by Molly Green
But only a few more minutes down the line they suddenly stopped again. Time dragged by and no guard came to explain the delay. By now Raine could feel the perspiration gather on her forehead. She’d left in plenty of time, allowing for these hold-ups, but two within such a short period was worrying. Sighing, she glanced at her watch for the umpteenth time: twenty-five to nine. ‘Come on, start moving,’ she muttered as she peered out of the window. The man in her carriage didn’t even look up from his newspaper. He probably did this journey every day, Raine thought, and took it all for granted that these delays were normal. She needed to report for duty, she wanted to shout. At this rate she was going to be late. And she didn’t think that would go down at all well with Miss Gower.
Raine pulled her book from her bag and tried desperately to read, but she was too anxious to concentrate. All she could do was keep looking at the hand on her watch inexorably turning.
When she’d reached the point of screaming, there was a sudden jolt and several jerks. The man peered over the top of his newspaper and gave her a sympathetic smile. She gave him a half-smile back then fixed her attention on her book.
At long last the engine roared into life and moved a few hundred yards, then slowly gathered speed, spewing out a cloud of steam.
She rose and opened the compartment door. A walk up the corridor would give her legs a stretch. But a cluster of uniformed young men and women inadvertently blocked her way. How she wished she was also wearing a uniform. It would have made her feel more self-assured, particularly when one young woman looked pointedly in her direction, then averted her eyes and whispered to the woman standing next to her.
Raine longed to say something, tell them she was a trained pilot and was off to do her bit, then laughed at herself for being so vain as she returned to her seat.
Oh, please let me get there on time.
But fate wasn’t on her side. By the time she’d waited for a late-arriving train at Finsbury Park and was on the one to Hatfield, it was already five past ten.
Raine was almost in tears by the time she arrived at Hatfield aerodrome. The weather had changed in the last hours to a heavy mist. It was gone eleven when she stepped into the building where she’d first met Pauline Gower. Frantic, she asked a passing pilot where she should go to report that she’d arrived.
‘Along the corridor and second door on the right. Someone will be there to show you where to go.’
Raine thanked her, envious of the woman’s rank and her confident air, and furious with herself for not catching an earlier train. Arriving late wasn’t going to make a good first impression.
She half ran down the corridor and stood outside the second door on the right for a few seconds to catch her breath. She was just about to knock when the door opened and a man – maybe in his thirties – in pilot’s uniform came out. He glanced at her.
‘Are you looking for someone?’
‘I’m Lorraine Linfoot. This is my first day and I have to report to Miss Gower to—’ She broke off as she saw the smile slip and a frown take its place.
He made a deliberate job of looking at his watch, then looked at her.
‘You’re very late, Miss Linfoot. We’ve been waiting for you.’
‘I’m sorry, but the trains—’
‘Well, never mind that. We’d better get going.’
‘Where to?’
‘Your flight check.’
Raine frowned. ‘But Miss Gower didn’t say anything about having one today. I’ve only just this minute arrived from Bromley, my home.’
‘No matter,’ he said, looking at his watch. ‘I’ve got a busy schedule today, but I told Miss Gower I’d take you up for your flying check. She was short of instructors. Or should I say instructresses … if there is such a word.’ His lip curled a fraction. He gave her a hard look. ‘So we might as well get it over with.’
Oh, don’t say he’s going to do it.
‘Is something wrong?’ His tone was curt.
‘No, nothing,’ she said firmly. ‘I was just wondering where I should leave my suitcase.’
He jerked his head towards the door he’d just come from. ‘Leave it in the office.’
‘Don’t I have to sign anything that I’ve arrived?’
‘As I said, you can do all that later.’
It wasn’t the best beginning. She wasn’t mentally prepared to fly today and she was still wearing her skirt suit, which made some of the manoeuvres difficult. Her nerves now shredded, she pushed her hair away from her face with a trembling hand. Dear God, don’t let him have noticed. If he had, he wouldn’t even allow her to climb into the plane.
‘Right, follow me.’
Why was he so irritable? He hadn’t even bothered to tell her his name. Was he another one who didn’t approve of women pilots? He must hate having to work in an all-female ferry pool, even if it was only temporary. She unclenched her fists and followed the examiner onto the airfield.
He continued to march in front towards a small single-engine plane. But it wasn’t a Tiger Moth. Her heart plummeted. She’d never flown a Puss Moth.
‘Excuse me, sir, but Miss Gower agreed I should do the flying check in a Tiger Moth … the plane I’m more familiar with, as I haven’t flown for a while.’
‘Sorry, haven’t got one available at the moment,’ he said, his eyes piercing hers. ‘Of course, if you want to make another time—’
‘No, no, of course not,’ she cut in. Like he said, she might as well get it over with.
The whole atmosphere felt strained. Aircraft were taking off and landing in regular intervals, but it had been too long since she’d last flown, and in her present state, nothing seemed familiar.
Furious for allowing her nerves to give way because of some grumpy instructor, she breathed in the smell of the airfield as she hurried after him, allowing the noise of the other planes’ engines to pulse through her veins. When she somehow managed to hitch her skirt in an unladylike fashion, practically falling into the cockpit, she strapped herself into the front seat and immediately felt the toffee stick to it. It really was too bad but she’d have to ignore it. Reaching for the little blue book of the Ferry Pilots Notes, she flipped over the pages to find the description and tips on this particular make.
Thank goodness it doesn’t appear much different from the Tiger Moth.
Gazing at the controls, she forced herself to concentrate on this all-important flying check. She swallowed the lump in her throat. If she failed they could send her home. Aware of her instructor’s clipped tones when he asked her if she was ready for take-off, she felt that going home was a distinct possibility.
Her scalp prickled with anxiety as she recited aloud everything she checked, both for her own verification and the nameless instructor. Her mind seethed with resentment that he seemed to want to put her under as much pressure as possible. What a horrible man. Well, she’d show him, if nothing else.
Minutes later they were in the air. She almost blew out her cheeks with relief, but didn’t dare let him see how tense she’d been. So far, he hadn’t made any comment, hadn’t even spoken, and of that she was grateful.
‘We’ll go north … towards Welwyn Garden City. That way I can see how you perform in the country and the town.’
Now she was safely airborne she relaxed. She was once more in control. She’d worried unnecessarily; it didn’t matter that she’d never flown a Puss Moth. It felt like only yesterday that she’d taken a plane up instead of getting on for two years. If she’d been flying solo she would have laughed out loud with the exhilaration she felt coursing through her body. Freedom in the skies. A different world. A world she loved.
They’d only been in the air for ten minutes before her mood gave way to concern. The light mist when she’d first arrived at Hatfield less than an hour ago suddenly turned into a bank of heavy cloud. Wishing she could zoom above them, she tried to keep the aircraft just below, but the ground was getting too near. She could barely discern the railway line and the
town in the haze. The wind whipped into a storm, the rain beating against the windscreen. There was no word from the flight lieutenant. Clearly, he wasn’t going to give her any kind of advice. She was on her own.
And then she saw something that made her blood curdle.
A line of barrage balloons. And her plane was heading straight for them.
Don’t get tangled in the cables, Raine. For God’s sake, don’t get caught in those wires.
The words buzzed around her head like a mantra.
You can get out of this. You’ve been trained.
With sweating palms she quickly opened up the throttle and pulled back the control stick – her sole focus on getting out of danger. And if she had to go above the clouds, to hell with the rules.
The plane just missed the cables as it sailed up.
She didn’t dare look round at the instructor, but she heard him curse under his breath.
‘Bloody Nora, that was a close one.’
Raine’s heart was hammering as she finally brought the plane back to a painfully jolting landing, almost entirely the result of her shattered nerves. She’d failed. It was as plain as if he’d told her to her face there and then. Visibility was poor in the low cloud and she hadn’t seen the barrage balloons until it was too late. Excuses spun through her head. She’d been forced to obey the ATA rules and fly low and there they were. As a pilot you were supposed to be told where the balloons were in advance so you could steer clear of them. But the nameless instructor hadn’t mentioned it, so he’d obviously not known about it either. And she’d bloody nearly cost both of them their lives, not to mention the breaking up of a perfectly good aeroplane.
Perspiration poured off her forehead and trickled over her lips. How could she face her family? How could she face Miss Gower, whom she’d let down most awfully? Miss Gower had taken a chance with her being so young and inexperienced, and it hadn’t paid off.
Raine’s legs felt so wobbly that she was inordinately grateful when the instructor actually helped her down from the cockpit, her jacket clinging to her back with cold sweat, and to her embarrassment, her skirt somehow riding up. Wishing she could make a dignified exit but knowing she had to face him, she made herself look him in the eye. His face was pale. She must look equally in shock. Her heart began to pump again. He’d make out the report and say she had not only endangered their lives but had also come close to losing an aircraft.
‘I don’t know what happened there,’ she stuttered as he started walking away. ‘I wasn’t expecting something like that. But—’
‘We’ll have a chat later, Miss Linfoot.’ He barely broke his stride.
Half running, she was intent upon keeping up with him, even though her humiliation made her want to crawl into a dark corner.
Without looking at her, he said, ‘In the meantime I suggest you go to the NAAFI and have a mug of tea with two sugars. They’re only supposed to give out one per cup, so tell them I said so.’
With no hint of any expression, he marched on ahead of her.
Chapter Twelve
To Raine’s embarrassment, her name was on everyone’s lips at lunchtime; the gossip had already made her into an unwilling heroine when the news had flown round that she’d almost had a fatal accident on her flight test.
‘Do come and sit with us, Lorraine, and tell us what happened,’ a girl with bright red hair beckoned her.
Reluctantly, she moved towards their table. There were five women, all young except a woman maybe in her late thirties. They were all chattering, but as soon as she pulled out a chair they fell silent.
‘What a shock.’
‘It must’ve been frightening.’
‘Did you panic at all?’
‘Did you think you were going to die?’
‘So many questions.’ Raine smiled thinly as she looked around at her fellow pilots. They all smiled back. ‘Raine Linfoot.’ She held out her hand to a girl with dark curly hair who reminded her of Ronnie.
‘Joan Dawson. Pleased to meet you.’
Patricia Denman, Beth Phillips, Sandra Hardy, Audrey Parker … one by one, they introduced themselves.
‘I’ll try to remember your names,’ Raine said, catching each girl’s eye and nodding.
‘Tell us exactly what happened,’ Audrey, the older woman, demanded.
Raine told them as briefly as she could, then finished her mug of extra-sweet tea. ‘I’m not sure what to do now,’ she said. ‘I suppose they’ll want me to make a full report.’
‘Your examiner will do that,’ Audrey said with a grim face.
‘They’ll let you know when they want to see you,’ said Beth. ‘We don’t get much time off, so take advantage of a half-hour to get over your shock.’ She wiped her mouth with her napkin. ‘By the way, where are you billeted?’
‘I haven’t a clue,’ Raine admitted. ‘But it doesn’t matter, as I imagine I’ll soon be going home once Miss Gower has seen me.’ She rose to her feet and made herself smile. ‘It was nice to meet you all, although I’m sorry it was so brief.’
‘By the sounds of it, it wasn’t your fault,’ Audrey said. ‘And from what I hear, you rose magnificently to the occasion – literally.’
The others chuckled.
‘If the plane is still standing upright,’ Audrey went on, ‘that’s all they worry about.’ She gave a wry smile. ‘Anyway, don’t fret about it.’
‘I’m all right, honestly,’ Raine said. ‘But I must know where I stand. So if you don’t mind, I’m going to see if I can find Miss Gower and at least explain what happened.’
Pauline Gower was nowhere to be seen. Raine hesitated. She needed to know if she was going to be sent home or not. If so, she should make her way to the railway station right away. There was no point in hanging around once she’d located her suitcase. But who could she speak to who would know? There was so much toing and froing. Three women in uniform, parachutes slung over their shoulders, walked arm in arm across the grass to the Anson taxi waiting to pick them up. Oh, how she envied them. They’d all passed their flight test and were getting on with the job of delivering planes.
Just as she was about to knock on a door that seemed vaguely familiar, the pilot who’d tested her came out. He halted abruptly when he saw her.
‘Ah, Miss Linfoot.’
‘Yes, it is, sir. I’m looking for my suitcase.’
‘It’s where you left it – in the office. In fact, come in as I want to talk to you about the test flight.’
This was it. Swallowing hard, Raine followed him into the office.
‘Please sit down.’
He looked serious. She shook with nerves again as she sat on one of the visitors’ chairs, her eye on her suitcase she’d set down against the wall what seemed like hours ago.
‘Where are you billeted?’
The question took her by surprise.
‘I don’t know,’ she said flatly, not meeting his eye. ‘But it doesn’t matter now, because I’ll soon be on my way home.’
He sent her a stern look. ‘What, because of the test?’
She nodded.
‘If we all felt like that when faced with an emergency, we’d have given up months ago. We can’t let something like that interfere with stopping Jerry from invading.’ He let that sink in before continuing. ‘I don’t usually work out of Hatfield, as I said, and I’m afraid I hadn’t realised when we were over Welwyn Garden City that because they don’t have any Anderson shelters, Balloon Command put barrage balloons up instead. And they hadn’t done their job of warning us as they’re supposed to.’ He leant forwards in his chair. ‘It wasn’t your fault at all about the barrage balloons.’
‘You mean—’
‘Yes, Miss Linfoot, I’ve passed you. I have to admit I was pretty worried when we first saw the bloody things, but you kept a cool head, so well done. I’ve explained to Pauline all the details and she’s relieved you handled the situation so well. She said she’d be back at twelve noon and will give you the address
of your digs.’ He looked at his watch. ‘She’ll be here in exactly twelve minutes and thirty-three seconds. I’m sure you can hang on as long as that.’ He actually smiled and nodded to her case. ‘You may retrieve your case, Miss Linfoot. And wait here for Mrs Gower.’
She stared at him in disbelief. She’d done it! And apparently she’d done it with flying colours!
Pauline Gower smiled as she entered the room.
‘I hear you’ve had rather a difficult flight test,’ she said as she took a seat behind the desk where Raine sat. ‘I’m so sorry, my dear. But Flight Lieutenant Stock was very impressed by the way you handled a potentially dangerous situation. So I’m delighted to say you may report for duty tomorrow. In the meantime you can settle into your billet this afternoon. It’s in the village.’ She glanced at a card. ‘Mr and Mrs Adamson are expecting you. I think you’ll be happy with them.
‘It might pay you to get hold of a bicycle so you can cycle back and forth, but for now I’ll get one of the chaps to give you a lift as you’ve got your suitcase. And tomorrow another pilot, Stephanie Lee-Jones, will be joining you.’
What did that mean? That she’d be in the same house, or actually sharing a room? It was bad enough sharing a room with her sister, let alone a stranger. Raine pulled herself up sharply. There was a war on. She couldn’t expect a hotel suite. And this girl had as much right to be there as she did. And she probably wouldn’t relish the idea of sharing a room with a stranger any more than herself.
‘This is the address,’ Pauline said, handing her the card. ‘I would go now and make yourself known to them. Then we’ll expect you in the morning at eight o’clock sharp when you’ll start the first phase of your training. In between times you’ll need to get some more solo hours under your belt.’ She paused. ‘Once you’re fully trained you will be paid six pounds a week, although out of that you pay for your own billet. Until that time, we will see to it.’
It seemed like a fortune. ‘Thank you, ma’am … I mean Pauline,’ Raine added when Pauline raised her eyebrows. ‘You’ve been most kind.’
‘Let’s hope you continue to feel that way when you finish a thirteen-day shift.’ Her new commanding officer sent her a wry smile. ‘It’s not an easy job, but with every delivery, you’ll know you’re doing something vital for the war effort.’