‘Ryland Moor mostly uses Ansons and Oxfords for flight training, but since the occasional OTU is posted here, it’s lucky enough to have three Mark IC Wellingtons at its disposal as well,’ he told her. ‘Pilot sits here, of course.’
He nodded to Harper at the control wheel. Numerous dials indicating goodness knew what were before him on the dashboard. Bobby couldn’t help thinking of Charlie, sitting in that very spot in his own cockpit.
‘These older kites would have a co-pilot too, but heavy bombers like the Avro Lancasters they’re bringing in now have phased them out in favour of a flight engineer,’ Ernie went on. ‘Navigator and wireless operator would be in the belly behind, nose gunner up front and of course rear gunner in the tail turret.’
Bobby gave an involuntary shiver.
‘Something wrong?’ Ernie asked.
‘I was just thinking of Piotr. He was in the tail – the rear gunner. That was why he…’ She flinched. ‘Never mind.’
‘Strap yourself into the co-pilot’s seat and I’ll squeeze between you.’ Ernie watched as she did so, then crouched beside her. ‘All right, Harper, you know what you’re doing. Take us up.’
The plane juddered as it taxied down the runway like a huge, bumpy bus, then Bobby felt a sensation like her stomach dropping out of her body when it started to lift from the ground. The noise was tremendous as they became airborne. She grabbed Ernie’s arm and gripped it tightly.
‘Still all right?’ he asked quietly.
‘I just hope I don’t throw up. Some airwoman I am.’
‘Don’t worry. We’re all the same our first time out.’ He nodded to the pilot. ‘Nice and smooth for the lady, Harper. We want to keep pretty low today. Level her out at angels four. That ought to keep us clear of the peaks.’
‘Right-oh, sir.’
Bobby continued to feel queasy as the plane climbed. Her head was tight and painful, and there was a ringing sound like a telephone in her ears. Ernie was speaking, but she could no longer hear him.
‘What?’ she shouted.
‘I said, hold your nose and blow!’ he called out. ‘It’ll relieve the pressure.’
Bobby did as he said, feeling utterly ridiculous. There was a popping sound, and suddenly she could hear the rushing of air and the deep-throated roar of the twin engines. Soon, Harper started to level the plane out and before long they were flying smoothly in a cloudless sky. She relaxed a little, and loosened her grip on Ernie’s arm.
‘I think you left a bruise,’ he said, laughing.
‘Sorry.’
‘Don’t worry, I can take it.’
‘It feels so gentle now we’re level.’
‘We’re travelling at a hundred and eighty miles per hour.’
‘Are we?’ Bobby blinked. ‘Gosh.’
He nodded to the window. ‘This is what I really wanted you to see.’
She followed his gaze, and what she saw took her breath away.
Spread out like a map was a glorious patchwork of fields in green, yellow, brown and red, dotted with barns and farmhouses and dappled with gold where they were touched by the sun. Sparkling rivulets and chalky-looking drystone walls divided up the landscape. And rising above the valleys in which little settlements nestled were the fells, painted in every shade of green, looking on like strong protectors of the landscape.
‘Oh, Ernie,’ Bobby whispered.
‘That’s what I hoped you’d say.’
And then she saw it. So fleeting she might have missed it, if she hadn’t turned her head at just that moment. The look – the same one he had given her that night on the ice, clear and unmistakeable. A yearning, tender, hungry look. But almost as soon as it appeared, it had gone.
‘What?’ Ernie said, noticing her staring.
‘I…’ She glanced at Harper. ‘Nothing.’
