‘Lucky I didn’t lose this.’
‘Well, on your own head be it, Fleur,’ Kay remarked. ‘Don’t say I didn’t warn you. Word will go round this place like wildfire that you’ve set up as the camp seamstress. You’ll have all these ham-fisted fellers beating a path to your door.’
‘I should be so lucky!’ Fleur quipped as she threaded her needle.
‘There’s just one thing,’ Bob said seriously. ‘Don’t let the CO catch you. He’s a stickler for the rulebook.’
‘Then you’d better keep an eye out.’ She grinned up at him. ‘At least while I’m doing your jacket.’
‘I’ll get us some tea,’ Peggy offered, whilst Kay turned back to study her notes and the jottings she had made during take-off.
The hours of waiting seemed interminable, especially on the eight-hour night watch, but Fleur was glad to be here. It helped her to feel closer to Robbie, even though she had a hollow, sick feeling in the pit of her stomach that she knew would not go away until he had landed safely. But tomorrow she could look forward to a day off after the long night duty. She hoped Robbie would have some time to spend with her.
As the time drew near for the aircraft to return, the relaxed atmosphere in the watch office disappeared and became businesslike once more. Just as the voice from the first homecoming aircraft came crackling over the airwaves, a red air-raid warning came in and at once the runway lights went out. Hurriedly, but with surprising calm, Kay gave warning to the homecoming crew about what was happening.
Though her hands were shaking, Fleur managed to speak calmly into her own microphone, warning each aircraft as it called in of the danger. They were all given the command to orbit at a certain height, though several were already low on fuel and wouldn’t be able to circle for long. Fleur bit her lip, her ears tuned for the call sign of Robbie’s plane, D-Doggo.
Then they heard the incendiary bombs falling. Thud! A silence and then another thud. Closer now. Another, even closer, and then came a thunderous boom very close to the control tower. The whole room seemed to shake and the glass rattled, but Kay continued to speak calmly into her microphone. ‘Hello, G-George, this is Woody receiving you, strength niner, over …’ Then she wrote rapidly on her notepad, her hand moving smoothly over the page, without any telltale shake.
Fleur took a deep breath. ‘Hello, P-Poppy, this is Woody …’ She was gratified to find that her voice was level and calm too, but her heart was pounding so loudly in her chest, she was sure they could hear it over the airwaves.
They waited for the next bomb to fall, convinced it would be a direct hit on the watch office. Well, there’s one thing, Fleur thought irrationally. If I’m to die so soon, my mother will have been proved right!
But no more bombs fell and in a few moments the all-clear was declared.
‘Just a lone raider dropping a stick of bombs, I expect,’ Bob said, smoothing back his hair, which had become distinctly ruffled during the last few minutes. The landing lights came on and, as soon as the runway was declared damage free, instructions to land began at once.
Later Fleur was to learn from Ruth that one or two aircraft had landed on almost empty tanks.
One of the last aircraft to land was D-Doggo. Finally, Fleur could breathe again. Robbie was safely back.
If every night was going to be as bad as this one had been, Fleur wondered how she would cope. But cope she would; she had to for Robbie’s sake. It wouldn’t help him if she let him see how dreadfully anxious she was. And yet she needed to let him know how very much she cared for him, how very much – already – she loved him.
She smiled. But he knew that, just as she knew how much he loved her.
There were no doubts between the two of them about their feelings for each other. If only he had been able to talk to his mother …
Eleven
‘Hi, Sis. Thought I’d bike over and
‘Well, on your own head be it, Fleur,’ Kay remarked. ‘Don’t say I didn’t warn you. Word will go round this place like wildfire that you’ve set up as the camp seamstress. You’ll have all these ham-fisted fellers beating a path to your door.’
‘I should be so lucky!’ Fleur quipped as she threaded her needle.
‘There’s just one thing,’ Bob said seriously. ‘Don’t let the CO catch you. He’s a stickler for the rulebook.’
‘Then you’d better keep an eye out.’ She grinned up at him. ‘At least while I’m doing your jacket.’
‘I’ll get us some tea,’ Peggy offered, whilst Kay turned back to study her notes and the jottings she had made during take-off.
The hours of waiting seemed interminable, especially on the eight-hour night watch, but Fleur was glad to be here. It helped her to feel closer to Robbie, even though she had a hollow, sick feeling in the pit of her stomach that she knew would not go away until he had landed safely. But tomorrow she could look forward to a day off after the long night duty. She hoped Robbie would have some time to spend with her.
As the time drew near for the aircraft to return, the relaxed atmosphere in the watch office disappeared and became businesslike once more. Just as the voice from the first homecoming aircraft came crackling over the airwaves, a red air-raid warning came in and at once the runway lights went out. Hurriedly, but with surprising calm, Kay gave warning to the homecoming crew about what was happening.
Though her hands were shaking, Fleur managed to speak calmly into her own microphone, warning each aircraft as it called in of the danger. They were all given the command to orbit at a certain height, though several were already low on fuel and wouldn’t be able to circle for long. Fleur bit her lip, her ears tuned for the call sign of Robbie’s plane, D-Doggo.
Then they heard the incendiary bombs falling. Thud! A silence and then another thud. Closer now. Another, even closer, and then came a thunderous boom very close to the control tower. The whole room seemed to shake and the glass rattled, but Kay continued to speak calmly into her microphone. ‘Hello, G-George, this is Woody receiving you, strength niner, over …’ Then she wrote rapidly on her notepad, her hand moving smoothly over the page, without any telltale shake.
Fleur took a deep breath. ‘Hello, P-Poppy, this is Woody …’ She was gratified to find that her voice was level and calm too, but her heart was pounding so loudly in her chest, she was sure they could hear it over the airwaves.
They waited for the next bomb to fall, convinced it would be a direct hit on the watch office. Well, there’s one thing, Fleur thought irrationally. If I’m to die so soon, my mother will have been proved right!
But no more bombs fell and in a few moments the all-clear was declared.
‘Just a lone raider dropping a stick of bombs, I expect,’ Bob said, smoothing back his hair, which had become distinctly ruffled during the last few minutes. The landing lights came on and, as soon as the runway was declared damage free, instructions to land began at once.
Later Fleur was to learn from Ruth that one or two aircraft had landed on almost empty tanks.
One of the last aircraft to land was D-Doggo. Finally, Fleur could breathe again. Robbie was safely back.
If every night was going to be as bad as this one had been, Fleur wondered how she would cope. But cope she would; she had to for Robbie’s sake. It wouldn’t help him if she let him see how dreadfully anxious she was. And yet she needed to let him know how very much she cared for him, how very much – already – she loved him.
She smiled. But he knew that, just as she knew how much he loved her.
There were no doubts between the two of them about their feelings for each other. If only he had been able to talk to his mother …
Eleven
‘Hi, Sis. Thought I’d bike over and
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