Suzanne reached for her handkerchief underneath her pillow and blew her nose.
‘That’s better,’ Raine said. ‘We have to make the best of it. Look, I don’t want to go any more than you do.’
She knew she wasn’t being entirely truthful with her sister. At first she hadn’t wanted to leave her familiar home, but the moment her father had told her they were moving to Downe her heart had leapt. Not only was it a short bus ride into Bromley, but she’d also discovered it was just a hop and a skip to Biggin Hill where there was a major aerodrome. According to the scale of the map, she’d quickly worked out that the house they were to rent was a mere four-mile cycle ride away. Perhaps her dream was closer to coming true.
A fortnight later …
Every Saturday morning before her mother had risen, Raine cycled from her new home, a semi-detached cottage in Downe, to Biggin Hill. She hung around the aerodrome watching, breathing in the atmosphere, loving every minute. In the early morning all was silent except for an occasional plane coming in to land or taking off, muffling any birdsong. She could think herself into another world, concentrate on its sound, the thrum of the engine, the glamour of the pilot when he stepped down from the open cockpit in his flying suit and whipped off his helmet.
One day that will be me, she told herself.
She’d been a member of the library in Bromley since she was a child, and on her last visit she’d found a book with photographs and descriptions of different aircraft, devouring it with far more enthusiasm than she’d ever done with her homework. Now, standing at the edge of the aerodrome, looking over the gate, she took great delight in recognising them and ticking them off in her notebook, committing them to memory.
This morning she was here particularly early when a man pulled up in his car. He leaned out of the window and smiled. She noticed his eyes, as blue as a summer sky.
‘Hello, there. Want a lift over there so you can see the planes closer up?’
Her heart soared. ‘Oh, yes, please … if you’re sure it’s no trouble.’
‘None whatsoever.’ He smiled again. ‘Jump in, then. Name’s Douglas White. You can call me Doug.’
‘Raine Linfoot.’ She held out her hand and he shook it.
She looked at him with interest. Chestnut hair, nice open face, and wore his uniform with an air of sophistication. Maybe mid-twenties. Too bad he was too old for her. She hid a smile.
‘I’ve seen you hanging around,’ he said as he put the gear into first. ‘Do you fancy having a spin in my plane?’ He turned to her and grinned.
‘Oh, yes, please,’ she said again. ‘Is it really your own aeroplane?’
‘Well, I rent it. I shouldn’t really be doing this,’ he added as they strolled towards the Tiger Moth, Raine’s heart threatening to burst out of her chest. ‘But no one’s here this early except Bob, one of the mechanics. We need him to swing the prop. We’ll just give it twenty minutes, all right?’ He tilted his head. She noted he was actually very good-looking. ‘How old are you, anyway?’
‘Eighteen.’ Only a small fib.
‘Ever been up?’
‘Only once, a few years ago – at Cobham’s Flying Circus.’
‘Were you sick?’
‘No.’
Doug chuckled. ‘Long as you’re not sick in my plane. If you are, you’ll have to clear it up.’ He turned as one of the ground crew called to him.
‘Having an early morning spin, sir?’
‘Morning, Bob. Thought I’d take her up for a few minutes to show this young lady who wants to learn about planes.’
Bob looked doubtful as he lifted his cap to Raine. ‘Righto, sir … miss. I’ll get you started.’
Doug strapped her into the seat of the open cockpit and she felt him take the seat behind her. He handed her a very worn leather flying helmet, but she was so nervous she couldn’t find the strap.
Feeling an idiot, she twisted round to face him. ‘I can’t seem to get this on.’
In seconds her helmet was secure, which did nothing to still her heart, pulsing madly against her ribs. She’d soon be up in the clouds again. It felt a long time since that first flight.
‘Put these on as well.’ He handed her a pair of goggles.
Almost before she’d adjusted them, Doug called out, ‘Contact,’ and Bob swung the propeller.
The engine burst into life and after waiting a few moments, presumably to warm it, Doug signalled to Bob and shouted, ‘Chocks away.’
She saw Bob grab two lengths of rope and jerk the wedges out from under the wheels, then jump smartly out of the way.
A short run and they were airborne, the shock of the cold early morning slapping her face. She was in heaven. She giggled at the thought. She was probably about as close to heaven as she’d ever get. And when she saw the clouds floating above her, looking like candyfloss, and the sun just beginning to show on the horizon, she shouted with joy. She looked this way and that, noticing how the fields below reminded her of Grandma Linfoot’s patchwork quilts, interspersed with doll’s houses – at least that’s what they looked like from her view. Raine pinched herself, happier than she’d ever been since that first flight with Cobham’s Circus.
Without warning, there was a terrific lurch and suddenly she was hanging upside down, only the safety harness keeping her in place. But before she had time to react, the aeroplane righted itself. All too soon Doug brought it down on the grassy field with a couple of gentle bumps.
‘How did you like the slow roll?’ he asked as he helped her from the cockpit.
‘I was too scared to scream. But then I wanted you to do it again.’
‘Didn’t think I’d better under the circumstances,’ Doug chuckled. ‘Maybe next time.’
There’d be a next time. Her heart, which had just settled back to normal, began to pound again.
He was looking at her. She liked the way his blue eyes twinkled.
‘Do you want to go up again?’
‘What, now?’
He laughed. ‘I don’t mean now. I’ve got work to do. But if I see you hanging around again and it’s early enough, we’ll see. For now, let’s get you back.’
This was her chance to tell someone who would understand, she thought, as they approached the gate.
‘What I really want to do is to train to be a pilot … but my parents can’t afford lessons.’ Oh, how she hated admitting that. ‘I need a job,’ she added quickly, hoping he would see she was trying to be independent.
She was gratified that Doug didn’t roll his eyes when she’d mentioned being a pilot.
‘What are you intending to do now, then?’ he said.
‘My dad wants me to be an accountant. Just because I’m good at mathematics and because he’s one, he’s decided it’s a natural choice.’
‘And your mother? What does she say?’
‘Maman?’ Raine grimaced. ‘All she wants is for me to make a good marriage.’
‘Hmm. But you don’t want that.’
‘Definitely not. I want to see something of the world first. But until then I only want to learn to fly. And if there’s a war—’
‘We won’t mention any war,’ he cut in. He looked at her thoughtfully. ‘What about if I put in