A Flight of Golden Wings

by Beryl Matthews

  ‘Would you believe it, Pete, these little girls fly fighters and bombers! Isn’t that something?’ Then they danced away again.

  ‘Four-engines?’ When she nodded he was clearly impressed. ‘But aren’t they heavy to handle?’

  ‘Women are quite capable of flying them, and we do have a flight engineer on board to help us with the undercarriage and any controls that are out of the pilot’s reach.’

  Amusement flickered across his face as he asked, ‘Ever jumped?’

  ‘Not yet, but I wouldn’t hesitate if I had to.’ She looked up at his face. He had nice grey eyes and was handsome in a tough way. ‘How many times have you jumped?’

  ‘Too many.’

  The dance ended and they went to find Sally and Alan. They caught up with them at the bar. They spent the entire evening together and had a thoroughly good time. The officers were excellent dancers and had a wicked sense of humour. Ruth and Sally hadn’t laughed so much for ages, and it did them both the world of good.

  ‘Where are you staying?’ Alan asked when it was time to leave.

  ‘The Savoy.’

  ‘Right, we’ll walk you back.’ When he saw they were about to say it wasn’t necessary, he said, ‘And it’s no good you protesting.’

  Ruth and Sally thought the least they could do was buy them a drink at the hotel. The soldiers wanted more, but on receiving a firm refusal, they took it like gentlemen.

  They walked into the bar laughing, not at all eager for the evening to end.

  Chapter Twenty

  The sound of a familiar laugh made Jack glance towards the door. Seeing Ruth on the arm of an army officer shook him so badly that his first instinct was to leap out of his chair and tear her away from him. He took a deep breath. That wasn’t the way to handle this. After all, he was the one who kept insisting that a firm commitment between them would be wrong at this time. She was free to do whatever she liked.

  They were at the bar now and having too much of a good time to notice him. What a blasted fool he was. He’d been so sure she wouldn’t look at anyone else. Arrogant sod! He could think of more colourful expressions to describe his stupidity, but that would achieve nothing. He closed his eyes briefly as he marshalled his thoughts. He was going to have to make sure she didn’t want to turn to anyone else for her pleasure. And the best way to do that was to make her his – in every sense of the word. She was a well brought up girl who didn’t sleep around, he knew that well enough – and he’d respected her for that. But seeing her with someone else had shaken him, and called for drastic action on his part, or he was going to lose her.

  His mouth twisted in a wry grimace as he thought, Ma, you tried to make a gentleman of me, but I’m about to throw all that teaching out of the window.

  He stood up and walked towards the bar, and stopped right behind Ruth. ‘Hiya, honey. Had a good time?’

  She nearly fell off the stool she was sitting on, and he steadied her as she spun round.

  ‘Jack, what are you doing here?’

  Not the most encouraging greeting, but he let it go. ‘I saw the note you left for Gussie, so I thought I’d come and join you.’

  Ruth was still flustered. ‘I thought you were stuck with a priority delivery. How did you get back?’

  ‘The weather was rough, but I managed to complete the trip. I got a lift part of the way, and finished the journey to White Waltham by train.’ He gave a forced smile. ‘Aren’t you going to introduce me to your friends?’

  ‘Sorry.’ Sally made the introductions.

  Jack shook hands politely and bought them all another drink. He stood so close to Ruth that their bodies were touching, and he knew the soldiers had got the message. He was also aware that this irritated Ruth because she kept glaring at him, but he didn’t move.

  They talked for about an hour, and then Pete and Alan prepared to leave, thanking Ruth and Sally for making their evening so enjoyable.

  Jack walked with them to the door where the captain faced him. ‘Ruth is a lovely and talented girl. You’ve made it plain that she belongs to you, though I’m not so sure she feels the same about you. You’d better sort that out, mate, because if you don’t, I’ll be back. I know where to find her.’

  ‘You won’t need to do that. I’ll get it “sorted”, as you say. It’s sure nice to have met you both.’

  Alan and Pete grinned as they shook hands with Jack. ‘You too. Take care of those girls. They’re something special.’

  ‘They sure are.’ Jack watched them march away, then turned and went back to the bar.

  Ruth was furious. ‘What the blazes do you think you were doing?’

  ‘Doing?’ He shot Sally a glance of mock surprise. ‘Do you know what she’s talking about? I was perfectly polite. I bought them drinks and even saw them on their way.’

  Sally smothered a laugh. ‘Oh, Jack, you’re incorrigible, do you know that? You smiled, but your attitude said, “Hands off, buddy, she’s mine.”’

  Sally’s American accent was so bad that Ruth saw the funny side of Jack’s actions. In a way it showed he cared about her, although he never put it into words. She yawned. ‘Where are you staying, Jack?’

  ‘Here.’

  ‘I thought they didn’t have any vacancies? We could only get a twin room.’

  ‘They found me one. Sally can have the room to herself. You’ll be sharing mine.’

  ‘I beg your pardon?’ Ruth lowered her voice, not wanting anyone else to hear, relieved that Sally was occupied ordering a newspaper for the morning. ‘You dare come here radiating disapproval because I’ve been dancing with a charming man – and that’s all I’ve been doing – then you have the nerve to tell me I’m sharing your bed! Well, you’ve had a wasted journey!’ She took a deep breath to steady herself. ‘You are a complete mystery to me, Jack.’

  He watched her storm away, collecting Sally on the way, and leave the bar. He gave a snort of disbelief at his crass conduct. He’d really loused that up! She was furious with him, but not as angry as he was with himself. If he didn’t do something to redeem himself in her eyes, he was going to lose her. He had come to this country to fly planes, not fall in love. But that’s what he’d done, and there was no point trying to run from that fact. Goodness knows he’d tried hard enough to do just that. And as for her not understanding him – join the queue, he thought. His family had never understood his restlessness, and the way he shied away from making a commitment. He had a dislike of being tied down in any way. That’s why the freedom he felt in the air was right for him.

  This self-analysis was all very well, but it wasn’t solving his immediate problem. Wandering over to the bar he sat on a stool and beckoned the barman. ‘Would it be possible to get some flowers – preferably roses – in the next ten minutes?’

  The barman was having difficulty keeping a straight face, having witnessed the exchange. He poured Jack a whisky from a bottle he kept under the counter. ‘Put your foot in it, have you?’

  Jack tossed back the fiery liquid and grimaced. ‘Yeah, big time.’

  ‘I’ll have a word with reception and see what we can do.’

  ‘Thanks.’ Jack stayed where he was as the barman disappeared. It was late now – or rather, early morning – and the bar was nearly empty. He ordered another drink and stared at it gloomily.

  The barman was gone for some time, but when he returned he was carrying an enormous bouquet of mixed flowers tied with a golden bow.

  ‘My God!’ Jack gasped. ‘Where did you get those at this time of night?’

  The man smirked. ‘There’re ways. We couldn’t get all roses, but there are a couple of red ones in the bunch. Would you like to attach a note, and then the bellboy will take them up to the young lady’s room.’

  Jack wrote five words – I’m sorry, please forgive me – then tucked it in the flowers.

  The bellboy was hovering, ready to carry out his errand. Jack tipped them both generously, and then made his way up to his room. That was all he could d
o tonight. He might as well try to get some sleep.

  He was sprawled on the large double bed trying to read a newspaper when there was a knock on the door. With a sigh, he got up. That was probably the boy to tell him Ruth had refused the flowers. If he was in her shoes, he’d throw them right back as well.

  When he opened the door Ruth was standing there, a rose in one hand and her toilet bag in the other. He was too stunned to move or speak.

  She nudged him aside and walked in. Turning to face him she said, ‘You are a difficult man to stay mad at, Jack Nelson.’

  Relief flooded through him. For once in his life he’d done the right thing. He moved towards her but didn’t dare take her in his arms, for he doubted he would be able to stop if he did. He carefully reached out and ran his fingers down her cheek, caressing gently. ‘Thanks for coming to tell me, honey. I’m real sorry, but I was so damned jealous when I saw you with another man.’

  ‘Were you?’ She leant her cheek against his hand, and held up the flower. ‘I like a man who isn’t afraid to say he’s sorry.’

  His hand moved down to caress her shoulder. He wanted her so much, and that realisation scared him half to death. He was in territory he’d never been in before. His girlfriends had come and gone without a pang of regret. Her hesitant demeanour told him that it had taken a great deal of courage on her part to come to his room like this. Her inexperience was showing.

  Lowering his head he brushed his lips over hers. ‘Stay with me tonight, honey. You can trust me. I won’t get you into trouble.’

  Ruth studied his face for a moment, then put the toilet bag on a chair next to her, and tossed the rose on to the bed, her decision made. She wrapped her arms around him and held on tightly.

  Unable to hold himself in check any longer, Jack kissed her until they were both lost in passion.

  Breaking the embrace he undid the top button of her blouse and murmured, ‘Let’s get rid of these clothes, shall we?’

  When Ruth opened her eyes she found Jack leaning on his elbow and looking down at her. He kissed her gently. ‘Morning, honey.’

  ‘Is it morning already?’ She stretched and smiled at him before realising that he was dressed. She couldn’t hide her disappointment. After the night they had just shared it would have been lovely to wake in his arms and savour the closeness. ‘You’re up early.’

  ‘Yeah, sorry, but I’ve got to leave now. I’ve ordered breakfast for you, and I’ve taken care of the check – bill,’ he corrected. After kissing her again he swung himself off the bed and stood up, looking anxiously at his watch.

  ‘You’d better not be late.’ She didn’t know how she managed to keep her voice so normal. There wasn’t a hint of the passion of last night. He just wanted to be on his way. He was going to leave without a word of love. But then, he had never said he loved her. She knew it was something she was going to have to accept. This was how Jack Nelson was. It was either take it or leave it. She would take it.

  He picked up his bag. ‘I’ll see you when you get back, then.’

  She nodded.

  With his hand on the door, he turned. ‘Thanks for last night.’ Then he was gone.

  As soon as the door closed behind him she burst into tears. It wasn’t supposed to be like this, was it? For her it had been a glorious experience, but Jack clearly didn’t feel the same. Calling herself all manner of names, she dried her eyes and blew her nose. She had come to him willingly, without any pressure from him, knowing what he was like. He obviously wasn’t a novice at making love, and she couldn’t help wondering how many women had fallen for his charm. Quite a few, she imagined.

  Ruth got up, washed and dressed. There was no way she was having breakfast here by herself. And she had to stop feeling sorry for herself. It was selfish. Since Rob had been killed, Jack had taken on more and more work as an instructor and, no doubt, had lessons lined up for today. When she’d made the decision to sleep with him, she had been fully aware of the step she was taking. And she couldn’t regret it. Whatever happened in the future, she would always have wonderful memories of their night together. And, to be honest, she hoped there would be many more.

  There was a tap on the door and she opened it to find the waiter there with her tray. She gave him Sally’s room number, asking him to take it there, and walked along the corridor with him.

  She opened the door and peered in. ‘You up, Sally? I’ve brought my breakfast with me.’

  Sally was sitting up in bed with a tray on her knees and beckoned Ruth to join her.

  When the waiter had left, Sally studied Ruth’s face. ‘Where’s Jack?’

  ‘He had to leave early.’

  ‘Hmm, are you all right?’

  Ruth nodded. ‘Yes, I am. I don’t regret my decision. I love that difficult man so much.’

  ‘Good.’ Sally managed to squeeze another half a cup of tea out of her pot. ‘My boyfriend’s in the navy, and we make the most of every moment we get together.’

  ‘I didn’t know you had a steady boyfriend.’ Ruth was surprised, for Sally never said much about her private life.

  ‘We met about two years ago, and will probably marry if we both survive this war.’

  ‘Not before?’

  ‘No. Too many people are jumping into hasty marriages. We feel it’s best to wait until things quieten down before taking that step. We all react differently to the danger of this war. Some forge ahead without thinking about the future, and others are more cautious.’ Sally gave Ruth an understanding smile. ‘I suspect Jack is the cautious type, like me. Any decision taken in the heat of battle, so to speak, could turn out to be a dreadful mistake. Don’t be upset by Jack’s refusal to make a firm commitment. From what I’ve seen of him, he’s a man with a strong sense of honour, and won’t want to cause you more heartache than is absolutely necessary. Who knows how we’ll all feel after this conflict is over, when the danger and tension has gone. Just enjoy being with him.’

  Ruth thought about Sally’s words and smiled wryly. ‘You’re quite right. I’m usually quite sensible, but Jack seems to scramble my thoughts.’

  Sally laughed out loud. ‘I know exactly what you mean. Now, what are we going to do for the rest of the day?’

  ‘I don’t know. Have you any ideas?’

  ‘Let’s go out and take the day as it comes, shall we?’

  Ruth nodded in agreement. ‘That sounds like a recipe for every day, doesn’t it?’

  ‘It helps.’

  He was running behind time. Jack put his foot down hard on the accelerator. He’d managed to borrow a car for this trip to London or he would never have been able to stay overnight. He should have been on his way an hour ago, but hadn’t wanted to leave before Ruth woke up. She had looked so lovely, and it had taken all his self-control not to make love to her again, but he doubted if he’d have made it back before afternoon if he had. She had been disappointed when he’d left so early, but once she got over that she would see that he’d had no choice.

  Once he was out of London, he drove like a bat out of hell. If he didn’t come across any delays on the way he might just about make his first appointment.

  As the car hummed along his thoughts went back to last night. Ruth must love him or she would never have come to him like that. He was pretty damned sure it had been her first time – and he had never experienced anything like it before. Oh, he’d had one or two women in the past, but making love to them had been quite different from Ruth. Dear God, but she was wonderful! He hoped he’d been able to show her how much she meant to him. He didn’t know why it was so hard to say those simple little words – I love you – but they seemed to stick in his throat. He’d just have to show her by his actions.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  It was a beautiful spring day, but Lucy was oblivious to this. She was in trouble. The Hurricane she was flying sounded terrible, and the instruments had gone haywire, showing she was almost out of fuel, which she couldn’t be. She had been in the air less than half an hour
. She had collected the plane from Rochester for delivery to the repair unit at Henlow.

  A nasty crunch came from the engine, making it shudder. Lucy didn’t know how much longer she could keep this plane in the air. As far as she could see, she had two alternatives: find somewhere to land, or jump. She was reluctant to do the latter because there was no telling where the plane would come down. There was always the danger of hurting someone on the ground, and no ATA pilot liked to lose a plane.

  The Hurricane was becoming hard to control. The noise from the engine didn’t seem to be getting any worse though, so she’d see if she could get the plane down. But where? It had to be quick or she was going to have to jump before she lost too much height. That thought didn’t thrill her one bit!

  Suddenly, a Spitfire appeared on her wing, and then another. They circled the Hurricane, obviously inspecting it, and then one flew in front of her and wiggled its wings. The other plane stayed on her wing, the pilot looking across at her. She was concentrating too much on holding the plane level to be able to see who it was, but she did wonder if it might be Dave. When she glanced across quickly, he pointed straight ahead, indicating that she should follow the plane in front. With a ragged sigh of relief she let them escort her to an airfield.

  But her troubles weren’t by any means over. As she approached the airfield the undercarriage wouldn’t come down. Try as she might, it wouldn’t budge. Lucy had never been one to panic, and she didn’t now. You could lose your life like that. She’d never landed a plane without an undercarriage before, but her brother had taught her the procedure and she was sure she could do it. Anyway, there wasn’t any alternative; she was now too low to do anything else. She was committed to this landing.

  The Spitfires stayed with her until she was almost down, and then shot up and away. Her whole concentration was on getting down without somersaulting the plane, but she knew they were up there watching. They couldn’t do any more to help; this was entirely up to her, but it was strangely comforting to know they were willing her on.