‘I’ll miss you, too,’ she replied, feeling a genuine wave of sadness wash over her.
‘You’re not allowed to,’ said her father. ‘You’re to go and enjoy what you’re doing. All I ask is two things. That you’ll keep in touch and write to Michael often.’
‘Of course.’
‘And that you’ll be safe. Please stay safe.’
Fitz didn’t miss the look of sadness in her father’s eyes and she knew instantly what he wasn’t saying was more powerful than his actual words. The unspoken message that he’d lost his first wife and didn’t want to lose his daughter might as well have been signposted above him.
‘I promise I’ll be safe, Pa.’ She hugged him again before clambering onto the train. Her father boarded with her to put her case in the overhead luggage rack before disembarking just as the platform guard blew his whistle and waved his flag at the driver.
Fitz stood at the door with the window slid down and waved furiously to her father as the train pulled out of the station. She would miss him. She knew she would, but she couldn’t afford to dwell on those emotions.
She sat back down in her seat and smiled to herself at the start of her new adventure.
As the train steamed its way through Cambridgeshire, Fitz watched the passing countryside. The telephone lines runningalong the side of the railway line were hypnotic as they rose and fell in time with the rhythm of the train.
St Neots heralded a change of trains, and this one was rather busier than the one before. There were several carriages packed with service personnel where it looked to be standing room only. Fitz was lucky in that her father had bought her a first-class ticket and she was able to sit for the journey.
Eventually, the train pulled into the railway station. As Fitz slid down the window to open the door from the outside, she looked down the train and was surprised to see about twenty to thirty military personnel disembark further down the platform.
She stepped off the train and onto the platform, placing her suitcase down on the ground while she took a moment to work out where she was supposed to go. The letter had said there would be transport to meet her.
‘Hello, there,’ came a woman’s voice. ‘Are you here for CFS?’
Fitz looked at the young woman coming to a halt in front of her. She looked to be about Fitz’s own age, maybe a little older, and had her brunette hair pulled back into a neat pleat. She was wearing a tweed styled suit.
‘Yes, that’s right. Geraldine Fitz-Herbert.’ She held out her hand to the woman.
‘Ooh, Geraldine Fitz-Herbert, now there’s fancy,’ replied the woman with a grin. She shook Fitz’s hand. ‘Elsie Sullivan. Single barrelled.’
Despite the obvious teasing, Fitz took an instant shine to the woman. ‘Most people call me Fitz,’ she said.
‘Thank God for that. Much less of a mouthful.’
‘Are you here to join the ATA?’ asked Fitz.
‘I most certainly am,’ replied Elsie. ‘I take it that’s what you’re here for?’
Fitz nodded. ‘That’s right.’ From over Elsie’s shoulder she saw several soldiers standing in a group, looking over at them.
One of them smoking a cigarette, put his finger and thumb in his mouth and let out a long high-pitched whistle as he openly looked Fitz and Elsie up and down.
‘Hello, girls!’ he called out. ‘You look lost. Do you need help?’
Elsie rolled her eyes at Fitz and turned to face the group. Before she could say anything, Fitz called back to them.
‘If we need any help, we’ll ask one of the men.’ She nodded towards three uniformed airmen striding down the platform. One of them heard her and slowed as he took in the scene before him and then made a beeline for Fitz.
‘Sweetheart!’ he called out, walking right up to her and kissing her cheek. ‘Glad you got here safely.’
‘Oh, darling, you’re here,’ replied Fitz. ‘Oh, I’m so pleased to see you,’ she said, continuing the farce. She couldn’t help noticing how handsome the man was. And what was with the American accent? How odd. His dark hair was cut short, but the front left a little longer and combed back. He had the most amazing blue eyes, she’d seen, almost as blue as his uniform.
One of his companions put an arm around Elsie. ‘Hello, baby,’ he said. With his back to the Englishmen, he winked at Elsie.
Fitz looked over at the British soldiers who were watching the scene play out.
The American turned to the men. ‘Can I help you boys with anything?’
