Betty was the one who took the news to her sister and subsequently to the rest of the village. ‘You can’t believe it happening now, of all days, can you? Poor Miss Alice is in pieces.’
‘I don’t wonder. I know just how she feels,’ Peggy said. ‘When Luke was missing, it was hell on earth waiting for news. How I wish we knew what was happening. It’s the not knowing that’s almost the worst thing to bear.’
‘I’ll just go and tell our mam. She’ll spread the word.’
As soon as she heard, Bess hurried to Norah’s cottage. ‘Daisy’s missing. You couldn’t make it up, could you? We get to the end of the war with all of ’em all right – well, more or less,’ she added, thinking of Harry. ‘And then this happens. Our Betty’s just been down to tell me so I could come and tell you, Norah, duck. They’re all in a right tizzy at the hall, I can tell you.’
Norah sat down suddenly, as if her legs gave way beneath her. ‘Oh, what will Len say? Our only granddaughter.’
‘I’ll go and tell him, duck.’
‘I know exactly what he’ll say,’ Norah said flatly. ‘She had no need to go. She should have stayed here and helped Mrs Maitland. They all should.’
Norah was right; that was exactly what Len said when Bess told him.
Sixty-Two
They scoured the side of the mountain until Johnny suddenly shouted excitedly. ‘There, look. Isn’t that a parachute draped over the top of the trees?’
They flew down lower and circled the spot where white silk, entangled with the branches of a tree, was flapping in the breeze.
‘Johnny, stay here circling it. I’ll go back and tell the searchers on the ground.’
‘Tell them to hurry. If she’s been down there all night, she could be suffering from hypothermia if nothing else.’
Luke flew back to the field, landed quickly and told the men in the field what they had found. He pointed up the mountain. ‘The parachute is about half a mile up on this side.’
‘We’ll organize the search party to go up there,’ Dan said. ‘Could you see anyone?’
Luke shook his head.
‘I’m guessing she might be injured, otherwise she would have walked down.’ At once Dan took charge and began issuing orders.
One of the other men now spoke to Luke. ‘I’m Terry. Dan heads up the local rescue team. He’ll soon have us organized now we know where to look.’ He turned to a woman standing beside him. ‘Meg, love, will you notify the police and then the ambulance service so they’re on standby? I reckon we’re going to have a casualty.’
The rescue party, now properly organized and carrying all the equipment they might need, were soon climbing the mountainside to where the parachute still hung in the trees. Luke had radioed Johnny and told him he was staying on the ground and going with the rescue team.
‘Keep circling for as long as you can. It’s a really good guide.’
Every so often the team stopped to shout her name, then kept silent whilst they listened for a response. Then they set off again.
The fourth time they did this, Luke was sure he heard a faint call. ‘Listen,’ he said urgently. Everyone stood still, straining their ears.
‘There! Did you hear it?’
But no one else could hear what Luke was sure he’d heard.
‘Come on,’ he said, with added urgency. ‘Johnny’s still circling a bit higher up. Let’s go.’
Now it was Luke urging the rescuers on rather than Dan, but no one complained. Again, they stopped to call out and to listen. This time Luke heard it clearly and now Dan nodded. ‘Yes, I heard that. I think we need to be over to the left a little.’
Practised in rescues in this part of the country, Dan was better at gauging which direction the sound was coming from. Now, each time they stopped to shout and then to listen, her voice was nearer until at last they could all hear it plainly, ‘I’m here.’
‘I can see the parachute,’ Terry said. ‘She must be underneath it.’ Luke almost ran up the last few yards to where Daisy was lying propped against the tree from which the parachute still dangled. He dropped to his knees beside her. ‘Daisy, oh Daisy.’
Swiftly, the team went into their practised routine; wrapping her in blankets and checking what injuries she had whilst Daisy leaned against Luke. ‘I’m so cold,’ she murmured. ‘And I think I’ve broken my ankle. That’s why I couldn’t walk down.’
‘You’re safe now. We’ll get you down and an ambulance will take you to the nearest hospital straightaway.’
‘Where’s the Spit? It didn’t land on houses, did it?’
‘No, it’s in a field just below here.’
‘Oh Luke, I’ve lost a Spitfire. I’ll never forgive myself.’
Luke held her close. ‘It doesn’t matter, Dais. Not now. It was unserviceable anyway and besides, the war’s over. It ended this morning.’
‘Really?’ Her voice was growing weaker. She leaned against him and closed her eyes. ‘I’m so tired, Luke. So very – tired . . .’
‘Alice! Alice!’ Robert’s urgent tone echoed through the house so that not only Alice came hurrying to him, but also Henrietta and Edwin.
‘She’s safe. She’s in hospital with a broken ankle and suffering from hypothermia, but she’s safe and will be fine.’
‘Oh thank God.’ Tears of relief ran down Alice’s face as she buried her face against Robert’s chest.
Even Henrietta, who hardly ever cried, surreptitiously wiped tears from her eyes. ‘How did they find her?’
Robert, now relieved of the heart-wrenching anxiety, chuckled. ‘Luke and Johnny each took a Spitfire and followed the route she was supposed to take. I believe Gill went out in the Anson too, but she went on ahead and must have missed seeing her. I expect she’ll eventually catch up with the news that Daisy’s been found.’
Robert repeated the story of how they’d actually found her that Luke had told him over the telephone.
‘Enterprising young men,’ Edwin murmured. ‘Thank goodness it worked. I hope they won’t be in trouble.’
‘I think they both had permission from their superior officers. Mind you, if the war hadn’t just ended, it might have been trickier, but knowing those two, they’d have gone anyway.’
‘They both love her dearly – in different ways, of course, but – well, you know what I mean.’
‘We do, Father. Now, I’m in need of a drink – and I don’t mean coffee, Mother.’
Luke and Johnny flew their aircraft to the nearest airfield and then hitched a lift to the hospital where Daisy was being cared for. They’d telephoned their bases and asked for the news to be relayed to Gill as soon as possible. When they walked into the ward, it was to find Daisy sitting up in bed drinking tea and looking none the worse for her night on the mountainside. The only legacy of her adventure was the mound of a cage beneath the bedclothes where her ankle had been put in plaster.
Johnny rushed to her bedside and kissed her. Luke grinned at her and then said, ‘I’d better leave you two lovebirds alone.’
‘No – don’t go, Luke. I want to thank you both for coming to look for me. I don’t think I could have lasted another night out there. I couldn’t even wrap myself in the parachute. I couldn’t disentangle it.’
‘Perhaps it was a good job you didn’t because that’s how we found you,’ Johnny said. ‘And now, tell me, just how long are you going to be laid up?’
Daisy grimaced. ‘I can go home in a few days, but the plaster won’t come off for six weeks.’
‘Perfect.’ Johnny grinned. ‘I’ll take you home and you and your mother will have plenty of time to organize a wedding. How does September sound?’
Daisy gaped at him and Luke laughed.
‘Well, if that isn’t the most unromantic proposal I ever heard.’ She laughed and the happy sound echoed around the long room. ‘But yes, September sounds perfect.’
Johnny turned to Luke. ‘And will you be my Best Man?’
Luke grinned. ‘I’d be honoured, old
chap. I’d ask you to be mine, but I really must ask my brother. Hope you understand.’
‘Good Lord, yes. I wouldn’t expect anything else.’
As Johnny bent his head to kiss Daisy again, Luke added, ‘And now I really will go . . .’
Sixty-Three
‘Gill, I don’t suppose you want to have a double wedding, do you?’ Daisy had been home at the hall for two weeks and plans for her wedding to Johnny in September were gathering speed. Gill was staying for a long weekend on her way home for a week’s leave. ‘I know we’re still at war with Japan, but the feeling seems to be that it won’t last much longer.’
Gill shook her head. ‘It’s sweet of you to ask, Daisy, but I must get married at home. Luke understands.’
‘Of course. Have you fixed a date?’
‘Not exactly. There are a few things to sort out first – especially with his grandfather. We still don’t know if the old man meant what he said when Luke joined up against his wishes.’
Daisy sighed. ‘No, I can’t guess either. All I know is that he is very good at harbouring a grudge for years.’ She paused and then said, ‘But you’ll need to go home, won’t you? You’re the only one to take over your family’s farm.’
Gill nodded. ‘Yes, there’s a lot of thinking to be done and talking to my folks – and Luke’s.’ She stood up. ‘But now I’m going to walk down the lane and see that reprobate Harry Nuttall.’
‘Give him my love and ask him to come and see me.’
As Gill left, Daisy was thoughtful. She was sitting in the parlour, on her own for the moment, gazing out of the window, but her conversation with Gill had left her pondering. Slowly, she reached for the writing pad and pen on a small table beside her. She had been writing to a few of her ATA colleagues to hear the latest news and what they all planned to do now that the ATA would be disbanding before long. Rumour had it that it would be about November. But now, she chewed the end of her pen, a little uncertain as to how to word a very important letter. And then she began to write.
After several attempts she finished her missive, put it in an envelope and sealed it. Unable to get to a post office herself, she would have to entrust it to someone. But who? Of course, she thought – Gill! She would keep Daisy’s secret.
As Daisy hobbled into the Great Hall for dinner with the family that evening, Henrietta had an announcement to make. ‘Philippa is coming home tomorrow morning. Just for the weekend.’
‘She should be finishing soon, shouldn’t she?’ Robert said, as he held the chair out for Daisy to sit down at the table.
Henrietta laughed. ‘Well, if I knew exactly what she was doing, then perhaps I’d be able to tell you. But as I don’t, I can’t.’
They all laughed and sat down as Wainwright began to serve the meal. Inevitably, the conversation turned to wedding plans.
‘Your dress is coming along quite nicely,’ Alice said, ‘but just as when I made Pips’s dress, no one else is to see it until the day. What about your bridesmaid’s dress, Gill?’
‘I’m very happy for you to make it, Mrs Maitland, if you’ve time. I’m going to pick two or three patterns for your approval whilst I’m at home this week. If I find anything I like, I’ll post them to you.’
‘What about fabric?’
‘I’ll leave that to you.’ Gill pulled a face. ‘It all depends what’s available and what we can get on our coupons.’
‘Several of the villagers have already offered clothes coupons for Daisy and you. Mrs Cooper, Mrs Dawson and Peggy, as you might expect, but there have been others too.’
‘Everyone’s so kind,’ Daisy murmured.
‘It’s something wonderful for them to look forward to, Daisy,’ Henrietta said and chuckled as she added, ‘But of course, the whole village will expect to attend the wedding.’
‘Oh Granny, we can’t fit everyone in here,’ Daisy said, waving her hand to encompass the huge room where they were sitting. ‘I know it’s big, but not that big.’
‘We could have a marquee on the front lawn. The croquet lawn would have been more suitable but since that’s been ploughed up to grow cabbages . . .’ She sighed, wistful for the loss of her lovely lawn.
‘Don’t worry, Granny, we’ll soon have it back to how it was,’ Daisy said.
Henrietta glanced at her. Daisy still hadn’t told any of them what she intended to do after her marriage, or, indeed, what Johnny was going to do after he was eventually demobbed from the RAF, though that might not be for some time yet. Neither he nor Luke had any idea when they might be able to leave.
‘We didn’t plough up the front lawns because we let the horses graze there, though the grass is a bit of a mess now.’
‘Jake will sort that out and we won’t need it to look pristine if we’re going to site a marquee there,’ Daisy said reasonably.
‘What are you going to do after you’re married?’ Robert asked bluntly.
‘In the short term, we’ll both be going back to what we do now. There are rumours that the ATA will be disbanded towards the end of the year, but we’ve no idea when Johnny – or Luke, for that matter – might be demobbed. I think it might take some time.’
‘But what about after that?’
Daisy grinned at him and tapped the side of her nose. ‘All top secret, Daddy. We’re still talking about things. All I can say is that you’ve no need to worry and I think you’ll all be happy with what we decide.’
‘There’s always a home here for you both,’ Henrietta said, ‘but I think you already know that, don’t you, Daisy?’
‘I do, Granny, but thank you.’
‘But if you do come to live here to help your granny run the estate,’ Robert persisted, ‘what’s Johnny going to do?’
Daisy chuckled. ‘That’s what we’re discussing, but don’t try to wheedle it out of me, Daddy, because you’re not going to.’
The family all laughed and then settled down to enjoy their meal together.
All the evacuee children who had come to Doddington had returned home except for three: Bernard, who was still living with Peggy and Sam, and now Harry too, and the twin girls staying with Conrad and Florence Everton.
Florence was tearful most of the time, though she tried to hide it in front of the girls. Every day took her closer to the day she dreaded; when she must say goodbye to the children who had become her life. She couldn’t have loved them more than she did if she had given birth to them.
But the days passed and no word came about the twins.
‘I suppose,’ Conrad said reluctantly, ‘we ought to make some enquiries. We can’t just leave things hanging.’
‘Can’t we?’ For a moment, there was hope in Florence’s tone and then it died. ‘No, you’re right,’ she said reasonably. ‘It’s not fair on their family.’
‘I’ll have a word with Mrs Maitland since she was in charge of the billeting.’
Only a week later, Henrietta received a letter from the authorities in London. In the late afternoon, when she knew Conrad would have finished his house calls for the day, she asked Jake to drive her to their cottage. ‘It’s just that bit too far to walk when it’s raining. I don’t think I’ll keep you waiting too long.’
‘It’s no problem.’
‘I’m conscious of the fact that you have been out with Robert on his rounds all afternoon and you still have the horses to tend, but this is important for Florence and Conrad – indeed for all of them.’
Answering her knock, Florence led her into the small front parlour. She could hear the girls laughing and shouting in the bedroom upstairs.
‘Conrad’s playing with them. A noisy game of Snap, I think. I’ll just call him down.’
Moments later, holding the letter in her hand, Henrietta said, ‘The authorities in charge of the placement of evacuee children have written to me enclosing a letter from the girls’ maternal grandmother, a Mrs Wright . . .’
Florence bit her lip and clutched Conrad’s hand.
‘It seems,’ Henri
etta went on, ‘that their father was reported missing, presumed killed, during the D-Day landings and now, it appears no trace can be found of their mother either. Mrs Wright says that the last of the V2 rockets fell where her daughter was living at the time and it has had to be concluded that she died in the attack, even though no trace of her has ever been found.’
‘Oh poor little mites,’ Florence whispered. ‘They’re orphans.’ She turned towards her husband with wide eyes. ‘Oh Conrad, could we . . .?’
Conrad touched his wife’s arm. ‘Let Mrs Maitland finish, darling.’
‘Mrs Wright says,’ Henrietta said, referring to the letter again, ‘that she lives on her own and is too frail to care for two lively youngsters. There is an aunt – their mother’s sister – but she has four children of her own, has been widowed by the war and feels she cannot undertake to care for any more children. The family have all agreed that the twins should be adopted, rather than be sent to an orphanage, though they do ask that the adoptive parents should take the children to see them once in a while. They don’t want to lose touch entirely.’ Henrietta looked up. ‘Do you want to apply to adopt them?’
‘Yes!’ Florence and Conrad almost shouted the word simultaneously without even deferring to the other. Then they glanced at one another and burst out laughing.
Henrietta chuckled and handed the letter to Conrad. ‘Well, that seems perfectly clear. You’d better take this and contact the person who’s sent Mrs Wright’s letter on and see how you should proceed.’
Tears flooded down Florence’s face, but now they were tears of joy. ‘Thank you, Mrs Maitland, thank you so much. You don’t know what this means to us.’
Henrietta stood up to leave. ‘Oh, I think I do, my dear. I think I do.’
Daisy was now well enough to return to Hamble and planned to see her superior officer about leaving the ATA.
‘I’ll see her as well,’ Gill said over the telephone. ‘I can’t wait to get back and help my dad. I expect it’s the same for you, isn’t it? I think they’ll release us, don’t you?’
The Spitfire Sisters Page 38