by Ian Lindsey
It was more than the twins could have hoped for, but the RAF pilot shortage made it possible. Sir Dowding’s long held belief that you could replace planes faster than pilots worked in their favor, and without much in the way of an interview he’d just bestowed on the twins the chance to fly much more readily than they could have gotten back home.
The boys stood in preparation to leave and both said at the same time “Thank you, sir, we won’t let you down.”
“If you are as disciplined as that cadence and can stick together as such in flying formation, you’ll do just fine. You’ll meet my chief of staff Monday morning. He’s just down the hall. Thank you again for Captain Lawrence’s affects, and for your service to Great Britain.” Sir Dowding concluded and stood to shake hands with the boys.
As the twins exited the office, the rather strict looking WAAF corporal looked far less daunting than when the entered mostly because the boys could not believe their luck. With one meeting they took the first step in accomplishing their true purpose on the journey that had started with a small idea back in New York. The chance meeting with the late Captain Lawrence turned in to a stroke of luck, though they wished he’d been there to celebrate the triumph with them. They hadn’t even needed the help of the King’s letter, so they could meet with him the next day in good conscience. With their path laid out before them, the twins would now know whether or not they could truly make the cut as fighter pilots, and thus make a difference in this war.
***
After nearly floating out the gate of RAF Bentley Priory, the twins hurriedly caught a cab back to The Savoy to meet up with Timothy and Clara. As they walked past the front desk, the manager politely got their attention.
“Mr. Payton Anders? I have a letter for you sir.” The manager said from behind the desk. He walked back to the cubby holes behind him and produced a small white envelope with Air Mail stamped on it, but no return address.
“Thank you.” Payton said as he took the letter from the manager.
“Who’s it from?” Dylan asked.
“Don’t know, I’ll have to open it to find out.” Payton answered more than just a little intrigued. “It doesn’t look like Mom or Dad’s handwriting, and I can’t make out the postmark. I’ll open it when we get up to our room. Timothy and Clara are expecting us soon for dinner.”
Once in their room Dylan rang up Timothy on the phone and arranged a low key dinner at a nearby pub. Payton sat at the desk and carefully opened the first letter either of them had gotten since they left New York. It was dated May 29th.
Dear Payton,
I received your last letter postmarked from the Savoy, so I hope that this letter will find you there. I know we only spent one actual evening together, but it was one of the better nights of my life and I long to see you again. I certainly cherish the letters that you send me, so thank you a thousand times over for sending them. They seem to be growing more affectionate, and I must admit my feelings for you are growing as well. I sound like gushing school girl, but it doesn’t bother me. I can’t stop thinking of you and worrying about you, so I will come quickly to my point. I finished my exams at McGill last week and promptly joined the Red Cross and volunteered to work in London, which was the closest they could get me to France as a citizen of a combatant country. They’ll train me as a nurse there, and then I shall come find you. My mother has promised to forward all of your letters, so even if I miss you hopefully there will be enough information to meet you somewhere. I know this is a slightly crazy idea, and very impetuous, but I want to help the war effort as much as my brother and I want to find you. This plan will hopefully accomplish both of those things. I fly out the day after tomorrow (I’m a little nervous for my first plane trip, but the Red Cross is desperate for nurses so they’ll happily fly me) and I arrive in London the evening of the 1st of June. Father has promised to put me up at the Savoy for the first two nights before I report for duty on the 3rd. Hopefully this letter reaches you first and I will meet you there.
Yours Truly,
Anne
“Well, that’s a bit of a shock.” Payton muttered to himself after he read the letter.
“What?” Dylan asked as he hung up the phone.
“Anne. She’ll be here in London, at The Savoy, tonight. She finished classes and joined the Red Cross. Says she wants to help the war effort and see me.” Payton replied a little dumbfounded. He’d denied his feelings that night, but now that she threw off the shackles of distance he now knew what his brother must feel for Clara.
“I thought she might like you, but I never thought she’d end up here. It actually will work out fine for tonight. Timothy just told me that only Simone could make it for dinner tonight, Maggie and Caroline are unavailable. Are you happy she’s here?” Dylan inquired.
“I’ll certainly be happy to see her. You’ve known this whole time that I liked her. I guess you and Clara sort of proved that we don’t have to put our lives on hold to fly here. I’m worried, though, that she’s coming to London when Hitler might be on his way here soon.” Payton said thoughtfully.
“I know how you feel. Clara insists that she’ll go wherever we go next, but I think Ireland might be best for her if things get sticky here. I doubt she’ll listen, though.” Dylan commiserated with his brother about the headstrong women in their lives.
“Well, at the very least we’ll have a say in holding them off.” Payton concluded. “At least she can tag along for our meeting tomorrow, too. I don’t ever really try too hard to impress a girl, but I’m sure she’ll be impressed by the King. Clara might be too when she finally believes us.”
“She won’t believe us until we pull in to Buckingham, I suppose.” Dylan chuckled. “Dinner starts in ninety minutes, so you best check and see if you can find Anne so she can join us.”
“Right, I’ll run down to the lobby.” Payton said and stood with the letter still in his hand. With an added energy in his step, Payton quickly left the room and headed for the elevator and then the lobby several floors below. He emerged from the elevator in to the lobby that, while not exactly a bustling tube station at rush hour, still contained a fair number of people. The extra people checking in before dinner complicated his task of finding the chestnut haired girl he’d often thought of since they first met a little more than three weeks prior. His heart thumped a little faster as he searched, and he quickly rehearsed in his head what he might say, though he rejected each iteration as quickly as he thought of it.
Payton scanned the crowd quickly and as his eyes swept over the front doors one more time he finally saw Anne glide easily in to the hotel. She wore a light cotton dress in navy with small white trim on the hem and neckline and the faintest polka dot pattern in between. She looked slightly tired from the travel, but to Payton she radiated the calm, serene beauty he noticed the first time they met even though the radio announcements at the time would rattle anyone. His heart rate oddly slowed down once he saw her. His nervousness stemmed from thinking that she might not be there more than anything, and now that he saw her he relaxed and walked directly through the crowd to meet her. As he approached, she finally saw him coming her way and broke in to a wide, warm smile.
“I didn’t know if you’d be here.” She said quietly with a look of relief on her face. “The whole way here I kept imagining the worst.”
“I just got your letter today. We only returned here last night. We hadn’t even planned on returning. I think fate meant for us to meet here.” Payton said with a smile to match Anne’s own.
“Are you pleased to see me?”Anne asked sheepishly as the two stood still in the middle of the lobby while everyone else seemed to stream around them.
“Yes, of course I am.” Payton said and gently held her close for a kiss. “I’m very pleased to see you. I didn’t know if we’d ever meet again, but I’m lucky to have you here now.”
She blushed slightly at the romance of their first kiss and said “I thought you’d be in France when I wrote the letter, bu
t then prayed you weren’t when I heard that the Germans were overrunning the country. You said you just got back, were you there?”
“It’s a bit of a trek, but we ended up in Dublin when we heard the news about France. We ended up sailing to France several times to help with the Dunkirk evacuation. On the last trip Dylan didn’t duck in time and got scratched by a bullet, then one of our three ships took a shell before anyone was aboard.” Payton summarized the action quickly.
“Is that all?” Anne said with a bit of a laugh.
“Actually, no, it isn’t. Through a contact in France we met with the Air Chief Marshall this afternoon. We report back to the RAF on Monday. I think I wrote you about the King as well, we have an audience with him tomorrow.” Payton said, then he remembered “Oh yeah, and Dylan fell for a girl in Dublin, Clara.”
“That is quite the tale. It’s only been three weeks and so much has happened.” Anne said with a bit of a gasp. “War will do that, I suppose. The only news I have is that my brother is okay. He cabled home that he’d made it out of France and would be reassigned to another camp in England.”
“That’s excellent news.” Payton said, genuinely pleased. “Let’s get you checked in. I’m very pleased you are here. Thank you, my dear, for coming.” He finished as he guided her to the front desk. The clerk helped Anne check in and gave her the best room remaining in the hotel without even a request. The twin’s unfailing politeness to the staff even outshined their connection to the King and had garnered them more than just the usual excellent service at the fine hotel.
Payton led her to the room on the upper floors overlooking the river and left her to recover from the trip as much as she could in the hour before dinner. He left her with the note that they’d have a casual evening at the pub with their new compatriots and to meet them in the lobby. He then went up the two floors to the room he shared with his brother as though he were floating.
“You look happy. You must have found her.” Dylan said with a grin as Payton entered the room.
“In fact I did. I’m quite pleased.” Payton answered.
“I can tell. I’m ready to go meet Timothy, Clara, and Simone, though you’ve got a few minutes to get ready. This will make for a lively dinner, I suppose.” Dylan said. “Do you need me to stall them for Anne or will you two go it alone this evening?”
“No, we’ll be there. She’s getting ready right now. She might as well dive in with the rest of us. That’s what she came here for.” Payton said as he headed for the shower.
Three quarters of an hour later Dylan and Payton headed down to the lobby to meet everyone. They found Simone just walking in the front door, but did not find anyone else yet.
“Hello Simone, it's a pleasure to see you again.” Payton said as she walked towards them.
“I'm quite pleased to see the both of you as well. I didn’t know if we’d ever get to meet again after our wonderful evening.” Simone said with genuine pleasure at seeing the boys again.
“Thank you and we’re happy to be back here as well. We didn’t know it at the time, either.” Dylan said. “But, I guess we never really know where we’ll show up.”
“As long as you show up at the opportune moment then you don’t need to worry about where you show up.” Simone observed.
“That’s quite right, and very astute.” Payton said.
“My father says it all the time. The right time can make up for the wrong place, and the opposite as well.” Simone smiled sheepishly for a moment, but then broke in to a wider smile as she saw Timothy and Clara approaching.
“Hello, Simone.” Timothy said in his best dashing voice.
“Hello, Timothy.” She replied coyly. “And Clara, I haven’t seen you since you last came down with your brother more than a year ago.”
“I haven’t been to London since, but I haven’t tarried so long to forget to splendid time we had. It is so very nice to see you again.” Clara said as she leaned in for a familiar peck on the cheek with Simone.
“Everyone, please let me introduce Anne.” Payton said as she approached. “We met Anne before we left Montreal at McGill, and she’s come to England to join the Red Cross as a nurse. Anne, these fine folks are Timothy, Clara, and Simone that I’ve told you about.”
“Bless you, dear, for coming over to help.” Simone said sincerely.
“Payton spoke of you in Dublin, but he didn’t say that you’d be here.” Clara said.
“Thank you, Simone. Payton didn’t know. I sent a letter but I think he just got it today.” Anne blushed as she explained. “I’m just happy that I found my way over here and caught up with him.”
“Ah, not just the Red Cross then, you’ve come for Payton!” Timothy teased even though he’d known Anne for less than five minutes.
“Timothy!” his sister scolded.
“That’s all right.” Anne said. “I did want to come help, but I also wanted to find Payton. These two boys leave quite an impression.”
“I’d agree with you.” Clara laughed.
“I’ve no idea why.” Timothy poked a little more fun at his friends.
“Okay, enough. We give up.” Payton said playing along with the joke. “Let’s get to the pub before this gets out of hand!”
With the introductions done they all made their way out of the lobby for one more evening together without knowing what lay ahead for Europe, for London, or for their little group quickly becoming fast friends.
As they walked to the pub Timothy and Simone lead the group, followed by Dylan and Clara. Payton and Anne fell behind the others for a moment alone.
“Thank you for coming.” He said feebly as he held her hand.
“I couldn’t stay behind this time. I felt that way after my brother left, and now we don’t know where he his other than in England. I’ll try and find him soon.” Anne answered. “If you disappeared too, I’d never know. I couldn’t have that.” She finished.
Still lacking a decent answer, Payton replied “I’m glad he’s okay, and I’m so happy to have you here. I fell in love with you that first night, and have not stopped thinking of you since.” He let rush out all at once. “I guess that might be a little forward.” He finished sheepishly.
“No, I felt that same way. I love you too, Payton, and I’m here to prove it.” She said boldly with a smile.
With that, he leaned in as they walked and kissed her with a passion reserved for the young in the first blush of true love. She kissed him back as the warm glow enveloped them both, cementing that love amid a world of chaos.
Chapter 17
June 2nd, 1940
The next morning for breakfast at a little restaurant near the hotel nearly the entire expanding little group felt the after effects of the raucous evening at the pub. They’d drunk and danced even though the worldly events hovered like a shadow. The young love of each couple pushed the shadow aside somewhat to allow a little sunshine. The girls got along famously, with Clara, Simone, and Anne quickly acting like the best of sisters. Clara especially welcomed Anne with her warm and gracious manner. They recognized the kindred spirit of toughness and rebellion in each other easily and truly enjoyed the shared kinship. Simone’s gentle grace fit in nicely with the two feistier girls to round out the better halves of the boys in the group. By the end of the night, no one could tell that the three had started out the evening with introductions.
The twins seemed in the best shape in the morning even though they’d matched everyone else drink for drink and then some. The small old pub reminded them of their days back in Oregon more than anything else on their adventure so far. Timothy especially looked the worse for wear, but still sported a contented smile as he picked at his morning eggs and steak.
“We did mention yesterday at breakfast that we’d have a meeting today.” Dylan said to break the quiet as everyone finished their food.
“Yes, you thought you were funny saying we’d meet the King today.” Clara said with very little amusement.
“That is c
orrect. We have an audience with the King at 11:30 am.” Payton said.
“Really?” Anne asked.
“Yes, really.” Payton answered. “Clara, will you and Simone please help Anne find something suitable to wear? I’m not sure what the etiquette for meeting the King is.”
“You can’t be serious.” Timothy said.
“I think he is.” Clara followed with the realization that the twins wouldn't continue with the line of joking for so long if they weren’t serious.
“We are. Our shipment over from Montreal was in the King’s service and he asked us to report in to him with any interesting news. I think what we saw at Dunkirk qualifies.” Dylan answered.
“Excellent, I’ll meet the King with a hangover. Father wouldn't have it any other way.” Timothy said.
“Come on, Anne, you look like you are about my size. We can find you something at my house.” Simone said. “Clara, bring your things and I’ll have father’s car come round and take us back there. We can all get ready there, though it would have been nice for a little more notice. We’ll have to do each other’s hair because I don’t think my salon is open today.”
“That should work nicely. The King has arranged for a car to pick us up here at 11 am. We’ll have it stop at your place on the way to Buckingham Palace to pick you up.” Payton said.
“We’ll make it work.” Anne said gamely. “I’m sure the King will take us as we are.”
“Thank you, ladies; we’ll see you in a couple hours.” Dylan said by way of farewell as the three women hurried out of the restaurant back to the hotel.
***
“Sirs, it’s a pleasure to see you again.” said Mr. Smith the chauffeur as he opened the door to the same Lanchester limousine that had ferried the boys to London previously.
“I’m glad to see you again as well, Mr. Smith. Nice to have a familiar face take us to such a grand place.” Dylan said with a smile.