobbling as she raced even faster. It was terrifying to watch, and she dug her nails into her palm as Ava accelerated again, not seeming to have learned from her first near-miss as she leaned deeply into the bend.
‘Christ almighty,’ George muttered under his breath, just loud enough for Olivia to hear. She pretended not to, keeping her body angled slightly away from him as she grimaced, continuing to watch her friend.
When she finally finished, Ava let out a whoop as she pulled up beside them, seeming to miss the scowl on George’s face.
‘Time?’ she asked, eagerly glancing at his stopwatch. ‘Did I beat her?’
‘One minute, fifteen seconds,’ he said.
Ava’s eyes flashed with what Olivia could only guess was pride, but she simply shook her head in return. Ava could have the win – she wasn’t even going to try to compete with that speed.
‘May I ask you something, Ava?’ George’s voice was surprisingly low.
Ava grinned, her eyebrows raised. ‘You want to know my secrets for beating everyone?’
‘I’d actually like to know whether or not you have a death wish.’
Olivia had to give her credit; Ava’s smile never faltered, the brightness in her eyes barely betraying her surprise at his words – if she was surprised at all.
