Together Under the Stars

by Beryl Matthews

‘That’s what he would say. We all thought we’d lost them, but during the day a lorry came through the gates and they were all there, unhurt. Evidently the plane had been badly damaged, but Steve had managed to coax it across the coast.’ She smiled then. ‘They made a huge joke of it, of course.’

  ‘You said they were all unhurt, but I’ve seen scars on Steve’s body. He won’t tell me how he got them, but I have no doubt you know.’

  ‘I do, but if he doesn’t want to talk about it, then I can’t tell you. All I can say is that you have a son to be proud of. Where has he gone?’ she asked, changing the subject.

  ‘He has an errand to run, but will be back in time for dinner. Want a driving lesson?’

  ‘Yes, please.’

  It was late afternoon while Nancy was being shown how to groom a horse by one of the stable hands when she heard the plane. She rushed outside to find everyone had suddenly appeared and were watching as the plane flew over the house, banking, turning and coming in again. As he came over this time, he waggled the plane from side to side.

  ‘That boy of ours would make a good stunt pilot,’ Bill remarked.

  ‘That’s nothing. You ought to see what he can do with a Spitfire. He gave us an exhibition that had everyone on the ground cheering.’

  ‘He never told us he did that,’ Rose said giving a sigh.

  ‘He didn’t tell you about the aerobatics he performed in that plane?’

  ‘Not a word,’ Bill replied. ‘He was a bomber pilot, so why was he giving a flying demonstration in one of those?’

  ‘No idea, but he certainly had fun with it. There are things he did that even we don’t know about.’ She laughed softly. ‘You should have seen his face when he landed. He looked like a kid who had been let loose in a sweet shop.’

  ‘Steve doesn’t talk much, does he?’ Bill sighed.

  ‘I agree with that. When he said he was a farmer, I imagined a little farmhouse with fields of crops, similar to the ones at home. Then I came here, find everyone calls him sir, and he owns a spread the size of England.’

  Rose and Bill laughed and she grinned. ‘An exaggeration, I know, but you must admit it seems like that to us.’

  A few minutes later two cars came tearing up and stopped right by them. When the passengers got out, Nancy and her parents gave cries of delight and rushed over to hug them all.

  Nancy was running from one to the other, so excited, also hugging Helen who she had never met before. ‘Oh, it’s wonderful to see you. Are you staying? And don’t you girls look terrific.’

  ‘Hey, how about us, don’t we look terrific as well?’ the three men wanted to know.

  ‘That goes without saying,’ she teased, giving them an extra hug, then turned to Sandy’s wife and towed her towards Tom and Sally. ‘You must meet my parents.’

  Steve was standing back, watching with a slight smile on his face, happy to see everyone together again.

  After the introductions, Nancy rushed over to Steve and wrapped her arms around him. ‘Thank you, thank you, my darling.’

  ‘Come inside, we just have time for a celebratory drink before dinner.’ Rose had to raise her voice to be heard above the excited chatter.

  With drinks in their hands, Steve noted that Tom and Sally were just as thrilled to see all of them again. There was a lot of laughter as they discussed what each one had been doing since their return.

  Out of the corner of his eye Steve caught something that made his heart beat a little faster. Tom and Sally were watching the youngsters, and then turned, a smile on their faces as they nodded to each other.

  Bill came over and stood beside his son. ‘It looks as if they might have come to a decision.’

  ‘You could be right.’

  Tom took hold of his wife’s hand and made his way over to them. ‘Steve, we would like to accept your kind offer of the house, and Bill, if the position is still available, I would like to apply to be your accountant.’

  Bill shook their hands. ‘It’s yours.’

  Steve drew in a ragged breath. He hadn’t dared hope for this, he admitted, as he shook Tom’s hand and kissed Sally on the cheek. ‘You will be happy here, I’m sure.’

  ‘I am so pleased you have decided to join us and make Canada your home,’ Bill said. ‘What made you decide to stay?’

  Sally indicated the lively crowd in the room. ‘We would be fools to turn down the chance to be a part of this. There isn’t anything for us in London, and this is our family now.’

  ‘Don’t say anything to Nancy just yet, Steve,’ Tom asked. ‘We want to take her to the house and tell her there. How long are the boys and girls staying?’

  ‘Three days.’

  ‘We will tell her after that.’

  ‘Okay, I’ll wait.’

  ‘Thanks for everything, Steve. You have been patient and understanding.’

  ‘Hey,’ Ricky called. ‘What are you looking so serious about? Come and join the fun, Steve. The gang is all together again.’

  Chapter Thirty-Five

  After dinner they sat around talking about their time in England – only the amusing stories – and their plans for the future. Steve said very little, as usual, and sat there with an amused expression on his face, just happy to have all his friends there. Ricky was the best storyteller and had everyone laughing.

  ‘You sound as if you had quite a time in England,’ Rose remarked, then glanced accusingly at her son. ‘Steve’s letters told us very little.’

  ‘We couldn’t, Mum. They were all checked before being sent on. Anything considered useful to the enemy would have been cut out. Secrecy was very tight, and rightly so.’

  ‘What was it like to fly on the bombing missions?’ Bill asked. ‘We’ve heard stories, of course, but you boys were there.’

  They were all quiet for a moment, and then Sandy answered the question. ‘It is impossible to describe it. We were the lucky ones who came through – many didn’t.’

  ‘Our luck was having tough skilful pilots,’ Luke told them. ‘We wouldn’t be here now if it wasn’t for Steve and Sandy.’

  Ricky was nodding. ‘Yes, but that last time I missed all the fun.’

  ‘You were better off that way, believe me.’ Luke shook his head as he remembered that flight. ‘Goodness knows what your language would have been like that time.’

  ‘Ah, yes, no one will ever forget the time you found a hole in the plane close to your position, Ricky, and when we landed you let the whole base know what you thought,’ Steve reminded them in an effort to steer the conversation back to the funny side. He really didn’t want his parents to know how close they had come to dying that day. It would upset them too much, and he couldn’t talk about it – yet.

  Everyone who had witnessed Ricky’s tirade roared with laughter, and then the incident had to be explained.

  After that, much to Steve’s relief, the conversation turned to what they were going to do while they were at the ranch.

  For the next three days there wasn’t a dull moment as the friends revelled in each other’s company. Nancy proudly showed them how she could ride a horse when she cantered around a field on her own. Then, of course, everyone had to have a go.

  Rose and Bill watched their antics with relief when they saw their son laughing and happy. ‘He’s back.’ Rose hugged her husband. ‘We heard a little of what happened to them, but no details. Do you think Steve will ever tell us exactly what happened?

  ‘Probably not. Nancy knows, but she wouldn’t tell me either, so we must just respect that and be glad he is now happy once again. They all need to put the past behind them, and not talking about the bad times is just their way of dealing with it.’

  ‘And by the look of them that is working for them.’

  Nancy ran over to them, her face shining with pleasure. ‘Come with us, we are going for a ride.’

  ‘They can hardly sit a horse,’ Bill said.

  ‘They are willing to try and it should be fun. We won’t go far, though.’ />
  ‘Okay, we had better go with them, Rose, and catch anyone who falls off.’

  By that evening all the inexperienced riders were stiff and needed a strong drink to ease their soreness, then it turned into a party.

  As they prepared to leave the next morning, Nancy was tearful when she had to say goodbye to the girl she had shared so much with during their time at Scampton.

  When they were in the air, Steve told them about Tom and Sally’s decision, and they were going to tell Nancy while he was flying them back to their homes.

  ‘If you weren’t flying this plane, I would hug you, Steve Allard.’ Jean was thrilled to hear such good news.

  After dropping off his passengers he refuelled and headed straight back.

  Tom found his daughter grooming the mare she had become fond of during her riding lessons. ‘I can drive now as long as I stay on the property,’ he told her proudly. ‘Leave that and come with us. We want to show you something.’

  ‘All right.’ She handed the brush to one of the stable hands and followed her father to the car. Her mother was already there and sitting in the back. ‘Are you allowed to borrow this car?’

  ‘Bill said I can use it any time I want. Hop in.’

  As they drove along she asked, ‘What are you going to show me?’

  ‘You’ll see. It isn’t far,’ her mother replied.

  Nancy watched how her father was confidently handling the car and had to admit he was quite good for a beginner. She relaxed and enjoyed the scenery.

  They stopped outside a ranch house, and her mother hopped out of the car with keys in her hand. ‘What do you think of it?’

  ‘It’s lovely. Is this what you wanted to show me?’

  ‘Yes, come and have a look inside. It’s really beautiful.’

  Nancy didn’t understand why her mother was so excited, but she obediently followed her into the house.

  ‘Tom, you show Nancy round while I make us a pot of tea.’

  ‘Er … are we allowed in here, Mum?’

  ‘Of course, dear.’

  Her father took her from room to room, and was partic­ularly enthusiastic when he showed her the wireless room. ‘You can keep in touch with the big house on that.’

  ‘That’s handy.’ She was puzzled. Her parents seemed to know everything about this place, and her mother was even in the kitchen making tea!

  ‘Tea’s ready.’ Her mother came in carrying a tray with not only tea on it but cookies as well.

  They made themselves comfortable and Nancy wondered what on earth was going on. She hadn’t seen her parents this excited for a very long time.

  ‘Bill and Steve have completely renovated this house, and Rose chose the furnishings. It was their home before they built the large one,’ her father explained.

  ‘Really? Are they going to rent it out or something?’

  ‘No, they have given it to someone.’

  ‘Who?’

  ‘Us.’

  Nancy looked from one parent to the other. ‘What did you say, Dad?’

  ‘They have given the house to us, along with a car, and I am to work for them as their accountant.’ Tom reached out and took hold of his daughter’s hand. ‘We are going to live here, darling. Don’t look so stunned. We have thought this over very carefully and have come to realise that there is nothing for us in London now. We would be fools to turn down the chance of a new life.’

  Her mind was in a whirl. Steve had said all along that he would try and find a solution to their problem – but persuading her parents to live here wasn’t right. As much as she wanted to marry Steve, she couldn’t let her parents sacrifice their happiness for hers. ‘You mustn’t do this for us. Steve should never have asked you to.’

  ‘We are doing this for us,’ her father declared. ‘Steve emphasised that the only people to be considered while making this decision was your mother and I. He pointed out that neither of you could be happy if living here was something we really didn’t want to do.’

  ‘Bill told us the same thing when we talked about it with him.’ Sally smiled at her daughter. ‘Please believe us, darling, we are doing this because we want to, and for no other reason. Even if you decided not to marry Steve, we would still want to make our life here now.’

  ‘But you two do want to be together, don’t you? Neither of you are happy being apart. You are made for each other, any fool can see that.’

  ‘Of course we do, there is no question about that, but it would be disastrous for all of us if you make the wrong decision.’ Nancy sat back and folded her arms. ‘Convince me you really want to live here.’

  For the next hour they talked, giving every detail of what this would mean to them, and then she made them go over everything again. She had to be absolutely sure they meant what they were telling her.

  Finally, her mother smiled. ‘So you see, darling, when Jean, Sybil, Helen and the boys arrived, we realised they were our family now, and this is where we want to be, this is where we belong – all of us. We will have to return to London to sell the house, and then we will be right back. You will be able to stay.’

  ‘We can’t just do that. We need permission to settle here, and goodness knows how long that will take.’

  ‘It’s already being dealt with,’ said a familiar voice from the doorway.

  She shot out of her chair to find Steve standing there. With a cry of joy she leapt at him, nearly knocking him off balance. ‘This is why you invited us here, wasn’t it? What would you have done if Mum and Dad had refused?’

  ‘Then you would have gone back to London, and no more would have been said about it. This was the only way we could be together, but it had to be your parents’ choice.’

  ‘That’s right.’ Tom was smiling broadly. ‘Steve made us the offer, but put no pressure on us. There is a better life for us here, Nancy – a better life for all of us.’

  Steve still had his arms around Nancy and held her slightly away from him so he could look into her face. ‘So, do I have to propose again?’

  ‘The first proposal will do nicely,’ she told him, not bothering to hold back tears of joy.

  Sally could hardly contain her excitement. ‘Let’s get back and tell Bill and Rose the good news.’

  That evening was spent going over everything they needed to do so they could all live in Canada.

  Bill walked over to the drinks table and took two bottles out of the cupboard below. ‘We must have a celebratory drink after all that talking.’

  The glasses were filled with champagne, handed round, and then lifted to drink a toast to wish them all a happy life in their new country. Bill refilled the glasses. ‘Now we must drink to Steve and Nancy. They faced an impossible situation, but handled it with courage, thinking of others before themselves. We wish them happiness and a bright future together. They deserve it. Nancy, we are absolutely delighted to be able to call you our daughter.’

  ‘And now we have a wedding to arrange.’ Rose turned to Sally. ‘We will need to invite Harry, all the boys and their wives …’ She was already writing down names as fast as she could. ‘Then we must go into town and choose smart outfits for ourselves, and if we are quick the wedding can be held before you go back to London and settle your affairs there.’

  ‘Hold it,’ Bill told them. ‘Our youngsters haven’t had time to decide when they will get married, and I must point out that it’s their wedding, not yours.’

  Steve was listening to all of this with that familiar half-smile on his face, but saying nothing.

  ‘It’s the mother’s prerogative to interfere in wedding plans, Bill, so how long have we got?’

  ‘Six weeks,’ Steve declared, glancing at Nancy for confir­mation, which she gave.

  ‘My goodness, we are going to have to move fast. Have you any idea what kind of wedding you would like, Nancy?’ Rose asked.

  ‘I haven’t had time to give it much thought, but a white wedding, of course, and Jean, Sybil and Helen must be my maids of honour. A
part from that, I really don’t mind.’

  ‘Write to them straight away, my dear, then Steve can bring them here to shop for dresses. Who is going to be your best man, Steve?’

  ‘Luke,’ he said without hesitation.

  ‘You will have to live here at first,’ Bill said. ‘We can give you rooms to yourself until you build a house of your own. Any ideas where you would like it to be, Steve?’

  ‘I have a place in mind about two miles from here. I’ll show it to Nancy tomorrow.’

  ‘Good, good, decide what you want and then we can get on that right away.’

  Rose was still scribbling notes and then looked up. ‘We must give Ricky and Sandy something to do, so they can help to look after the guests.’

  Tom had nearly finished his second glass of bubbly and said with a glint of amusement in his eyes, ‘Do you think that’s safe?’

  ‘You and Bill can keep them in order.’

  The two men grinned at each other and Bill chuckled. ‘I doubt that’s possible when they all get together. Did they cause havoc at Scampton, Nancy?’

  ‘I wouldn’t call it that, but they did like to have a good time when they were free, just like all the crews. Your son was always well behaved, though, and looked after them on the ground and in the air.’

  ‘They were all well behaved,’ Sally told them. ‘When they stayed with us, they were perfect gentlemen.’

  Steve gave Sally an affectionate smile. ‘We were often exhausted and came to you for a rest. A few days in your peaceful home and we were back to normal.’

  ‘I don’t know about a rest. I found you in the garden one day digging over the vegetable patch, remember. You said you found it relaxing, but to me it was just hard work.’

  ‘Well, you’ll have a bigger patch this time, and I’ll come and dig that over for you if you like.’

  ‘We are not growing vegetables this time, Tom. I want shrubs and flowers,’ Sally told him.

  ‘Ah, yes, flowers.’ Rose was scribbling on her pad again, turning her thoughts back to the wedding. ‘We’ll have to decide on those, as well. With all the people we have to invite this will be a big affair. How do you both feel about that?’