Ruth was amused to see that Lucy was regarding Mr Trent with unusual reserve. Simon took after his father in looks and manner, and there seemed to be very little of his mother in him. She was more talkative and dominated the conversation for some time.
During a short break when his wife went out to help Alice lay the table for tea, Mr Trent turned to Ruth. ‘Simon tells me you fly anything from fighters to bombers, Ruth?’
‘We fly anything that needs moving.’
Mr Trent shook his head. ‘I don’t know how you do it. And what about you, Lucy, what do you fly?’
‘Fighters, trainers and twin-engines. Simon’s been my teacher,’ she said proudly. ‘He’s the best darned pilot in the whole world, along with my brother, of course.’
Simon’s mouth twitched as he glanced at Jack, but they said nothing.
But they weren’t the only ones amused by Lucy’s declaration. Mr Trent had also discerned the way her mind was working. ‘You don’t have to defend my son to me, my dear. I am well aware of Simon’s talents.’
‘Oh.’ Lucy hadn’t been expecting that.
Simon’s father winked at her, looking so like an older version of his son. ‘I still think he would have made an excellent doctor, but I’m sure he’s an even better pilot.’
‘He is!’
Jack sighed pointedly, making Lucy turn to him with a frown on her face. ‘What?’
‘You don’t need me to tell you.’
She thought for a moment and then looked slightly uncomfortable when she realised what she had been doing. ‘I’m sorry, sir,’ she said to Simon’s father. ‘I didn’t mean to be rude. I have the habit of saying what’s on my mind.’
‘There’s no need to apologise. I’m pleased my son stands so high in your estimation.’
Lucy glanced at her brother, puzzled, and then a sudden smile crossed her face. ‘Oh, I get it; you mean you’re pleased I think so much of him. Well, it isn’t just me, we all do.’
‘That is even more gratifying.’
‘Jack, just listen to that accent.’ Now Lucy was enjoying herself. ‘You’re posh, Simon, but you don’t talk like that.’
‘Neither does my father usually. He’s teasing you, Lucy.’
‘Are you?’ She turned back to Mr Trent, now completely relaxed. ‘Do you know, sir, I like you?’
Simon’s father was having difficulty keeping a straight face. ‘And I like you. You are a charming girl.’
‘Gee, thanks.’
Ruth stood up. ‘Come and help me get the tea ready, Lucy, and leave the men to have a chat.’
As they made their way to the kitchen, Ruth heard the amused chuckles coming from the other room.
‘You know, Ruth, I thought I wouldn’t like Simon’s pa, but he’s OK, and they’re so alike. And what about his mother!’ Lucy whispered. ‘She’s OK too, but she sure can talk!’
When the girls had left the room, Mr Trent turned his attention to Jack. ‘Your sister is a remarkable young girl. She speaks her mind, and I like that. You have said very little, though, and I suspect that you are more reserved.’
Simon laughed. ‘Jack’s just the opposite to his sister. No one has been able to find out what really happened to him in France.’
Jack sat back, a slight smile on his face. ‘You had it all in my report.’
‘Which consisted of three lines. One day I want the whole story from you.’
‘Perhaps I’ll tell you when I’m sixty.’
Simon laughed out loud. ‘I’ll keep you to that, my friend.’
‘Tea’s ready.’ Alice looked in to the room. ‘You sound as if you’re having a good time.’
‘We are, my dear,’ George said, as he stood up. ‘But now we’re ready for those luxuries Mrs Nelson has so generously sent us.’
Mr Trent walked beside his son into the dining room, and said quietly, ‘I like your friends, Simon.’
‘So do I, Father.’
Chapter Thirty-One
1945 heralded bitterly cold weather, but as the weeks passed it was obvious that the war in Europe was coming to an end. By the 19th of January the German army was in full retreat along the Eastern Front, and by the end of that month the Soviet troops were in Germany and only about a hundred miles from Berlin. All the time the British and Americans were carrying out raids on Germany.
Ruth, and all the other ATA pilots, continued with their work of delivering planes where they were needed.
It was late March when Captain Anders joined them in the Mess at the end of the day. ‘I’ve just heard that the US forces have crossed the Rhine into Germany.’
A cheer went up and everyone began talking at once. Andy motioned to someone at the door and the room erupted into laughter as Jack rolled in a barrel of beer. He hoisted it on to a table and leant on it. ‘The drinks are on the American contingent of the ATA.’
Ruth and Lucy were crying with laughter at the stampede to find glasses and get them filled.
‘Where did he get that?’ Ruth asked Simon, wiping her eyes.
‘He sweet-talked the landlady at the pub. He can certainly turn on the charm when he needs to.’
Ruth rolled her eyes. ‘Don’t I know it!’
‘This bloody war’s nearly over, Ruth. But it’s given us a flying opportunity we would never have had otherwise.’
‘I agree. When I learnt to fly I never imagined that I would be flying fighters and bombers, but there’s been so much death, destruction and suffering. It will be a relief to see the end of it.’
‘Hey, you two!’ Lucy was holding out glasses of beer to them. ‘Stop looking so serious and have a drink with us.’
It turned into quite a party and Ruth and Lucy had to tear themselves away at eleven to get some sleep. They were flying in the morning, weather permitting. The war might be coming to an end, but there was still work to do, and they were just as devoted to the ferrying as they had been at the start. They wouldn’t give up until they were told that the ATA was no longer needed.
A couple of weeks later the British and Canadian forces crossed the Rhine, and the excitement mounted. It wouldn’t be long now.
Ruth had just delivered a Lancaster to one of the supply units and went to check in.
‘Have you heard the news?’ the ops officer asked her, as he stamped her chit dated 12th April. ‘President Roosevelt has died. He was only sixty-three.’
‘Oh, no!’ Ruth was dismayed. ‘We’re so close to the end of the war and he won’t see it! What a dreadful thing to have happened.’
The officer nodded. ‘It’s a damned shame.’
‘ATA taxi’s here!’ someone shouted.
Ruth hurried out to find Simon was the pilot. ‘Have you heard the sad news?’
‘Yes, at my last stop. Jack and Lucy are going to be upset. Harry Truman is being sworn in. The war in Europe is almost over, but it will be his task to bring the war with Japan to an end.’
Ruth climbed into the Anson and sat next to Simon. ‘We’re all excited about the war with Germany coming to an end, but we mustn’t forget that there is still a fierce battle raging with Japan. And we have troops in Burma, and there are many who were taken prisoner by the Japanese.’
When they arrived back at White Waltham everyone was sorry about the death of the American President.
‘He’s worked so hard,’ Lucy said, ‘and he won’t see the end. It’s so sad.’
‘He sure wouldn’t like to see us sitting around here with long faces.’ Jack stood up. ‘He was the right man for the job, and we should celebrate his achievements.’
Every ATA pilot there agreed, whatever their nationality, and they all went to the pub to drink to his memory.
Jack was grabbing a quick snack at Luton as he waited for Sally to deal with her paperwork, when a young RAF recruit ran in.
‘The bugger’s topped himself!’ he yelled, making sure everyone in the Mess could hear.
When no one responded he waved his arms around. ‘Hitler’s dead! He committed
suicide!’
‘You sure, son?’ Jack asked.
‘Course I am. Station officer’s just told us.’
Jack closed his eyes for a moment. Just over two weeks since Roosevelt had died, Hitler had killed himself. Germany must surrender now.
‘That’s good news, Jack, isn’t it?’
He opened his eyes and saw Sally smiling at him. ‘Yeah, terrific. That leaves Japan to deal with, and that won’t be easy.’
‘I agree, but you and Lucy will be able to go home soon. What will you do, go back to barnstorming?’
‘I don’t think we could return to that kind of life after this. We’ll stay with the ATA until it’s disbanded.’ He stood up. ‘You ready to go now?’
On the way back to No. 1 ferry pool, Jack’s mind mulled over Sally’s words. He had been putting off making a decision about the future, but one thing was for sure: there was no way he wanted to go back to his old life. It would be wonderful to see Ma again, but he doubted if he could stay at home for very long. He gazed out at the countryside below him and felt the usual tug at his heart. He’d fallen in love with this country as soon as he’d arrived, and he still felt the same. And it wasn’t only the country that would keep him here; there was also Simon’s offer. He’d sure love to be a part of his flying school. They got on well together, and he’d really enjoy working with him. There was so much to keep him in this country, but could he leave Ma and Lucy? But just as importantly, could he leave Ruth? Simon had already told him that she was going for her instructor’s rating as soon as possible so she could work with him. She had made her decision, and he couldn’t blame her because he had never given any indication that he considered their relationship a permanent one. He was going to have to sort that out soon. He was being damned unfair to her, and she didn’t deserve to be treated like this. He knew what he wanted to do with his life now, but how could he achieve that without hurting some of the people he loved?
White Waltham came into view and he put aside his dilemma to concentrate on landing.
He found Simon in the Mess and sat next to him. ‘Where are the girls?’
‘Lucy’s back and has gone home. Ruth’s making a final delivery to Bognor.’ Simon checked the clock. ‘I’m going to collect her in half an hour.’
‘Right. Is that tea fresh?’
‘Yes, help yourself.’
Jack poured the tea and drank it straight down. He loved it boiling hot. ‘Is that offer of a partnership still open?’
Simon nodded, giving Jack his full attention. ‘It will always be on the table. You can pick it up at any time.’
‘I can’t say yes or no at the moment. There are other people to consider. If I stay I’m going to upset Ma and Lucy. If I go back to America, I’m going to hurt Ruth, her folks and the friends I’ve made here.’
‘You’ve got to think about yourself as well, Jack. What do you really want to do?’
He didn’t get a chance to answer Simon’s question because Jane hurried into the room. And the words he heard turned him cold with fear.
‘Simon, get over to Bognor right away. Ruth’s crashed. That’s all I know at the moment.’
Both men were on their feet and rushing for the Anson.
‘I’m coming with you, Simon.’
It was only a short hop and they were soon there.
‘Oh, dear God!’ Jack swore when he saw the fighter Ruth had been flying. ‘She’s flipped right over.’
The station commander met them. ‘She’s all right. Damned lucky to have got away with a few cuts and bruises. They’ve taken her to the local hospital. My driver will take you there now. Oh, and by the way, she’s got a cool head on her.’ He grinned. ‘Even apologised for breaking the plane as they were pulling her out of the wreckage.’
‘That’s my girl,’ Jack murmured as they strode to the waiting car. ‘We can phone Jane from the hospital after we’ve seen her.’
They were shown into a room and found Ruth sitting on an examination table studying a rip in her slacks. She glanced up when they came in. ‘Just look at this, I’ll have to ask my mother if she can mend it for me. She’s good at invisible darning.’
Jack bent down in front of her. ‘You trying to get your own back, honey?’
One eye was fast closing, but the other gleamed in amusement. ‘Frightened you, did I?’
‘You sure did, and you’re also going to have one hell of a black eye. Have you seen your face?’
She grimaced. ‘I don’t think I want to look.’
‘Don’t worry, there isn’t any permanent damage done by the look of it. In a couple of weeks you’ll be as beautiful as ever.’
‘Flatterer.’ She took hold of his hand.
Jack felt it shake and knew that she was putting on a show for them. She was more shaken than she was letting on. But so would he have been after a crash like that.
‘What happened, Ruth?’ Simon wanted to know.
‘Everything was normal on approach. There wasn’t anything to indicate problems. As I touched the field there was the almighty crash and the undercarriage collapsed. The plane skidded along on its belly before upending and flipping over. No warning sign came up to tell me it wasn’t locked.’
‘That’s enough questions.’ A doctor and nurse walked in. ‘I must ask you to wait outside while we examine the patient.’
Jack leant against the wall in the corridor while Simon went to find a phone to let Jane know that Ruth was all right. That sure had been a close call. She could easily have been injured or even killed, and yet she was sitting in there complaining about a rip in her pants. But he knew only too well that there would be a delayed reaction. He had experienced it when he’d finally reached safety in France.
‘I got through to Jane.’ Simon stood beside Jack. ‘She was very relieved.’
‘Yeah, me too. We must have a look at that plane when we get back to the airfield.’
‘Just what I was thinking.’ Simon straightened up. ‘Here’s the doctor. How is she?’
‘Bruised and shaken, but nothing’s broken. However, we are going to keep her in overnight, just to make sure she isn’t suffering from concussion. You can see her for a few minutes before they take her up to the ward.’
‘I don’t want to stay in,’ were the first words she uttered when she saw them.
‘But you’re going to.’ Simon spoke firmly. ‘It’s just a precaution, Ruth. Either Jack or myself will collect you in the morning and take you home.’
‘All right.’ She yawned, giving way easily. ‘I do feel rather tired … Don’t tell Mum and Dad, it will only worry them, and there’s no real harm done.’
They agreed. Satisfied that Ruth was being taken good care of, they left, and once back at the airfield they made for the wrecked plane.
Jack removed his coat and tossed it down on the grass. ‘I want to have a look in the cockpit.’
‘You’ll have a job getting in there, Jack. Let me have a go, I’m not as big as you.’
‘I’ll have a go first.’ As the plane was upside down, Jack had to wriggle along and, after much struggling, managed to see inside the plane. He checked everything carefully, and then eased out again.
‘What did you find?’
‘As far as I could see everything looked normal.’ He clambered up and examined the undercarriage, or what was left of it.
Simon joined him and whistled through his teeth. ‘This is a real mess.’
‘It sure is. I can’t tell anything from this, so we’ll have to wait for the investigators to find out what really went wrong.’
‘Nothing more we can do at the moment, then.’ Simon bent and picked up Jack’s coat and handed it to him. ‘You’re the engineer, so what is your opinion? Mechanical failure?’
‘I’d bet my last dollar on that. Ruth is too good, too careful and too experienced a pilot to have missed a warning sign. That would have been the kind of elementary mistake she would never make.’
‘I agree.’ Simon gazed up at
the sky. ‘The light’s fading and we’d better get back. Lucy must be wondering where Ruth has got to.’
Lucy was looking out of the window when they arrived and she rushed out to meet them. ‘Where’s Ruth? Has she been stranded somewhere?’
‘We’ve just seen her.’ Jack urged his sister indoors. ‘Make us some tea.’
‘Not until you tell me why you’re both here and she isn’t.’
Simon made her sit down. ‘She’s all right, but when she landed, the undercarriage of her plane collapsed.’
‘Oh, hell, but you say she’s OK?’
‘A few bumps and bruises. They’re keeping her in hospital tonight. One of us will go and collect her in the morning.’
As it happened, Simon was the only one free the next day, and he was at the hospital by nine o’clock, knowing Ruth would want to get out of there as quickly as possible.
‘Why don’t you go and stay with your parents for a while?’ Simon suggested. ‘You’re going to feel groggy for a couple of days.’
‘That isn’t a good idea.’ Ruth touched her bruised face. ‘I don’t want them to see me like this.’
‘Perhaps you’re right, that’s a real beauty of a black eye you’ve got there.’
She gave a worried sigh. ‘Did you and Jack manage to get a look at the plane?’
‘Jack squeezed himself in far enough to check everything in the cockpit, and then he examined the undercarriage. You know he’s a genius with anything mechanical, but it was impossible to come to a definite conclusion on such a short examination. But, knowing you as he does, he’s certain it wasn’t your fault.’
‘So am I, but it’s a relief to know that.’ She brightened up then.
By the time they reached the house it was pouring with rain, and they had only been there about ten minutes when Jack and Lucy arrived.
‘Wow!’ Lucy exclaimed when she saw Ruth. ‘Are you sure you’re OK?’
‘Quite sure.’ Jack kissed her and she smiled up at him. ‘Has flying been rained off for the day?’
‘Yep, according to the Met it’s going to rain until tomorrow.’
A Flight of Golden Wings Page 25