The Spitfire Girls(58)
May held what she hoped was a calm expression as the first guest emerged. Then she almost gasped as out stepped . . . Jackson!
‘Captain Montgomery, what a pleasure to see you again!’ she said, holding out a hand and smiling when he kissed her cheek instead. She’d thought he’d left the country already, but clearly he’d stayed behind to escort the first lady on this outing.
‘The pleasure is mine,’ he said, before turning back to the vehicle and helping an elegantly dressed woman from the car. ‘Senior Commander Jones, it is also my great pleasure to introduce you to the first lady of the United States of America, Mrs Roosevelt.’
May tried not to gape at the woman who emerged, her smile fixed perfectly in place as their eyes met.
‘Welcome, Mrs Roosevelt. It’s our absolute honour to have you here,’ she gushed.
‘Why thank you, Senior Commander. I can’t tell you what . . .’
Before she could finish her sentence, rain started to pelt them, falling in huge, angry drops from the sky.
Why now? Honestly! Why were they having so much awful weather? May leapt to take the first lady’s arm and usher her out of the wet, but a man approached and bustled her out of the way, proffering his arm and an umbrella.
‘Elizabeth, look at you!’ Mrs Roosevelt said, catching sight of Lizzie. ‘Looking every inch the bomber girl, I have to say.’
May listened to Lizzie chat and laugh with the first lady as they huddled beneath the roof of the hangar, but she caught sight of Ruby, standing slightly away from the others beneath the giant wing of a Handley Page Halifax. May could see she was unsure what to do; perhaps she was feeling distanced from the others now that she was flying a different type of aircraft, or maybe she was nervous about meeting their guest.
May held up a hand and received a little wave back.
‘Is that her?’ she heard Mrs Roosevelt ask.
‘Ruby? I mean First Officer Sanders, yes,’ Lizzie replied. ‘The one and only.’
‘She’s the girl whose face I’ve seen plastered on every inch of newspaper since I arrived,’ the first lady exclaimed. ‘What an achievement!’
Without warning she took an umbrella from one of her bodyguards and strode into the rain, taking shelter with Ruby beneath the wing. The pair were like chalk and cheese: Ruby petite and dressed in her sturdy shoes and uniform, the first lady in a greatcoat with a fox fur draped around her neck, every inch the wealthy president’s wife. But as May crossed to join them with Lizzie, she saw that her smile was genuine and her words of praise warm, and she couldn’t help but like her.
‘So, how does it feel to be the first woman to fly a four-engine bomber?’ Mrs Roosevelt asked, over the pelting rain.
‘It feels spectacular, actually,’ Ruby replied, her voice more assured than usual. ‘I’m so proud of all we’ve accomplished here.’
‘Well, you deserve every accolade.’
‘Thank you,’ Ruby said, her chin pointed up slightly. May smiled, knowing how hard it was for Ruby to accept praise, but she’d seen a change in her since that first flight.
‘It’s even better that you’re so tiny,’ Mrs Roosevelt said jovially. ‘Shows the men that brute strength is nothing compared to brains and determination!’
They all laughed.
‘Now tell me about Elizabeth here. I hope her competitive spirit hasn’t got in the way at all?’
May saw Lizzie’s cheeks flare in embarrassment.
‘She’s a livewire, that’s for sure,’ Ruby said with a grin. ‘Elizabeth is an accomplished pilot and we certainly had a boisterous rivalry to become the first bomber pilot. It was neck and neck all the way and, if anything, she helped me to be the pilot I am today.’
May looked between the two women, watching Ruby’s easy smile and Lizzie’s shocked one.
‘Is that so? Well, it’s good to hear she’s been behaving.’
‘We’re going to miss her terribly,’ Ruby continued. ‘But she’ll be an asset to whatever squadron she leads when she returns home.’
‘Thank you, Ruby,’ Lizzie said. ‘But I can honestly say, hand on heart, that the best pilot paved the way for all of us. We all have Ruby to thank for our new ferrying role.’
‘Mrs Roosevelt, we’d like to invite you in for lunch now,’ May said, taking charge. ‘Perhaps it would be a good idea to get out of this rain and tour the airfield when it clears instead?’
‘Of course,’ the first lady replied. ‘Elizabeth, would you go and find Captain Montgomery, please? He’s such a gorgeous man, and I insisted that you both sit with me today. I’m sure the two of you get along marvellously, am I right?’
‘Ah, yes,’ Lizzie said, raising a brow at May and Ruby. ‘In fact, I’d love nothing more than to sit with him for lunch. How delightful that he managed to stay in the country for your visit. I thought he’d be home by now.’
May stifled her laugh and escorted Mrs Roosevelt towards the big hangar, which was set with huge tables and a feast for them all. She realised that not even the rain could ruin their day. Almost all of Lizzie’s pilots from America were in attendance, waiting to meet their guest, and they had enough food and champagne to feed and water an army.
Today, she was going to relax and enjoy a rare moment of fun. Tomorrow she’d be taking to the skies for the first time in months, to deliver much-needed Spitfires to Colerne so they could be transported immediately to Port Glasgow and then on to Malta by the RAF – and after that? She doubted there’d be any time at all for fun or anything remotely resembling it. She decided to go and find Ben to walk together for lunch in the hangar. She had a feeling things were going to be on the up for the Allies now – from what she’d been told, the number of four-engine bombers they could now ferry to key bases and the delivery of the Spitfires to Malta could have a huge influence.