The Last Letter from Juliet - Melanie Hudson Page 0,19
brightly. ‘Exactly! Let’s pretend this is the first time we ever met, right here, right now …’
I hesitated.
‘I suppose I can do that. You were … quite, helpful yesterday, after all. But I still can’t take you up today …’ I softened ‘no matter how sweetly you smile …’
He laughed. I laughed. It was nice. Too nice. I remembered Charles.
‘But I really must get on. I have the engine to finish and then I really do need to take a good look at that rudder. Let’s say … same time tomorrow, and if the weather is fine, I’ll take you up.’
He visibly deflated. I turned back towards the engine.
‘Sorry, yes, I’ll leave you to it,’ he said to my back. ‘Till tomorrow, then?’
I nodded without looking around. I didn’t want to be rude or play with him, truly, but there was something in his smile, in the touch of his hand on my shoulder. He interrupted my thoughts by turning at the barn door.
‘I don’t suppose you’re free later this afternoon. Say, in a couple of hours, or so?’
I bent to glance at him under the wing.
‘Today?
‘Today.’
‘This afternoon?’
‘Yes. They’re putting on an afternoon tea and an early Christmas party for the children in the village hall. I’ve been asked to help out – organise games, play the guitar, that kind of thing – and I thought you might like to come, if you’ve finished here, that is.’
I considered the afternoon ahead. There was no sticky rudder. I made that up. Charles was out with his father and Lottie was sleeping. There really was no reason for me to say no, and yet, there was every reason for me to say no.
‘I don’t understand this change in you,’ I said. ‘You were quite … shouty, yesterday.’
‘Shouty?’
‘Yes, shouty. And now you seek my company, even though I’m an irresponsible and spoiled little rich girl.’
He tilted his head to one side.
‘I didn’t say that.’
I waited for him to think about it.
‘Well, not those exact words.’
‘Thank you for the offer,’ I said, suddenly coming to my senses, ‘but I’m not really dressed for …’
‘Nonsense! You look perfect!’ His eyes were so bright. So alive. So blue. ‘Come on, it will be fun! Come coddiwomple with me.’
Now, that got me. I smiled.
‘Coddiwomple?’
He nodded. We were still communicating through the gap between the two wings of the Tiger Moth.
‘I never heard of such a word.’
‘Oh, it’s a word,’ he said. ‘And I’ll tell you what it means if you come with me. How about I treat you to afternoon tea? Look, I’d love to know all about the flying circus, and I’d love to talk to you about flying, that’s all. I want to know about the flying fox. You, well, you fascinate me, Juliet.’
Fascinate? Well …
I knew I should walk away, stride out of the barn, open the gate, march up the hill and not look back. But the fire in his eyes was just too bright. It’s always the eyes that get you. He drew me in and I so desperately wanted to be drawn in.
‘All right,’ I said, in as nonchalant a manner I could muster. ‘Why not? But I’ll have to finish up here, first.’
He dashed around the wing and joined me by the engine, talking off his heavy overcoat and placing it on an obliging hay bale before appearing by my side, full of enthusiasm.
‘In that case, think of me as your apprentice. How can I help?’
‘No one works on my aircraft but me, I’m afraid.’ I nodded towards the comic left abandoned on the bale. ‘Perhaps you could carry on reading your newspaper …’
He laughed and returned to lounge on the hay bale while I worked away.
‘But why don’t you want to know what coddiwompler is?’ Edward asked as we sauntered, arms swinging, down the lane to the village, my hair still held back with a rag. I’d taken off my overalls but my flying jacket was a must. Yes, it was far too big and smelt of a mixture of fuel and cigars, but it was like being wrapped in Pa’s arms again, and I treasured it.
‘Because you made it up.’ I flashed him a quick smile as we walked down the lane.
‘Well, I’ll tell you anyway, because I think you’re a fellow coddiwompler, you just don’t know it, and that would be terrible.’
‘What would?’
‘To be one, and to never to know.’
We arrived outside the village hall. He’d got me now. I stopped