The Girls in Blue Read online

  They moved aside to allow others to find their mail. Jane tore hers open. ‘It’s from Oscar saying that he and Roy are going to be staying in London for two nights and they would like to meet up at the restaurant we used last time if possible.’

  ‘Golly, mine says exactly the same thing. What’s the date today?’

  ‘January the twenty-fifth.’ She smiled and continued. ‘It’s a Thursday in case you hadn’t noticed.’

  ‘They’re going to be there tomorrow and Saturday – I can’t believe that we’ve got a thirty-six-hour pass starting after our shift tomorrow afternoon. This means we can also stay both nights as long as we’re back really early on Sunday morning. Shall we go?’

  ‘Absolutely spiffing idea,’ Jane said with a smile. ‘It’s very intense here and I think it will do us good to get away for a bit.’

  ‘One of us had better ring the hotel and check they have accommodation available. I don’t want to turn up and find there’s no room.’

  ‘I think I’ve still got the receipt for the last time somewhere in my locker. There’s no time to find it now as the coach will be here in a minute to take us to work.’

  Jane was competent at her job and, although eager to be involved with plotting the passage of actual enemy aircraft, she was dreading the day when her skills would be tested for real. Elizabeth was equally expert – in fact they were expecting to be moved to the Dover section of the large map, which would be the busiest and most crucial, and only the very best worked there.

  There were often periods of time when there was nothing to plot and they could stand and talk to each other and were sometimes allowed to take a short break away from the table. This was the case today.

  She and her friend were given half an hour and they headed for the NAAFI. This was always heaving with both men and women and sometimes the queue was so long there wasn’t time to actually buy anything. They were lucky today and took their egg and chips to a table with two vacant places.

  The other seats were occupied by two WAAFs and two pilots. These were always easy to identify, not just because of the gold wings on the uniform but by their air of confidence and superiority. They were the elite of the service and didn’t they know it.

  Oscar and Roy weren’t like that. They were really nice and didn’t show off at all. ‘I suppose we should have written to them, but it seemed a bit forward. I’m really glad they contacted us.’

  ‘I’d like to go somewhere more exciting than the cinema this time. Have you ever been to a nightclub?’

  The question was so absurd Jane laughed. ‘Of course I haven’t. Until I became a WAAF last September the only place I’d ever been was to my boarding school in Surrey. I’ve led a very sheltered life, you know.’ She regretted having spoken about her past the moment the words left her mouth. The last thing she wanted was to talk about her life before she joined up.

  ‘Do you know, we’ve become good friends but I don’t even know how old you are, or anything at all about your family.’

  She looked down at her food and what had seemed appetising was now the reverse. She stuffed her irons back in their bag and jumped up. ‘I’m sorry, I hope you can scoff this. I need the loo more than I need to eat.’ Somehow she forced herself to smile.

  ‘I’m absolutely starving, so I can polish that off with no trouble. I’ll buy you a bun if I have time.’

  Jane forced herself to stroll away when what she wanted to do was run. She headed for the nearest ablutions block and had recovered her equilibrium by the time she returned to her post.

  During a lull in proceedings Elizabeth handed her a bun. ‘Quick, there’s no one looking, eat this. You must be ravenous.’

  She gobbled it down and just had time to brush the crumbs from her uniform and put her headset back on when it crackled into life. Despite the fact that the weather was horrible, aircraft were in the air because the runways had been cleared of snow and there’d been no fresh falls in the last week.

  *

  Elizabeth had managed to reserve a room for them and her friend was bubbling with excitement at the thought of spending two nights in London escorted by a handsome flying officer. Jane was no longer sure she wanted to go but could hardly back out now.

  ‘I hope the two of them don’t think we’ve stood them up,’ Elizabeth said.

  ‘I’m sure they’ll understand. We’ll go there tomorrow in the hope that they turn up. After all,’ Jane said, ‘they don’t actually know that we’re coming.’

  Travelling on the underground, catching a bus and walking around London now felt familiar to her. Even the fact that it was almost dark didn’t bother her. There was something they hadn’t discussed and if she didn’t want to find herself going to a nightclub, she’d better speak up now.

  ‘I want to do the same things we did last time. Have a lovely meal at that restaurant and then go to the pictures and come back to the hotel for coffee. If you and Roy want to do something more glamorous then go ahead, I’m sure Oscar won’t mind.’

  ‘And I’m sure that he will. He’s a red-blooded RAF officer – he’ll expect to do something a bit more exciting this time. You said that you like to dance, surely that’s more interesting than sitting watching a boring film.’

  ‘I couldn’t possibly go anywhere smart as I didn’t bring an evening dress.’ She giggled. ‘Actually, even if I’d wanted to bring one that would be impossible as I don’t own anything like that.’

  Elizabeth looked at her as if she was insane. ‘None of us has got any civilian clothes. We had to send them back in a parcel. All service personnel will be in uniform like us.’

  She stopped so abruptly a businessman in a bowler hat and pinstriped suit was obliged to step into the road to avoid bumping into her. His immaculate black shoes and spats were spoiled by the dirty slush he was forced into. They had arrived in London as businesses were closing down for the night and the pavements were busy with similar gentlemen in a hurry to get home.

  He scowled at her and muttered something rude and for a moment she thought he was going to poke her in the stomach with his umbrella. The incident cleared the air. ‘What an unpleasant individual he was. Come on, Jane, let’s show them we won’t be pushed aside.’

  They linked arms and continued to walk down the centre of the pavement ignoring the muttered curses from those who had to step aside. When they reached the hotel they were giggling as they walked through the doors and sidled around the blackout curtains.

  15

  By the time Oscar and Roy got a lift to the station in a police car they were dishevelled and filthy. They found a decent café and after three mugs of tea and a couple of dubious sandwiches Oscar felt a lot better. On entering the premises they had received several raised eyebrows and disapproving looks from the other occupants but, by the time they’d finished, the atmosphere had changed. Word had obviously spread about the accident.

  When he asked for his bill the proprietor shook her head. ‘On the house. You saved a lot of lives today and some of them are my regulars.’

  There was a spontaneous round of applause and he exchanged an embarrassed grin with his friend. ‘Thank you, I just wish we could have done more. Do you happen to know when the next train goes to London?’

  ‘I do indeed, you’ve got ten minutes so you’ll have to leave pronto if you want to catch it. Mind you, it’s usually late nowadays.’

  They left the pleasant warmth of the café and slithered their way to the station.

  ‘We’re not going to get to London in time to meet the girls. Thank God we’ve reserved a room at the same hotel so we can make a grovelling apology,’ Oscar said as the train steamed into the station.

  ‘We don’t even know if they’re going to be there – it’ll be a magnificent coincidence if they can get leave at the same time as us. I’m knackered, I’m going to catch a kip if we can get a seat,’ his friend replied.

  They were fortunate and found an empty compartment. It was icy, but they didn’t care. Oscar slum
ped into the window seat opposite Roy, stretched his legs out and promptly fell asleep.

  ‘Feet off the seats, you two, and show me your tickets.’ A bad-tempered ticket collector jerked him from his slumbers.

  He swung his legs to the floor and looked across at Roy who was apparently still asleep, or maybe just ignoring the interruption and leaving him to deal with it.

  ‘We were involved in a bus accident, three fatalities, many injured. No doubt it will be in the papers tomorrow.’ He couldn’t prevent a yawn. ‘I’m sorry, but we didn’t have time to buy tickets.’

  ‘I should have realised you two were the blokes they’re talking about. You’ve got your feet on your bags – you relax and get a well-deserved sleep. Don’t bother about the tickets.’

  The door to the compartment was closed a lot more quietly than it had opened a few minutes ago. Roy opened one eye, grinned, and went back to sleep.

  *

  It was mid-afternoon, already getting dark, when they eventually emerged from Liverpool Street station. They caught the District and Metropolitan underground to Charing Cross and then decided to walk along the embankment to Westminster Bridge and then to the hotel.

  Despite approaching it from the opposite direction he had no difficulty leading them to the hotel. If the concierge recognised them from their previous visit, he showed no hostility.

  ‘Welcome, Flight Lieutenant Stanton and Flying Officer Cross.’ He pushed across the book and they filled in their details. The key was handed over and they were told their room was on the first floor adjacent to the bathroom and WC.

  ‘Let’s get spruced up, then come down and have a beer.’ He was disappointed that Jane’s name wasn’t in the book.

  Roy slapped him rather too hard on the back, making him stumble forward. It also made him laugh.

  ‘Don’t worry, they might turn up tomorrow. Shall we book a table for dinner? I don’t fancy wandering about tonight.’

  ‘Okay, pity it’s not for four.’

  The room they’d been allocated was adequate, but not as luxurious as one might have expected in a hotel in such a prestigious area of the city.

  ‘I’ll take the one on the left – not that there’s any difference.’ There was a neat pile of towels stacked on the end of his bed. He grabbed the largest. ‘I’m going to have a bath. If I leave the water in you can legitimately add another five inches.’

  ‘Fair enough. Aren’t you going to take your boots and things off first?’

  ‘Not thinking straight. What happened this morning has really shaken me up. You do realise that it was us who killed that poor woman?’

  ‘Jesus Christ! Don’t start blaming yourself or me for that. We both saw the dent in her forehead. That’s what killed her, not us landing on top of her.’

  Roy’s vehemence did the trick.

  ‘You’re right. Sorry. Three more unnecessary deaths so soon after Johnny’s – I suppose we’d better get used to it.’

  ‘You’re not like Riley, it’ll always knock you sideways. That’s what makes you a good bloke. You just need to deal with it better.’

  ‘Yes, sir.’ He straightened and did a mock salute before going in search of the bathroom and a much-needed soak.

  An hour later he was refreshed and ravenous but dinner wouldn’t be served until six o’clock. He would have to ignore the rumblings until then.

  Roy had taken charge of the key and after locking the door he dropped it into his jacket pocket. Luckily the worst of the grime had been on their greatcoats and flying boots. Their uniforms underneath were relatively unscathed – if a bit creased.

  There was no need to hand the key in as they weren’t leaving the premises. ‘Bar or coffee lounge?’

  Roy didn’t hesitate. ‘Definitely bar. I booked a table for six thirty – that means we’ve got an hour and a half’s drinking time…’ He stopped as the blackout curtains billowed outwards as the front doors were opened.

  Oscar was moving before he realised it. He’d recognised Jane’s laughter immediately. She and Elizabeth emerged from behind the material still giggling helplessly.

  ‘Good evening, ladies, what a delightful surprise. We thought you weren’t coming.’ He desperately wanted to snatch her up and kiss her breathless. She was quite enchanting when she was happy.

  To his delight she dropped her bag and held out her hands. ‘We thought we’d missed you. I’m so pleased to see you, Oscar. We’ve had such fun making grumpy businessmen step into the snow.’

  He grasped them but made no attempt to draw her closer. ‘We’ve had a dismal day until now. Everything’s better now you’re here. We’ve a table booked for six thirty, which gives you plenty of time to sort yourselves out and come down and join us. Shall I get you a shandy?’

  *

  Even through her thick gloves the sensation of her hands being held by Oscar was thrilling. Then the memory of that man grabbing her, dragging her into his study so he could thrash her, made her snatch them away.

  ‘A shandy would be lovely. Sorry, urgent need for the bathroom. It’s been a very long journey.’ She was talking nonsense and they both knew it.

  His smile was a trifle forced as he moved aside to let her rush past. Elizabeth was being soundly kissed by Roy and this just made her run faster. She’d no idea which room they were in this time so headed for the closest bathroom, which was on the first floor. When her friend extricated herself from her embrace no doubt she would sign them both in and collect the key.

  She bolted in and locked the door behind her. The mirror was steamed up and condensation trickled down the tiles – someone had just had a bath. The thought that a naked person had been in here moments before made her uneasy and she was out again in seconds.

  The loo was next door and she hid in there instead. She leaned against the door until her heart stopped thudding in her ears and her hands were no longer shaking. After rinsing her face with cold water she was ready to emerge.

  Elizabeth was just coming up the stairs. ‘We’ve got the same room; they must think we liked it so much we wanted to stay in it again. I say, are you all right? Did you have words with Oscar?’

  ‘I’m absolutely splendid, thank you. Just needed a pee. All that laughing is bad for the bladder.’

  This time they hung up their coats instead of dumping them on the bed. They were about to make their way back to the foyer when she recalled something Oscar had said. ‘I wonder what happened to them for him to have said he’d had a dismal day. Did Roy tell you?’

  ‘No, there wasn’t time for conversation. He’s a really good kisser – I bet Oscar is too when you get that far.’

  ‘I’m not that sort of girl. I don’t want to do that with anyone until we’re engaged.’ This was entirely the wrong thing to say as Elizabeth took it personally.

  ‘Are you saying that I’m that sort of girl?’ Instead of being angry her friend looked hurt.

  ‘I’m sorry, there’s something I want to tell you that will explain everything. It’s a secret and I don’t want you to tell anyone else.’

  Elizabeth’s expression changed to one of sympathy. ‘Golly, how awful. You don’t have to tell me what happened if you don’t want to.’

  They sat down side-by-side on a bed and she told Elizabeth what that man had done to her, how this had made her nervous around any man – even one as lovely as Oscar.

  ‘That’s dreadful, you poor thing. No wonder you’re as jumpy as a kitten.’

  ‘Do you think I should tell Oscar? He must think I’m deranged the way I’ve been blowing hot and cold with him.’ She shuddered at the thought.

  ‘No, he doesn’t need to know until he’s actually your real boyfriend. I promise I won’t say anything to anyone.’

  ‘Thank you. I wish I could be as mature as you about things but… but you can understand why I’m not.’

  When that horrible officer at the dance had molested her, it had made her feel sick. She intended to avoid being touched like that, even by Oscar who was
a respectful and charming young man who treated her wonderfully.

  Elizabeth touched her arm as they reached the lower landing and brought her back to the present. ‘Have you thought any more about suggesting that we go to a nightclub or something tomorrow night?’

  ‘I don’t want to go anywhere in this weather. We’re having dinner with them tonight. I’d rather wait and see how things go before committing myself to another date tomorrow.’ Whilst Elizabeth was locking the door she decided to tell her about her nasty experience after the dance.

  ‘Oscar knocked the man down for you. If I was you I’d be thrilled to have someone as gorgeous as him falling for me.’

  ‘I am sort of thrilled, but just when everything is going so well, I panic. I hated being touched by that other man and don’t want to be in that position again.’

  ‘I’m afraid that beautiful girls like us are bound to be noticed and inevitably some of us are unlucky and do get mauled through no fault of their own.’ Elizabeth’s expression was pensive before she continued. ‘I wish I was more like you; sometimes I let my impulses overtake my common sense. We’d better not hang about. They’ll think we’ve changed our minds.’

  ‘Thank you for the compliment, but it paints a rather grim picture, doesn’t it? I think I’d rather be a plain Jane if that’s what I have to look forward to. Don’t forget, we’re surrounded by airmen of all ranks where we work and there are bound to be a handful of bounders amongst them.’

  ‘I’ve had a couple of near misses myself. The only advice I can give you is not to put yourself in unnecessary danger by being alone where there are a lot of strange men.’

  ‘I think all men are rather strange.’

  She pinned on what she hoped was a happy smile and ran down the last flight of steps. Oscar was talking to Roy and they were looking at a poster on the wall and didn’t see her coming. She paused on the bottom step to look at him more closely.

  ‘He really is a very handsome man. I don’t understand why he’s interested in me.’