The Spitfire Sisters

by Margaret Dickinson

  Daisy shook her head. ‘She’ll tell us in her own good time. I can’t think what it can be. If it was bad news from home, I’m sure she wouldn’t keep that from us.’

  ‘And she’d be asking for leave to go home on a visit, surely.’

  ‘You’d think so,’ Daisy murmured. ‘Ah well, we’d better go and get today’s chits.’

  As the two girls neared the office, they saw Gill already walking across the grass towards her first delivery.

  ‘Lucky thing!’ Daisy said a few minutes later. ‘She’s got a Miles Master and I’ve got a Tiger Moth. The end of September is getting far too cold for open cockpits. Never mind. It’s to Tangmere. I might see my cousin, Luke.’ Silently, she thought, I hope so. There’s a very difficult conversation I have to have with him – and sooner rather than later.

  She landed smoothly at Tangmere and taxied to a halt. She glanced around. No sign of Luke, but then he didn’t know she was coming. There was no shortage of willing young airmen to help her down and escort her to the office and then to the mess, where they plied her with cups of tea and cakes.

  ‘Is Luke around?’ she asked one of his friends.

  ‘No,’ Tommy said. ‘He’s on three days’ leave. Gone up north, I think. Isn’t that where his home is?’

  Daisy nodded, disappointed that she would not have the chance to see him on this trip. If she had a problem to sort out, Daisy always liked to get it over and done with. But there was nothing she could do. He wasn’t here. Their conversation would have to wait.

  ‘Mrs Nuttall,’ Bernard said politely, as they finished eating, ‘may I go out for about an hour? Some of the lads are playing football.’

  ‘Of course, Bernard, but be sure to be home before it gets dark.’

  After tea, when Peggy had washed the dishes and sat down in front of the fire where her menfolk were already toasting their toes, Luke took a deep breath, ‘There’s something I need to tell you and it’s not easy.’

  Peggy and Sam exchanged a glance.

  ‘Best get it off your chest, then, Luke,’ Sam said gently.

  ‘It’s about Daisy – and me.’

  Peggy gave a startled gasp and covered her mouth. ‘Oh Luke, no. She’s not – she’s not . . .’

  He frowned. ‘What, Mam?’

  ‘You haven’t got her – in the family way, have you?’

  His face cleared. ‘Heavens, no!’

  ‘You want to marry her, then?’ Sam put in.

  Luke held on to his patience. He wished they wouldn’t keep interrupting with ideas of their own, but just let him get on with telling them what his dilemma really was.

  ‘Well, no, but I wondered if the family – hers as well as mine – are expecting us to marry one day.’ He looked towards Peggy. ‘You hinted at it earlier.’

  ‘Yes. You’ve always been so close, ever since you were little, and although you’re first cousins, it’s not against the law and the Maitlands have never said they’d be against it.’

  ‘Yes, we are close. She’s like my sister and I love her dearly, but not – as a wife.’

  They stared at him, glanced at each other and then turned their gaze back to him. ‘Does Daisy know this?’

  Luke bit his lip and shook his head. ‘No, but I need to talk to her. You see, I’ve fallen in love with someone else.’

  On her return, Daisy had the opportunity to corner her friend.

  ‘Gill, what is the matter, because there’s obviously something. Have I done something to offend you?’

  ‘Of course not.’

  ‘Then what is it? We’re friends, aren’t we? The best of friends, I thought. Whatever it is, I won’t be shocked. I’ll stand by you.’

  Gill stared at her and then her usual sense of humour reasserted itself for a brief moment. ‘I’m not pregnant, if that’s what you’re thinking.’

  ‘Actually, that never entered my mind. But something’s bothering you, I can see it is. Are your parents all right? You’ve not had bad news from home, have you?’

  ‘No, they’re fine. The land girls they’ve got are doing a superb job.’ She pulled a face. ‘They’re hardly noticing I’m not there.’

  ‘And you’re feeling these girls are usurping your position?’

  Now Gill actually laughed, but it had a forced quality to it. ‘No, no one can replace a daughter, now can they?’

  ‘Knowing your parents, I wouldn’t have thought so.’ Daisy paused, but Gill was avoiding direct eye contact again. Daisy sighed. ‘If you don’t want to tell me, dearest Gill, so be it, but just remember I am always your friend and always here for you.’

  Gill nodded and turned away, but not before Daisy had seen tears welling in her eyes.

  Thirty-Four

  Early in October, Pips was at home in London on four days’ leave and, to her delight, George had managed to have some time off from work too.

  ‘Shall we go up to Lincolnshire?’ she said as they lay in bed together, their arms round each other.

  ‘If you don’t mind, no. I’ve seen so little of you recently, I want you all to myself, though I do wonder if we should get out of London. What Churchill called the Battle of Britain seems to be on the wane. The Luftwaffe have not gained control of the skies, but now they’ve started a vicious bombing campaign against the big cities, London, of course, being a prime target.’

  ‘We’ll be fine.’ She snuggled closer. ‘We’ll just dash to the nearest shelter, as soon as we hear the sirens. That’s all.’

  ‘Just as long as you promise me that’s what you’ll do if I’m not here.’

  ‘I promise, but I thought you said you’d got four days off too.’

  He chuckled. ‘Allegedly, but you know I can always get called in.’

  ‘We’ll have the first two days all to ourselves and do just what we please, which probably won’t be very much, but the night before I’m due back, we’ll have Rebecca and Matthew over to dinner, if they’re both free. It’s ages since I’ve seen them.’

  ‘I’d like that,’ George murmured and turned over to kiss her.

  The proposed dinner party took place the night before Pips had to report back to Bletchley Park for duty. She did not, of course, talk about her work there; she wasn’t actually sure if Rebecca even knew exactly where she was when she was not in London. Both George and Matthew knew, of course, but because their own work was so highly sensitive, they knew not to talk about anything to do with what any of them were doing. The only person who could talk freely about her work was Rebecca.

  ‘I’m working at a first-aid post and I’m on duty whenever there’s an air raid, which, sadly, are becoming more frequent nowadays. And before you ask, Daddy, we’re in a fortified basement the Red Cross found for that very purpose. We’re as safe as it’s possible to be.’

  George smiled. ‘Good. I was just going to ask.’

  ‘What about you two?’ Pips glanced between her husband and Matthew.

  ‘Well, for us,’ George said, ‘the roof spotters just let us know if the bombers are getting close and we all go down into the basement.’

  ‘We just dive for the nearest shelter,’ Matthew said. Then, changing the subject, he added, ‘This really is an amazing dinner, Pips. I don’t know how you’ve managed it with all the rationing and shortages.’

  Pips chuckled. ‘We’re lucky. Every time we go home, my mother piles the car high with enough food to last us a month. All the villagers are helping one another and they’ve found the most ingenious ways of preserving food. You can’t begin to imagine.’ She laughed. ‘Last time I was home, Norah Dawson was demonstrating to the other women at a WVS meeting how to use a hay box to cook. She was very proud of it.’

  ‘However does that work?’ Rebecca asked.

  ‘You bring food to boiling point in a pot and then put it in a hay-filled box and it carries on cooking. Of course, it takes about three times as long to cook anything, but it does save on normal fuel. Norah said, “As long as it’s ready for his dinner, Len doesn’
t know any different”.’

  They were lucky that evening; it was foggy and the bombers didn’t come. It had been a merry dinner party, even though it was impossible to turn the conversation very far from the war, but it was probably the happiest time the four of them had spent together since the conflict had started.

  ‘We must do this again and very soon,’ Pips said, as she kissed both Rebecca and Matthew goodnight.

  ‘We must. And don’t worry about Dad, Pips. I’ll keep an eye on him for you. I come round here as often as I can when he’s not working.’

  Pips squeezed her arm. ‘Thank you.’

  ‘I’ve got an Oxford to take to Tangmere,’ Daisy told Gill. ‘I hope Luke’s there. I really need to talk to him.’

  Gill looked at her for a moment and then turned away without a word. Daisy stared after her. ‘Now what have I said?’ she murmured. Then she shrugged and readied herself for her flight.

  This time, when she landed, she saw Luke waiting for her. As soon as she came to a stop, he was there to help her down.

  ‘I missed you last time I came. You’d gone home. So Tommy said.’

  ‘Daisy, I need to talk to you.’

  ‘That’s funny, I want to talk to you too.’

  ‘Let’s go and find a quiet corner, then.’

  ‘As soon as I’ve reported in.’

  Daisy felt her insides quiver as they walked from the offices towards the mess, nervous about what he had to say to her and what she must say to him.

  Once they were seated, she said, ‘You fire first.’ She smiled a little tremulously. ‘As I hope you always do.’

  ‘It’s about us, Dais.’

  Daisy stared at him, her eyes round. This was going to be much worse than she had expected. Surely, he wasn’t going to propose . . . Oh dear.

  He reached across the table and took both of her hands into his; hands that were now trembling.

  ‘Daisy, you know how much I love you – oh dear, I’m not putting this very well, and I think our families have always wondered if – expected, perhaps – that one day we would marry, but Daisy – the last thing in the world I would want to do is to hurt you – but, you see, I don’t love you in that way.’ His words jumbled and, almost incoherent, he rushed on, regardless of the smile already beginning on her lips, knowing nothing of the nerves in her stomach settling down at his words. ‘You see, I’ve fallen in love with someone else. Oh Dais, do say I haven’t broken your heart. I couldn’t bear to do that.’

  ‘For goodness’ sake, Luke, just stop a minute and let me get a word in edgeways. I love you too, but as my cousin – as a brother. I don’t want to marry you. I never did.’

  He stared at her. ‘Then – then is it Harry?’

  ‘No, it’s not Harry either.’

  ‘Thank goodness for that, then, because Mam thinks he’s got a girlfriend. A WAAF where he’s stationed.’

  ‘I’m delighted to hear it, though I expect poor Kitty’s upset if she’s heard about it.’

  Luke shrugged. ‘She knows what he’s like.’ He paused and then added, ‘You’re not just saying you don’t want to marry me to make me feel better?’

  ‘No, Luke, I promise you I’m not. Do I look heartbroken?’

  ‘Well, no, but you’re good at hiding your feelings.’

  ‘Not that good. There’s just one thing. I want to know who the lucky lady is.’

  For a moment, Luke looked shame-faced again, as he said softly, ‘It’s your friend. It’s Gill. But she doesn’t know yet. So, she may not feel the same about me – I know that – but I wanted to confide in you first. Get everything straight between us.’

  Daisy stared at him and then began to laugh until the tears ran down her face.

  ‘Oh Luke, you don’t know how glad I am to hear this, for all sorts of reasons. And now I’d better tell you what it was I was so worried about telling you . . .’

  As they walked out to the Tiger Moth, she said, ‘I really think you should try to see Gill as soon as possible. She’s as miserable as sin and keeps avoiding me like the plague. Now, I think I know why that might be.’

  ‘What?’

  Daisy chuckled. ‘I think she might very well be in love with you.’

  ‘You do?’

  ‘So, you really should try to see her very soon.’

  ‘I’ll come up the day after tomorrow. I’ve got a forty-eight-hour pass. But don’t tell her.’

  ‘Of course I won’t, but please don’t leave the poor girl in the state she’s in right now any longer than you have to.’

  ‘I won’t.’

  He came to watch her take off, waving until the last moment. Once in the air, Daisy circled once, waggling her wings in farewell. First, she had to deliver a Tiger Moth to Henlow, where she would be picked up by the Anson and flown back to Hatfield.

  Again, Gill neatly avoided talking to Daisy, going to bed before she did and rising early before Daisy woke up.

  The following day, Daisy had a long trip to Scotland and would be away for at least two nights. ‘I just hope Luke gets over here before I’m back,’ she muttered as the aircraft lifted into the sky.

  Two days later, as dusk gathered around the airfield, Daisy arrived back in Hatfield after a long and exhausting train journey. She trudged home to their billet, yawning with tiredness. As she neared the gate, the front door flew open and Gill ran down the path.

  ‘Daisy, oh Daisy . . .’ She enveloped Daisy in a bear hug.

  Smiling, Daisy extricated herself. ‘I presume Luke has been.’

  ‘Yes, yes, he has. Oh Daisy . . .’

  ‘Let’s just get inside and you can tell me everything. I’m about out on my feet.’

  ‘Oh sorry. Here, let me take your bag. I’ll make you some tea.’

  ‘So,’ Daisy said, stifling another yawn, as Gill sat down opposite her moments later, cups of tea in front of them both. ‘Everything’s hunky-dory between you and Luke, then?’

  ‘Yes, but are you sure you don’t mind?’

  ‘Of course not. I’m thrilled. You’ll be my cousin-in-law, if there is such a thing.’

  ‘But I thought you and him – that you were sort of promised to each other. Even he wasn’t sure before he talked to you the other day. He said the families had always sort of taken it for granted that you two would get married one day.’

  ‘Then our families should know better than to take either Luke or me for granted about anything.’

  ‘Then you really don’t mind?’

  ‘I do not.’

  They leaned across the table and hugged each other again before Gill said, ‘Luke wouldn’t tell me much about you, but he hinted that there was someone. So – is it Harry?’

  ‘No,’ Daisy said firmly. ‘It isn’t either Luke or Harry. I’m in love with Johnny Hammond.’

  After her initial surprise, it was now Gill’s turn to say, ‘Well, you might have told me.’

  Thirty-Five

  Night after night enemy bombers visited London and other major cities, the ports and docks in the south and the industrial cities in the north, but Hitler had miscalculated the grit of the British and the tenacity of their inspirational leader. All attacks were devastating; all caused loss of life and property, but the one that perhaps angered the British people the most and left a legacy of bitterness was the destruction of Coventry Cathedral in November.

  After a lot of persuasion from Paul, Milly reluctantly agreed to go and stay permanently with her parents near Weybridge until the worst of the bombing was over.

  ‘But I should be doing something,’ she’d protested.

  ‘You will be. Hasn’t your mother joined the local WVS? You can help her.’ Paul had taken her into his arms and rested his chin on her blond head. ‘Darling, just because you’re not in the thick of it like last time, it doesn’t mean you can’t do something of value. The WVS do terrific work. Ask Pips. Her mother’s the leading light in their branch.’

  ‘I hardly ever see Pips,’ Milly mourned.
>
  ‘We’ll see lots more of her and George when all this is over.’

  ‘But when will it be over and will we win?’

  ‘Of course we’ll win. Never doubt that for a moment. And now, I really must go or my boss will have my guts for garters.’

  Milly giggled. ‘But your boss is George.’

  ‘Exactly! And that’s why I never take advantage. Now, pack your bags and go today. Promise?’

  ‘I promise.’

  ‘And whenever I get time off, I’ll come down on the train to see you.’

  ‘But you’ll telephone every night, won’t you?’

  Now it was Paul’s turn to give his promise.

  ‘Harry! How lovely to see you.’ Peggy hugged him hard. She stood back and tapped him lightly on the cheek. ‘I should give you a smack for not writing.’ She laughed delightedly. ‘But I won’t. I’ll just make you suffer another hug.’

  Harry submitted with good grace.

  ‘How long have you got?’

  ‘Only two days, Mam. I’m a fully fledged bomber pilot now and I’ve been posted to a place called Feltwell in Norfolk.’ His grin widened. ‘I’ll be flying Wellingtons.’

  Peggy felt a spasm of fear run through her, but she could see the delight on his face; it was what he wanted and she had to be glad for him. But with one son already flying fighter aircraft, it was a struggle to show delight at his news.

  They sat together, drinking tea, whilst Peggy filled him in on all the local news.

  ‘I’ll take a walk down and meet Dad from work, though I don’t expect I’ll get much of a welcome from old man Dawson.’

  ‘Pop in and see Mrs Dawson on your way. She’d love to see you. She’s always asking after you.’ Peggy paused and then added coyly, ‘And there’s someone else who’s always asking about you too. Kitty.’

  Harry laughed. ‘Aw, little Kitty.’

  ‘Not so little now, Harry. She’s blossomed into a very pretty girl.’

  Harry’s face sobered. ‘I know, Mam, but she’ll always be “little Kitty Page” to me. Besides, I can’t – I daren’t – get serious about anyone. It wouldn’t be fair.’