Wings of the Morning

by Beryl Matthews

  *

  ‘You can have twenty-four hours to celebrate New Year.’ The duty officer handed Annie a pass. ‘Go out and enjoy yourself.’

  She looked at the pass and chewed her bottom lip. What was she going to do with this? It wasn’t long enough to travel to Wales and back, and it wasn’t any use going to the Roehampton house; she didn’t want to see 1945 in on her own.

  ‘You don’t appear to be very pleased.’

  ‘I am, sir,’ she said hastily. This was unexpected and she didn’t want to seem ungrateful. ‘I was just trying to decide what to do.’

  ‘I thought that was settled. Your fiancé is waiting at the gate for you.’

  Her head came up in shock. ‘My what?’

  ‘Fiancé.’ He sat back and folded his arms, looking amused. ‘Don’t you want to see him?’

  ‘I might if I knew who it was.’

  ‘Ah.’ He started to chuckle. ‘So he lied to get you time off, but there isn’t anything I can do about that. He outranks me.’

  ‘Reid!’ Annie exploded.

  ‘If his name’s Lascells then that’s the man, and I suggest you hurry because he outranks you as well.’

  Annie left the room, the officer’s laugh echoing along the corridor. I’ll kill him, she fumed, as she collected her coat. This will be all round the base within the hour.

  But her anger seeped away as she walked towards him. Her mouth turned up at the corners, amused now by his audacity. He was leaning against a car, his collar turned up against the cold wind, and a cigarette in his hand. He really was the most attractive man, she thought to herself. She might as well enjoy the evening.

  Reid straightened up and ground out the fag with the toe of his shoe as she approached.

  ‘Resorted to lying, Squadron Leader?’ she asked.

  He grinned and held the door of the car open for her. ‘Whatever it takes, Webster.’

  ‘Well, it worked. I’ve been given a twenty-four-hour pass.’ She got into the car and ignored his muttered expletive.

  ‘I asked for forty-eight hours, at least.’ He started the car and headed up the road.

  ‘What on earth would we do in each other’s company for that long?’

  He cast her a quick glance, and there was no mistaking the gleam in his eyes.

  Annie sighed. ‘Am I going to have trouble with you tonight?’

  ‘Definitely.’

  ‘Ah well, it’s a good job I’ve only been given a short time off. Where are we going?’

  ‘To a party at the Sterling Hotel, it isn’t far from here. They’ve got a big band and I want to see if you can still jive.’

  ‘And where you have, no doubt, booked rooms?’ Annie turned in her seat so she could see his face clearly. There was something different about him.

  Reid shook his head. ‘Only one room.’

  ‘Did you try for two?’ Annie was suspicious of his innocent expression – and he was in such a good mood.

  ‘Why would we want a room each?’ he asked.

  ‘Why indeed.’ Annie managed to keep a straight face with difficulty. It was going to be an interesting New Year’s Eve. He had told her, quite plainly, what he wanted, and he was giving her the chance to object before the evening began. But she wasn’t going to.

  It was at that moment she knew that she had, at last, stopped running. It was time to take what life was offering – and if that was Reid then it was all she wanted in this world. The sudden realization of the depth of her feeling for him was a revelation to her.

  On the stroke of midnight the party-goers erupted with cheers of joy. The ballroom was packed with every branch of the services, a sprinkling of civilians, and many nationalities. And they were all determined to make this the best New Year party of all time. There was so much hope expressed in the sound that it brought tears to Annie’s eyes.

  Reid wrapped her in a fierce embrace. ‘This is going to be the year, Annie, 1945 is going to see the end of this bloody war.’

  He kissed her with unrestrained need, and when he finally broke away he asked, ‘Will you marry me, Annie Webster? I love you so very much.’

  At that crucial moment she was whisked out of his arms by a crowd of exuberant soldiers and drawn into the snaking line of revellers. Reid quickly pushed in behind her. The noise was deafening and he had to shout to make himself heard.

  ‘What’s your answer?’

  ‘Aye, aye, conga!’ Everyone was singing with legs shooting out from the line in all directions.

  ‘Annie,’ he bellowed.

  She glanced over her shoulder and mouthed the word yes, almost collapsing with laughter at the same time.

  Reid grinned, squeezed her waist and threw himself into the revelry with abandon. This was a bizarre proposal, he thought to himself, but it didn’t matter; she’d accepted and that was the only important thing. He’d show her how much he loved her later.

  After they’d all snaked their way out of the hotel, up the road, returned and made a tour of the garden, then back into the ballroom again, everything quietened down a little.

  ‘Not the kind of proposal I had planned.’ Reid gave a rueful shake of his head. Bouncer had told him to be more romantic, and he’d planned to take her outside, go down on one knee, and give her the ring, but he hadn’t been able to wait. The whole thing had turned into a farce.

  Annie laughed and wrapped her arms around his neck. ‘I think it was lovely.’

  ‘So do I.’ He kissed her, and then whispered in her ear, ‘There’s a nice double bed upstairs, or are you going to make me wait?’

  ‘I think we’ve both waited long enough,’ she told him. ‘And we’ve wasted far too much time arguing with each other.’

  The speed with which he led her to the stairs left her in no doubt that he heartily agreed.

  Reid propped himself up on his elbow and looked down at Annie. She was fast asleep, her hair in disarray where he’d run his fingers through the silky strands, and his heart squeezed with emotion. She was so lovely and she was his now. He wouldn’t have believed he could feel so possessive about a woman but she had changed all that. He’d had plenty of girlfriends but had never felt any sense of loss when they’d parted. The thought of losing Annie, though, brought him close to panic.

  Annie muttered in her sleep and he slid down in the bed again, drawing her gently into his arms. Their loving had been wonderful. After her first nervous hesitation she had unleashed a passion that had literally taken his breath away. He was damned sure this had been her first time but how she had managed to stay out of some man’s bed until now was a mystery. He seriously doubted that many women in their early thirties were still virgins. Not those as beautiful and loving as Annie, anyway.

  He kissed her gently and then cradled her head on to his chest. A feeling of utter contentment swept through him. She obviously had a moral code, which meant she had waited for the right man to come along. It must have been difficult in the wartime atmosphere. The fact that she had come willingly to him tonight meant only one thing as far as he could see. She loved him.

  There was a burst of raucous laughter from the party downstairs and Annie opened her eyes. ‘Sounds like they’re making a night of it,’ she said with a yawn.

  ‘Did they wake you up?’ Reid cupped her face in his hands so he could look into her eyes.

  She gave a slight nod and closed her eyes again.

  ‘Look at me, Annie.’

  She smiled up at him with an amused expression. ‘Aren’t you tired?’

  ‘No. I want answers to three questions, then I might sleep,’ he said, tucking a loose strand of her golden hair behind her ears. Propping himself up he gazed down at her. ‘First. When can we get married?’

  ‘When the war’s over.’

  ‘Good,’ he agreed. ‘That won’t be long now, so we can start making plans.’

  ‘Have you got a spare parachute?’ she asked, and her grin spread. ‘Or perhaps Bouncer’s got one he isn’t using.’

  ‘I�
��ll ask him, but he’s a reformed maniac since he married Jenny.’ Reid chuckled as he thought about the dramatic change in his friend. ‘I’ll get you one anyway.’

  ‘Good, because my family are going to want a proper party.’ She gave him an uncertain look. ‘I hope you don’t mind?’

  ‘Not at all; my parents will expect the same.’ He ran his hand over her warm body. ‘Now that’s settled …’

  ‘Wait!’ She laughingly caught hold of his wandering hand. ‘You said you had three questions.’

  ‘Did I?’ He frowned. ‘Ah, well, I’ll think of them later.’

  ‘No, you won’t. I want to know what the questions are.’ Annie tried to wriggle away from him but he wouldn’t allow it.

  He pulled her back into his arms. ‘Stop squirming about or I’ll never think of them. Now let me see … Ah, yes. The second question is, do you love me, Annie?’

  ‘Yes,’ she told him with a sigh of pleasure. ‘I wouldn’t be in this bed with you now if I didn’t.’

  ‘Do you want children?’

  ‘Yes, please.’

  That was just the answer he wanted and he couldn’t stop himself from showing her how happy he was.

  She gasped when he broke off the heated embrace. ‘Not until we’re married, of course.’

  ‘I’ll try to see that doesn’t happen before our wedding, my darling,’ he assured her. ‘Why have you waited so long to commit yourself to a man?’

  ‘That’s four questions,’ she pointed out, ‘but I’ll answer it anyway.’ She snuggled closer. ‘I wanted love, and I needed to be sure it was a relationship that had every chance of lasting. I couldn’t bear to be in an unhappy marriage; it would destroy me. And I had to be convinced that whoever became my husband loved me as much as I loved him.’

  ‘I do.’ His voice was husky with desire.

  ‘I know you do, but I don’t mind being reminded again.’ Her smile was provocative.

  Reid was only too happy to oblige but he restrained himself long enough to slip a lovely diamond and sapphire ring on her finger.

  ‘Oh, that’s beautiful.’ Annie held her hand towards the bedside light so she could have a proper look at the ring. ‘You had this all planned.’

  ‘Yes, all planned. Except the conga, of course.’

  It had been a blissful twenty-four hours, Reid thought as he jumped out of the car at Tangmere. He’d reluctantly returned Annie to Chicksands, not knowing when they would be able to see each other again. Damn the war, he thought, he would be glad to see the end of it now. Trying to wangle leave at the same time was difficult, but he’d fix it somehow, as he didn’t want to be away from Annie for too long – in fact he wanted her with him all the time! But at least he now knew that she was going to marry him! She loved him!

  Before unpacking his bag he strolled into his office to see if there were any urgent messages.

  ‘Sir.’ Sergeant Jenkins rushed through the door. ‘One of the returning fighters is in trouble.’

  Reid surged to his feet. ‘Who is it?’

  ‘Don’t know, sir.’

  He left at a run and headed for the control tower. The atmosphere was tense and everyone was listening to the faint voice coming over the speaker.

  ‘What’s happening?’ he asked the officer in charge.

  ‘Spitfire with engine trouble, we think.’

  ‘What do you mean – you think?’ Reid glowered at the man.

  ‘We can’t pick up a clear message from the squadron. Something’s wrong this end, we think.’

  Reid ground his teeth. If he said ‘think’ once more he’d belt him one. ‘Get it put right – at once!’ he ordered. ‘Now tell me what you do know.’

  ‘Not much, I’m afraid, sir, but it sounds serious.’ The man shuffled uncomfortably under the fierce glare of his commanding officer.

  ‘If it’s that bad why hasn’t he baled out?’

  ‘His canopy’s stuck …’

  Reid noted the hesitation and silently dared him to say ‘I think’, but the man obviously wasn’t going to risk it again. However, that piece of information made his insides clench. Being trapped in a crippled plane was every pilot’s nightmare. He didn’t want to ask the next question but he knew he must. ‘Any fire?’

  ‘We don’t know. He’s been trying to tell us but there’s too much static for us to be able to understand what he’s saying.’

  The muttered expletive made everyone in the tower stare at Reid but he just ignored them and took over the radio. ‘Tell me your situation,’ he demanded.

  The sound of static crackled through the silent room. ‘Someone talk to me, damn you.’

  A faint voice came over the speaker. ‘Smoke everywhere …’

  Reid tried to recognize who it was but it was no use, and to make matters worse the radio seemed to have packed up altogether. He knew every one of these men, had flown with some of them during the Battle of Britain and he didn’t want to see one of them injured or killed at this stage of the war. It was nearly over.

  At the sound of engines he rushed to the window and scanned the sky. Two planes roared low over the tower, banked and climbed into the clear, cold January sun. That was the signal to let the fire crews know the plane was arriving.

  After taking a couple of deep breaths to try to ease the tightness in his chest Reid hurried down the stairs.

  ‘His canopy’s stuck,’ he told the fire chief, and the man nodded grimly.

  At that moment a Spitfire made a slow pass and wiggled its wings.

  ‘Here he comes.’ Reid shaded his eyes and watched the plane’s erratic descent. Clouds of smoke were billowing out of the engine and staining the clear sky behind it.

  The fire and ambulance teams hurtled off, taking up positions just behind the plane as it attempted to land. The air was rent with the noise of sirens, some Spitfires landing and others screaming across the airfield in support of their colleague. And Reid knew that each of them was urging the pilot on to make it safely.

  The Spitfire was now skidding along almost sideways, and Reid could stand it no longer. He jumped in a truck and headed for the plane. He knew the rescue teams were on the scene and expert at the job but he had to be there.

  The pilot was being pulled free when he jumped from the truck. The man was coughing and retching but still very much alive if the stream of strong language was anything to go by.

  ‘Stop swearing,’ a medic ordered as he held an oxygen mask over the pilot’s face, ‘and get on the stretcher.’

  The tall man pushed the medic away and swayed when his support was removed.

  ‘Timber, take it easy.’ Reid rushed to his side and held his arm. ‘That was a close call. What happened?’

  ‘God knows.’ He ripped the mask off. ‘The engine started to make a terrible noise and I couldn’t see a damned thing when smoke started to fill the cockpit. If it hadn’t been for the rest of the boys buzzing around and guiding me in I’d have crashed for sure.’

  Two medics were now urging Timber towards the ambulance, and while this tussle was going on the rest of the squadron arrived.

  ‘You all right, old boy?’

  Reid dipped his head at the sound of his friend’s voice, giving him a moment to control his emotions. He hadn’t dared consider that it might have been Bouncer up there in that smoking plane. And the knowledge that he might have had to tell Jenny her husband had died made him feel physically sick. He’d had to face many unpleasant tasks during the war but the thought of facing Jenny with news like that was too awful to contemplate.

  Someone slapped him on the back and he turned to face Bouncer, completely in control again after that momentary lapse. Good job he hadn’t been this emotional in 1940 or he’d never have survived. Watching Bouncer’s happiness with Jenny and being in love himself had brought home to him just how precious life was.

  His friend grinned. ‘That was a landing I’d have been proud of.’

  Reid surveyed the smoking, crumpled aircraft and grimaced. ‘I
would have expected this of you, but not Timber.’

  Now the drama was over Reid’s temper exploded. He strode towards the truck that was now full of pilots waiting for a lift. ‘Heads are going to roll for this fiasco.’

  Bouncer clambered in beside him. ‘Oh, good, can I come and watch? You’re ferocious in a rage.’

  ‘By all means,’ Reid said dangerously, ‘but first we’ll see how Timber is.’

  The pilot had quietened down by the time they saw him, and had returned to his usual placid nature.

  ‘I’m going to wring someone’s neck over this, Timber,’ Reid promised.

  ‘Oh, these things happen, you know that.’ Timber laid his head back and gave a tired smile. ‘At least she didn’t burst into flames, and apart from being badly shaken up I’m unhurt.’

  ‘Thank heavens for that,’ Reid said. Then he looked at the men crowding around the bed. ‘Drinks are on me tonight.’

  A cheer rang out and the pilot sat up, looking suddenly very perky. ‘Mine’s a whisky, and what about some female company as well?’

  ‘I’ll see what I can arrange.’ Reid strode out of the room, a smile of relief hovering on his lips. He remembered the last time he’d arranged a party for the men, and they deserved another one. Reid’s mind went back to New Year 1941 when they’d been sent north for a rest and how they’d needed it after the battle to stop the Luftwaffe gaining superiority of the air. If they’d failed then Hitler would most certainly have invaded. He’d make sure they had one hell of a party tonight!

  Bouncer looked around the room and raised an eyebrow at his friend. ‘No girls for us?’

  ‘Did you want one?’ Reid asked.

  ‘No, but I thought you might.’ He drank half his beer in one go. ‘Or dare I hope that you’ve snared Annie at last?’

  Reid nodded. ‘We’re engaged.’

  ‘About time too.’ Bouncer grinned with pleasure. ‘When did you propose?’

  ‘New Year’s Eve.’

  ‘So that’s where you disappeared to.’ His friend gave a satisfied nod. ‘Hope you were in bed at the time.’

  ‘No.’ Reid couldn’t help laughing as he explained about the dance. It had been the most bizarre proposal.

  Bouncer’s mouth dropped open and he snorted in disgust. ‘Dear me, old boy, couldn’t you do better than that? I’m surprised she accepted you.’