The Spitfire Girls(34)

There were already people waiting in a line to check in, so she sat in one of the big chairs and gestured for the other two to do the same.

‘You know, the second night I was here the Wailing Willy went off, warning of an air raid, and I had no idea what was going on,’ Lizzie told the other two as they sat down. ‘I eventually emerged in my dressing gown and was given a good telling off, but I’d decided to just hide under the covers and pray for the bloody best.’

‘Ha, listen to you now!’ Polly said. ‘You sound like a proper Brit, and you haven’t been here more than a few months.’

Lizzie supposed she had picked up some of the weird British sayings, like calling the air raid siren a Wailing Willy, but there were other things about being in England that she’d never get the hang of. Like the time she’d asked for the restroom and been taken to a room to rest in, with no toilet in sight. Or some of the other unusual sayings that didn’t make any sense. But it was the look of things and even the taste of things that she still found particularly foreign. At home she was used to corner drug stores with soda fountains and clean cafes with good food. And the ice creams? Ugh, she’d tasted one just before their production was banned – they were deemed not to have any food value during wartime – and it was disgusting. More like old dishwater compared to the smooth, silky taste of ice cream back home.

‘So where are we going tonight?’ Ruby asked. ‘What’s the plan once we’ve taken our bags up?’

Lizzie shrugged. ‘We’re going wherever we can find handsome men, eat a good steak, and dance the night away.’

Ruby shook her head, smiling. ‘You haven’t forgotten that I’m a promised woman, have you?’

‘Doesn’t mean you can’t have a little fun,’ Lizzie said with a wink. ‘God knows he will if he gets a night out on the town somewhere, and, Polly, you’re single, aren’t you?’

‘Why, yes I am,’ Polly said. ‘And it just so happens that I’m dying to meet a fella to take my mind off this war!’

‘To hell with it, you’re right,’ said Ruby. ‘I’m an independent woman contributing to the war effort. He’d better not warm anyone else’s bed, but we all deserve some fun and he’s been an idiot lately anyway. He’s lucky I haven’t called off the engagement!’

Lizzie could see how hard Ruby was trying to be brave; she’d heard the other girls talking about how difficult her fiancé had been. ‘He’s lucky to have you, Ruby,’ she said. ‘Honestly, he is.’

Ruby looked amazed for a second, before slowly smiling. ‘Thanks, Liz. That actually means a lot.’

‘Come on, let’s check in and get our party frocks on,’ Lizzie said, not wanting Ruby to think she’d gone all soft on her. She only had one dress, but after months of wearing her uniform day in, day out, it felt like she was about to put on the most special dress in the world – not to mention her beautiful brown silk stockings that she was so careful with. ‘All I can think about is what we’re going to be eating tonight, and it had better not include cabbage or Brussels sprouts!’

‘I need a big juicy piece of meat. And some jolly good gravy to go with it.’ Polly sighed. ‘Heaven on a plate.’

‘Don’t forget the gin,’ Lizzie added. ‘I’d go for one of your British gin and tonics right about now.’

‘May said she’d be here by early evening at the latest,’ Ruby told them. ‘I actually think she might be impressed by how well we’ve been getting along so far.’

‘I wouldn’t go getting too ahead of yourself,’ Polly teased.

Lizzie flashed Polly a smile, liking the smart-mouthed Australian.

‘Have you been elsewhere in London during an air raid?’ Ruby asked as they approached the reception desk. ‘When you first arrived, I mean?’

‘No, just that once. I probably didn’t take it seriously enough.’

‘Most of London is squashed into the underground during a raid, on cold damp floors, but the crowd here gets pampered even when we’re being bombed.’ Ruby shook her head. ‘Liz, it’s scary when the sirens go off, if you’ve been here when a bomb has actually hit. When you’ve got to race for cover, when you’re not staying somewhere fancy like this, it’s terrifying. It makes it all so real, that we’re only one bomb away from being a casualty.’

Lizzie squeezed Ruby’s hand. ‘I’m sorry, I was just trying to make light of it. You know me.’

Ruby’s smile was sad, and Lizzie wondered if she’d pushed too far.

‘Just don’t forget that this war is real,’ Ruby reminded her. ‘And we’ve all lost someone or something. It’s not a game to us.’

‘I promise you, it’s not a game to me either,’ Lizzie assured her.

‘Well, we’d better not have a bloody air raid tonight. I want to party for hours then sleep for longer than I’ve slept in months,’ Polly moaned, as Ruby laughed and gave their names to the front desk clerk.

Lizzie couldn’t agree more. ‘Let’s go to our room, take a nap, then get ourselves all dolled up so we’re ready when May gets here.’



‘I thought I’d find you ladies in here.’