Page 42 of The London Girls
AVA
Ava couldn’t stop smiling as she rode.Married!Olivia’s news before she’d started her shift had taken her completely by surprise, although from the way her friend’s hands had been trembling when she’d told her, Olivia hadn’t exactly been expecting it either. The poor thing had swung from smiles to tears as she’d explained what had happened, but after consoling her about her brother as best she could and reminding her that missing didn’talwaysmean dead, Ava had flung her arms around her and promised to help her with the wedding plans. Although she wasn’t exactly certain when she was planning on helping her, not with George keeping her so busy.
Ava accelerated, loving the wind against her face, wishing she had her hair streaming out behind her instead of being tucked beneath her hat. She liked to moan about the hours she worked, but truth be told, she wouldn’t trade it for any other job. Working at Norfolk House had given her a taste of what it felt like to work, to actually do something with her life, and delivering memos was the most exhilarating thing she’d ever done. The first few days had been nothing short of terrifying, but now that she’d settled into it, there was nothing she’d rather be doing.
She tipped her head back just a little, grateful to be riding during the day for once instead of at night, to feel the sunshine on her face and be able to see the streets and landmarks around her. Someone else had taken over her night shift for a while – George was adamant that they all take turns so they had experience at both – and she was eternally grateful to get a reprieve for even one night. She’d almost forgotten how liberating it was to ride during the day instead of being on tenterhooks at dusk and into the dark. She straightened her back and focused on the road despite how distracting the sunshine was.
Her mind shifted back to the wedding then.What to wear? My navy dress, or is that too dark a colour for a wedding?She smiled, imagining her mother’s excitement when she told her she needed help choosing an outfit. It wasn’t often they had an occasion to dress up these days, and she couldn’t wait.Perhaps the lavender one that I wore to that last dance before the war?
If only the general could come with me.She sighed, wishing she could spend more time with him. He’d asked her to keep their time together a secret when she’d last seen him, and she hated that she couldn’t tell anyone about him yet.
‘It’s best we keep this between the two of us for now,’ he said, as she curled up against him in bed.
His fingers traced down her back, and she kissed his bare chest.
‘If only we could wake up together every morning,’ she whispered, pushing herself up on her elbow to look down at him.
The general looked at her like he wanted to devour her, and she loved the effect she had on him. For as long as she could remember, his eyes had seemed to smoulder whenever she walked into a room at work, but now they only ever met at his townhouse and he didn’t waste any time in taking her straight to his bedroom.
‘I haven’t told my wife yet, but it’s only a matter of time,’ he said, reaching for her and pressing a firm kiss to her lips.
Ava pouted down at him. ‘If she’s not coming back, then why can’t I just live here with you? Wouldn’t you love to wake up to me every morning?’ she purred.
He pulled her closer, and she knew exactly what he wanted from her. ‘Just be patient, there’s no need to rush. We have a war to win, Ava, and my wife is not your concern. You don’t need to worry about her.’
She surrendered to his kisses, easily distracted, but as she rolled around in his sheets she could already see herself as his wife, showing off her ring and being the mistress of the beautiful townhouse.
‘Christ!’ Ava swore as she realised, a moment too late, that she was approaching the bend in the road too fast.
In a second that felt like the slowest minute of her life, the motorcycle started to slide out from beneath her, her body falling away from the corner instead of expertly leaning into it as she’d been taught, and she fought to correct her mistake even though she knew there was no way to change what was happening. She hit the ground fast, her trousers tearing on impact as she fell, the bike falling and sliding across the ground.
Ava was stunned for the longest moment, lying prone, before her brain suddenly remembered her training and she leapt to her feet, stumbling as she surveyed the road around her. She looked down at the big rip in her trousers and the slash through her leg, blood slowly dripping from her knee. Her shoulder hurt too, the pain making her grimace as she tried to lift her arm, patting at the satchel as if to convince herself that it was still there, that she hadn’t lost it.
You have to deliver the memo. Protect the memo above all else!
She ran then to her motorcycle, hauling it up as her shoulder screamed to her to stop, righting it and quickly pushing it to the side of the road in case an unexpected car or lorry came around the bend and didn’t see her.
The light is broken. It’ll fall off if I leave it like that.It was only midday but she still needed to secure the light, just in case she needed it later.Think of something, come on, you need to improvise here!
She grabbed the headlamp, frantically trying to think what she could use to secure it.My pink ribbon!Thank goodness she’d left it on there. She quickly untied it and then did her best to secure the light on the front. She wasn’t convinced it would hold for the entire journey, but it was all she had right now, and she just had to hope she hadn’t damaged either of the tyres in her unexpected crash. If she had to patch the tyre, it could be disastrous.
Ava did her best to ignore her throbbing leg as she tried desperately to start the engine, cringing as it spluttered and then died.Why didn’t I pay more attention during mechanics!
‘No!’ she yelled. ‘You arenotdying on me now. Come on!’
She tried again, thrusting her heel down in a desperate attempt to kick-start the bike. When it spluttered again, she almost lost hope, but as she gave it one last go, it suddenly fired up and she gripped the handlebars tight as she accelerated and started to move forward again. It could stall at any moment, and she wasn’t wasting a second.
‘Thank you, God!’ she cried and, despite the blood steadily dripping from her knee, she took off without a second thought for her injuries. She just needed to keep the bike going long enough to deliver her memo; after that, she’d figure out what to do about herself.
The motorcycle stuttered and she held her breath, half expecting it to stop right then and there, but somehow it kept going as she cursed her stupidity, hating her amateur wobble as she fought against the cotton-wool feeling inside her head.This is on me. If I’d been concentrating, this would never have happened.
She glanced down at her bag. The memo she was entrusted with was the only thing she should be thinking about, and she knew she’d never forgive herself if she failed – one mistake, one message not delivered to the right person ... She pushed the thought away.
And all because I was too busy thinking about getting all dolled up for a wedding.She refused to admit she’d also been thinking about a man.
An hour later, with perhaps two miles to go until she reached headquarters on her return, Ava’s luck ran out. She heard the change in the engine, the way it stuttered and spluttered, before it came to a complete stop. The silence was deafening.
‘Bloody hell,’ she swore, trying valiantly to start it even though she knew it was well and truly dead. ‘Ugh!’
