‘Charlie never tried anything like that,’ Bobby whispered. ‘And… honestly, I don’t know. Sometimes I think he couldn’t have, really, because how could that just stop? But then I remember how he used to hold me like he couldn’t bear to let me go, and his voice whispering that he loved me with so much tender earnestness…’ She swallowed a sob. ‘That had to be real. It had to be. I couldn’t have just imagined it.’
‘Perhaps you shouldn’t give up on him,’ Dilys said softly.
‘How can I not, when there’s been no word for so long?’
‘I just feel like if it was me… I’ve never had a love like that. You know, one that felt real and forever and all that. When I was with Rich, I stopped believing such a thing could even exist. But you’ve had that, so it must be able to, mustn’t it? And if I had it, I feel like I wouldn’t ever give up on it.’
Later that day, Bobby went to meet Ernie in one of the hangars. She had no worries, now, that he might intend more than she was comfortable with. She only felt grateful to have a pleasant experience to look forward to, and a friend who cared enough to want to take her mind off things.
There were assorted aircraft in the hangar: a number of smaller planes, and three large bombers Bobby recognised as Vickers Wellingtons. Ernie was standing beside one of them with a young erk, the white flash on his cap indicating he was aircrew in training. Both wore battledress and leather flying jackets. Ground crew milled around behind them.
‘Slacks. Hey.’ Ernie greeted her as usual, with a nickname and a grin.
‘Sir,’ she said, saluting. Since there were others present, she thought she ought to keep things formal.
‘Put these on.’ Ernie handed her a helmet and flying jacket. Bobby did so, leaving her cap on a table full of flying kit. The two men strapped on helmets too.
‘You won’t be able to wear a parachute over your skirt, but it doesn’t matter, we won’t be flying high enough today for you to use one,’ Ernie said.
‘All right.’
‘This young man is Aircraftman Alistair Harper,’ he told her, nodding to the recruit, who grinned chummily. ‘He doesn’t need the additional flying hours, to be honest. He’s doing me a favour because I wanted to get one last flight in before I went on leave. Funny how you miss it. Harper, have you got the book?’
‘Right you are, sir,’ Harper said jovially. He produced a book and pencil and handed them to Bobby.
‘What is it?’ she asked.
‘We call it the Blood Book,’ Ernie told her. ‘Everyone has to sign it before they go up. It’s just to say that you absolve the RAF of responsibility in the event of your death.’
She blinked at it. ‘Oh.’
‘Is that OK?’
‘Of course. Do I have to sign it in actual blood?’
Ernie laughed. ‘No, pencil will do fine.’
She opened the book and, after hesitating a moment, signed her name.
Ernie climbed the stepladder and opened the cockpit door. ‘Shall we?’
‘After you,’ the young erk said politely to Bobby, but her gaze had been arrested by the enormous bulk of the Wellington. She had seen so many silhouetted against the sky, and never thought about what monsters they must be close up. It was incredible they could stay in the air. This was probably the closest she had ever been to one – apart from one other occasion.
‘The last time I saw one of these up close, it was on fire,’ she murmured.
Harper frowned. ‘Sorry, miss?’
‘That’s Aircraftwoman, not miss,’ Ernie reminded him. ‘You need to stop thinking like a civilian, Harper.’ He came back down the ladder. ‘Get in and take the controls.’
Harper saluted. ‘Yessir.’
‘Sorry,’ Ernie said in a low voice to Bobby. ‘It hadn’t occurred to me, when I asked you to come up… I’d forgotten about the crash. Are you going to be OK?’
‘Yes.’ She summoned a smile. ‘I couldn’t help thinking of it, that’s all. Let’s go.’
‘It’s going to be rather snug, I’m afraid,’ Ernie said as he mounted the ladder behind her. ‘These cockpits weren’t designed for three.’
Once inside, Ernie gave her a quick tour while a ground crew WAAF took the ladder away. It was indeed very small, and Bobby had to bend her knees to fit in. Ernie, who was over six feet tall, was bent almost double beside her.
