The Spitfire Girls(22)

‘Commander?’ Polly asked, suddenly appearing at her side.

May pulled herself together, tearing her eyes from the young men on stretchers. ‘Get that fire out and clear the site,’ she ordered, stepping back as the patients were moved. She looked at the planes being taxied away, knowing that she’d probably been overcautious but feeling comfortable with her decision nonetheless.

There was a Spitfire, one of her favourite planes, still too close for her liking, and she took it upon herself to move it rather than ordering anyone else to do so. She broke into a run, feeling clumsy in her big boots. As she reached the aircraft she burst into tears, sobs gasping from her lungs, the pain of seeing the plane engulfed in flames too much when it came to her base and her girls. And her memories.

‘May? May?’ Ben was behind her, his forehead creased with worry. ‘What do you need me to do?’

She met his gaze and breathed a sigh of relief, wiping her cheeks and taking a big, shuddering breath.

‘May?’

‘I’m fine. I just . . .’

‘You’re sure you’re all right?’ he asked.

She nodded.

‘Remember this morning, May. You know this plane is ready to go, and all the others are, too.’ He smiled and nudged her forward. ‘I’ve triple-checked every engine myself. You and all your pilots are safe. That wasn’t one of your crew back there, and it wasn’t a plane I’d cleared.’ He held out his hand. ‘Here, let me help you.’

She let him guide her up into the cockpit, angry with herself for letting her guard down. She didn’t go through all her usual checks or bother strapping herself in, just waved at Ben that she was off and hastily flicked switches, pumping the prop and then pushing the ignition to start the engine. She taxied in the rumbling plane to a safe part of the adjoining field. Her other pilots were climbing out and the planes were all lined up neatly as May forced herself to get out, too. She would have preferred to take off and leave all this behind her and just fly, but for now she needed to focus on being the commander in charge.

‘May, will we . . .’

Ruby’s question, called out to her as she jumped down onto the grass, faded as she noticed a column of smoke rising into the sky from the crash site. She held up her hand, about to speak, when an explosion boomed around them, like thunder echoing through the air. May watched as the aircraft disintegrated, the explosion taking the entire plane with it.

Holy heck. A jagged edge hurtled into the ground at her feet, a piece of the aircraft that had moments earlier landed at her airfield with no warning whatsoever. Thank goodness all the men had been rescued, and that it hadn’t been any closer to the railway line! And I thought the Americans were going to be the most difficult part of my day today.

‘Commander Jones!’ May turned to see Polly holding something, her eyes wide and fearful.

‘What is it?’ May asked, trembling now, the adrenaline that had been pumping through her disappearing and leaving her light-headed.

Polly placed a piece of paper into her shaking hands.

Senior Commander Jones,

Your immediate presence is requested at Hamble Airfield. We regret to advise that Commanding Officer Samantha Perry has suffered health complications and is no longer cleared for duty. We also require two more pilots to urgently join Ferry Pool No. 15 to train to ferry four-engine bombers. Ferrying those bombers is now imperative to the greater war effort.

Major Luke Grey

May stared at the urgent letter. She was so used to being at their civilian headquarters at White Waltham, where the majority of the ATA pilots were based, and she was settled in her role now. But if they needed her to move, then move she would. She knew only too well how few women had their Class V to train to fly those bombers, and if they didn’t get those planes to the front, they might never win this bloody war. Which meant she’d have to take Lizzie with her to the more advanced airfield whether she liked it or not. None of her own pilots were as experienced, and she knew Lizzie would pick things up quickly. Part of her wished she’d be training alongside them, but if she was taking over as commanding officer, she’d no doubt be buried in paperwork most of the time.

‘Is everything all right?’ Ruby asked.

May sighed. ‘Nothing’s ever all right these days. Gather your things, Ruby, and notify Lizzie that we’ll need her to accompany us. I’m transferring to the all-female ferry pool in Hamble, and I need our two best pilots with me.’

‘When?’ Ruby gasped, not bothering to mask her surprise.

May knew her protégé suffered a serious case of nerves when it came to believing in herself, but she could only hope that throwing her in at the deep end would be exactly what she needed. She folded the telegram and stuck it in her jacket pocket. ‘Today. And Polly? I’m going to reassign you. Once you finish training, you’ll be taking over Ruby’s role here at White Waltham as an executive officer.’

Polly’s mouth dropped open and May held out her hand, managing a smile despite the turmoil she felt.

‘Thank you,’ Polly whispered, as a huge grin crossed her face.

‘Congratulations,’ said May. ‘You certainly deserve the promotion.’

She watched as Polly and Ruby hugged excitedly.

‘Sanders, let’s get ready to go. And please tell the American for me that she’s no longer staying at the Savoy.’ May smiled at the idea of knocking Lizzie Dunlop down to size. ‘It’s time for her to put her money where her mouth is and show us what she’s made of.’ She was about to head back to her office, but then spun on her heel. ‘Oh, and Ruby?’ she asked. ‘Can you let Benjamin know we’re leaving and that I want him to join us, too?’