Wings of the Morning

by Beryl Matthews

  Reid left James in the cockpit and jumped down. The little boy had asked to see the plane, but now he was hanging back, looking rather unsure of himself. He was hanging on to George’s hand and glancing nervously around the field. ‘Don’t you want to have a look inside?’ he asked Jacques.

  It took some persuading but he eventually managed to entice the two reluctant children inside. Kate was clearly uneasy, but after a couple of minutes Jacques was looking around with interest and chattering excitedly in his own language. Reid couldn’t follow the rapid flow of words, and he doubted that the children could either, but they didn’t take any notice, and kept talking to him as if they understood every word. He smiled at their antics. It was refreshing to see how they all got along together even if they couldn’t always understand the words. Mankind could take a lesson from children, he thought.

  Jacques began to shiver with the cold, so Reid scooped him up and put him in the back of the car, tucking a blanket around his little legs, and then everyone else clambered in. He started the car and they made their way back to the house, the children chattering away all the time.

  ‘Are you still flying in combat?’ George asked as they pulled up in front of the house.

  ‘No, and I do miss it,’ Reid admitted to George and Wally, ‘but my mother’s relieved. After Paul was killed she was terrified the same thing would happen to me.’

  Wally helped Jacques from the car and then looked at Reid. ‘You stay on the ground, my boy. Losing one son is enough for any family.’

  That was something Reid couldn’t argue with. The loss of Paul was still an open wound for them all, and he wondered how many years it was going to take before the pain eased.

  As soon as they arrived back everyone went into the lounge and huddled around the log fire. One good thing about living in the country like this was that there was always a plentiful supply of firewood, and fresh food from their kitchen garden.

  Marj bustled in with mugs of cocoa. ‘I saw the car pull up and thought you would need this. It’s perishing cold out there today.’

  Reid took one with a smile of thanks. Annie’s mother was looking tired and that was hardly surprising; this house was always full.

  ‘Gosh, that was great!’ James rubbed his hands and held them out to the fire in an effort to get them warm again. ‘I’m going to learn to fly when I’m old enough. Will you teach me?’ he asked Reid.

  ‘If you still want to in six years’ time when you’re twenty.’ Reid looked at the silent little boy. ‘Would you like to learn when you’re grown up?’

  Jacques gave this careful thought, and then shook his head. ‘You fly us.’

  Marj handed round the hot drinks and Reid settled in an armchair. He couldn’t help feeling troubled. The more time he spent in Jacques’s company, the more obvious one thing was. The child never smiled!

  28

  January 1944

  The journey from Pontypool to London had been long, tiring and cold. Annie felt it had all been worth it, though, as she watched her cast being removed, and gave a groan of sheer pleasure. Thank heavens for that! She had hated the restrictions the plaster had imposed on her life.

  The doctor examined her ankle and nodded approval. ‘That’s healed well. How’s the head, no bad headaches or dizzy spells?’

  ‘No, none.’ She put her foot to the floor, stood up very carefully and grimaced.

  ‘No jiving for a while,’ he joked.

  ‘I promise.’ After the doctor had left, the nurse helped her on with her stockings and shoes, and then handed her a walking stick. ‘Use this for a couple of weeks.’

  ‘Thanks for everything.’ Annie hobbled to the main waiting area and nearly bumped into Reid, who was charging along with a scowl on his face.

  ‘Sorry I didn’t meet the train,’ he apologized. ‘I was delayed and the roads are treacherous.’

  ‘That’s all right. I got a lift from the station, and I wasn’t expecting you, anyway.’ And if his thunderous expression was an indication of his mood, she thought, then he needn’t have bothered coming.

  Reid glanced around. ‘Where are Wally and George?’

  ‘They both have bad colds and I wouldn’t let them come.’ Annie was glad of the stick as she made her way along the corridor. The ankle did not feel at all secure now the support had been removed.

  ‘What?’ Reid stopped her. ‘Are you telling me you made that journey on your own?’

  ‘Of course I did. People were very kind and helped me all the way.’ She continued walking, wondering why he was making such a fuss. It hadn’t been a pleasant or easy journey but she’d managed quite well considering the bulky plaster had made movement difficult.

  ‘Why the hell didn’t you let me know?’ he exploded. ‘The weather was too bad to fly you back, but I could have come and collected you.’

  ‘Reid, I am not helpless.’ She cast him an exasperated glance. ‘My arm is completely healed and I could walk reasonably well, if slowly.’

  ‘Where are you going now?’ he asked with a resigned sigh.

  ‘There isn’t a train for Bedford today so I’m staying at Roehampton for the night. I’m fit to return to duty as from tomorrow.’ She couldn’t wait to get back and stuck into the job again. Although Dora wasn’t there any more, Jean still was, and the rest of the girls were a lively bunch. Before, when she had spare time, which wasn’t often, they had gone in a group to the pub, or dancing. Although dancing would be out of the question for some time, she thought, as she limped along.

  ‘Well, if we get any more snow you’ll have a job reporting back on time.’ Reid held a door open for her and they made their way to the main entrance.

  ‘I’ll worry about that in the morning,’ she told him sharply, suddenly feeling very tired. She could do without this kind of pessimism. ‘But I’ll get there all right.’

  ‘Can’t wait to get back to Sam?’ he snapped.

  Annie gave him a withering look. ‘What’s that supposed to mean?’

  Reid’s sigh was weary and he massaged between his eyes. ‘Sorry. I’m in a foul mood. I was concerned about you when the weather closed in, but I thought Wally and George would be with you.’

  ‘I couldn’t let them come, Reid,’ Annie explained. ‘They were both too ill to sit in a freezing train for hours.’

  ‘Couldn’t Rose have come with you for support?’

  ‘There’s Dora, the baby and her family down there, and with two sick men to look after as well, she couldn’t leave.’

  Annie stopped when they stepped outside and she saw the air force truck parked right outside the door. ‘Did you come in that?’

  ‘My car wouldn’t start,’ he grumbled.

  The expression of disgust on his face was too much for Annie, and she began to laugh. ‘Oh, dear, you have had a rotten day, haven’t you?’

  ‘I’m glad you find it funny, because I bloody well don’t!’ He opened the truck door and lifted Annie into the passenger seat, then jumped in himself. ‘Is there anyone at home?’ he asked as they drove out of the hospital gates.

  ‘No, our houses have been empty since early November.’

  ‘Oh God! I hope the blasted pipes aren’t frozen.’

  Annie hit him on the arm. ‘Will you stop being so gloomy? Of course they won’t be. Bill made sure everything was properly lagged. Are you coming down with the flu or something?’

  ‘Nope. I’m disgustingly healthy.’

  Annie decided it was useless talking to him, so she settled back and the rest of the journey was silent. Something had upset the big, scowling man, and she didn’t think she wanted to know what it was.

  When they got to Roehampton it was colder in the house than outside, and that was clearly too much for Reid’s fragile temper.

  ‘You can’t stay here,’ he exploded. ‘It’s like the Arctic.’

  She rummaged in the kitchen drawer for a box of matches, fed up and with her patience evaporating. ‘It will soon warm up when I get the fires going.
They are already laid and I’ve only got to put a match to them.’

  He took the matches out of her hand, struck one, and lit the paper in the large black-leaded kitchen fire. ‘If you insist on staying, then you’ll need hot water.’

  Annie was pleased to see that he sounded a bit more reasonable now. ‘It won’t take long, that fire is very efficient.’

  Reid blew on the flames and gave a grunt of satisfaction as the fire caught. Then he disappeared to light the lounge one.

  Annie shook her head, bemused by his strange mood, and put the kettle on to make some tea. While the water was boiling she unpacked her bag. Thank goodness she’d brought enough food to feed Reid as well. She dreaded to think what he would be like if he had to go hungry this evening.

  ‘It’s snowing again,’ he said, as he came back into the kitchen.

  ‘I’ll get you something to eat, then you’d better be on your way before it gets too bad,’ she told him.

  ‘I’m not leaving you here on your own,’ he said in astonishment. ‘How the hell are you going to get back to camp in the morning?’

  ‘On the train, of course.’

  ‘Oh, fine!’ he said, throwing his hands up in disgust. ‘What do you want to do, break the other leg?’

  She spun to face him, hands on hips. ‘What the blazes is wrong with you? You’re treating me as if I was some brainless idiot. I’ve taken care of myself in worse conditions than this and survived.’

  ‘Oh, when?’ Reid was studying her through narrowed eyes.

  Blast! Annie thought, that was careless of me, but the man was infuriating, and he was also curious. But what she’d said was true. That trip to France had been cold, arduous and frightening, but it had certainly made her tougher and more able to cope with difficult situations. She busied herself with making the tea and putting soup on to heat, hoping he wouldn’t pursue the subject. She must watch her tongue more carefully in the future. Not that she considered Reid a security risk, but her mission to rescue Jack Graham was top secret, and she wouldn’t want to put the brave people who had helped her in danger.

  ‘So, why the foul mood?’ she asked, changing the subject.

  Reid shrugged. ‘It’s nothing. I’ll get over it.’

  Annie put two bowls of steaming vegetable soup on the table with chunks of Rose’s home-made bread. ‘Do you want to talk about it?’

  ‘No.’ He sat down and started to eat. ‘What’s Will and Dora’s baby like?’

  ‘Just beautiful, she’s got masses of silver-blonde hair, and is a contented little tot. Mind you, she was spoilt rotten by everyone.’ Seeing baby Emily had been wonderful. Her mother had fussed over her new grandchild, clearly delighted with the little girl.

  ‘The house must have been packed over the holiday.’ Reid finished off his soup and spread margarine on another piece of bread.

  ‘All room was taken up, with camp beds crammed in every space,’ Annie said and laughed, ‘and because of the bad weather they are all still there.’

  ‘Except you,’ he remarked, picking up his knife and fork to tuck into the vegetable pie Annie had brought back from Wales with her.

  ‘I had to return,’ she told him, a defensive note in her voice. ‘I’ve been out of action for long enough and can’t wait to get back to normal again. I believe 1944 is going to be an exciting year, and I want to be in the thick of it.’

  ‘I know, Annie.’ He reached out and placed his large hand over hers. ‘I’m sorry I took my bad temper out on you.’ He grimaced. ‘I’d promised myself I wouldn’t do that to you again but when I thought about you struggling on your own I was furious with myself. I should have come for you.’

  ‘I am a grown woman, Reid. I don’t need a nursemaid.’

  ‘I have noticed,’ he remarked drily.

  Annie pulled her hand away from his. Arguing with him made her feel sad. ‘Can we go back to being friends again?’

  He laughed then, a deep amused sound that Annie found rather disturbing. ‘We do seem to antagonize each other, don’t we?’

  She looked closely at the handsome man, and couldn’t help wondering why she always felt so defensive around him. But she couldn’t come up with an answer.

  He helped clear away their dishes, refusing to let her stand up for too long. After everything was put away Annie opened the airing cupboard and felt the tank. ‘Good, there will soon be enough hot water for a bath.’ The sooner she could soak her ankle the better, for it was aching badly now. In spite of all her bravado about being fit for work again it wasn’t going to be easy.

  ‘It’ll be cold up there,’ Reid pointed out. ‘Have you got an electric fire?’

  ‘There’s one in my bedroom but it’s only a single bar.’

  ‘I’ll put that in there for a while, it will take the chill off.’ He headed for the stairs, taking them two at a time.

  While he was upstairs, Annie checked to see if there were fresh sheets and blankets in the airing cupboard, but to be honest she didn’t feel like shivering in a cold bedroom. The warmth of the fire was seeping through her now and she felt dreadfully tired. She yawned.

  ‘Come on, you look exhausted.’ Reid came back and took her by the hand. ‘The lounge is warm enough now.’

  She didn’t protest when he led her to the other room. The settee was pulled up to the fire and she sat down with a sigh of relief.

  ‘You’ve had a long hard day,’ Reid said. He put some more logs on the fire then joined her, gathering her into his arms. ‘Rest now.’

  Annie tucked her legs up and rested her head on his chest. He was such a thoughtful man when he wasn’t snapping and snarling, she mused as she drifted off to sleep.

  ‘Annie!’

  She didn’t want to wake up. She was so warm and comfortable …

  ‘The fires will go out if I don’t see to them soon.’

  ‘Hmm?’ She sat up and yawned. ‘How long have I been asleep?’

  ‘Over an hour.’ He stood up, stretched, and then started to build the fire up again. ‘The bathroom will be nice and warm by now. I’ll remove the electric fire when you’re ready.’

  Annie flexed her foot and ankle; it was feeling rather sore. Perhaps she had overdone things today.

  ‘A hot bath will ease that.’ Reid smiled down at her.

  She hoped he was right. ‘I think I’ll sleep down here tonight, in the warm.’

  ‘I was going to suggest that,’ he agreed. ‘The beds will need airing before they can be used. You take the settee and I’ll sleep in one of the armchairs.’

  ‘Will you be comfortable enough?’ she asked. He looked much too large to rest in a chair for the night.

  ‘Sure. When we were flying several times a day I learned to snatch sleep wherever I could, and so did the rest of the squadron.’ He gave a wry smile. ‘We were so damned tired.’

  ‘They were desperate times, weren’t they?’

  He nodded, a faraway look in his eyes, and Annie knew he was reliving the struggle they’d had. No one was going to come out of this war the same person they’d been before it started.

  ‘You don’t have to worry about me. I could sleep on a clothes line if I had to.’ Reid poked the fire into a good blaze again, and then sat on the floor staring into the flames, obviously lost in a world of his own.

  Annie stood up and stretched. ‘I’ll go and have my bath now.’

  Half an hour later she was back, dressed in her flannel pyjamas, dressing gown and a pair of Wally’s long hand-knitted socks. She threw the pillows and blankets she was carrying on one of the armchairs.

  Reid had a glass of whisky in his hand and he held it up to her. ‘I found this in the sideboard, do you think Wally will mind?’

  ‘Of course not.’ Annie studied Reid’s downcast expression. ‘I wish you’d tell me what’s worrying you.’

  He swallowed the drink down and grimaced. ‘Well, there’s this girl I’m crazy about …’

  For some daft reason the thought of Reid with another woman dis
turbed her, but she managed to laugh. This was the last thing she would have expected. Reid didn’t seem the type to let a woman trouble him.

  Annie sat on the settee. ‘Come and tell me about her.’

  Reid settled next to her and put his arm around her shoulder. ‘She’s lovely, intelligent, infuriating and she’s got another man after her.’

  ‘You’re not going to let that stop you, surely?’ She couldn’t believe he would step aside and let someone else have what he wanted without a struggle. His character was too determined for that.

  ‘It’s complicated.’ He shrugged.

  ‘What’s complicated about it? You want her, don’t you?’ It was hard to understand why she found this so difficult to talk about. After all, if he was in love with some woman, then what was that to her? She was just feeling a bit emotional after finally having that damned plaster removed, she thought, that’s all it was. Once she got back to work, she would feel more like herself.

  ‘More than anything I’ve ever wanted in my life,’ he admitted.

  ‘Then go after her, you fool,’ she told him. ‘If you don’t, you’ll regret it for the rest of your days.’

  ‘I’m glad you feel like that.’ He reached across and started to unfasten her pyjama jacket. First one button, then the second …

  ‘Just a minute!’ Annie caught hold of his hand. ‘What do you think you’re doing?’

  He gave her a searing look. ‘You told me to go after her, so I’m trying to see if making love to her will win her over.’

  Annie pushed him away and scrambled to her feet, the sore ankle forgotten. She was deeply wounded by his attitude. ‘I will not be used by you to relieve your frustration. I am not a substitute for the woman you love.’