The Last Letter from Juliet - Melanie Hudson Page 0,55

keep looking for the compass,’ she said. And then quieter. ‘It’s so very important, you see.’

Chapter 19

Juliet

Oh, Marie!

May Day 1941, I remember, was the first day that year we didn’t wear a coat as we cycled to work. I also remember that particular day for another, more important, reason.

Anna and I began our day by going through the usual motions – checking the programme next to our names on the chalk board and glancing into the pigeon holes for the day’s flying delivery chits. Then came the met brief, then the planning of our navigational routes and if there was time, a quick cup of tea before take-off. Taking advantage of the fact that neither of us planned to be airborne before eleven, Anna and I sat outside of the mess and took in the sunshine. We were just chatting about everything and nothing when a sleek, black car rolled up. The first thing we saw were two very long, shapely stockinged legs appear from behind the driver door. The voice gave the driver away before the blonde hair or the face did.

‘Hey, what’s all this laying around in the sunshine, you damn work-shy, British – oh, and Canadian – assholes!?’

Anna jumped up.

‘Marie! It’s Marie!’

We ran towards her like she’d just landed from a Battle of Britain dog fight.

‘What on earth are you doing here?’ I asked, watching Anna throw her arms around Marie.

‘And it’s wonderful to see you too!’ she chided, before turning to Anna with a smile. ‘Get me a coffee, will ya, honey? And a cigarette, too. I’m all out.’

Anna trotted off. She turned suddenly to shout back.

‘All right, but don’t talk about anything until I get back. I want to hear everything!’

I took Marie’s arm and we walked together towards the mess.

‘It’s fabulous to see you! But, come on, tell me, why are you here?’

Marie paused at the door.

‘I just wanted to get the old gang back together again – the Spitfire Sisters – my best gal pals in the whole world. That’s OK, isn’t it?’

I tilted my head to one side and took her in. This was Marie – Marie who wanted to live as close to London as possible, despite the relentless bombing during the Blitz.

‘Hamble is two train rides away from town. I don’t buy it.’

‘All right,’ she said with a shrug, taking off her hat. ‘I may have ruffled a few feathers …’

That was more like it.

‘How?’

She sniffed, took a cigarette and lighter from Anna – who had rushed back at light speed – lit the cigarette and inhaled.

‘I took a Spit somewhere I shouldn’t have …’

‘Oh, Marie!’ said Anna, her shoulders dropping. ‘Where to this time?’

Marie exhaled and shrugged.

‘Only to St Athan.’

‘St Athan. As in RAF St Athan, in Wales?’

Marie shrugged again.

‘But we go there all the time,’ I said, confused. ‘Why was it a problem?’

‘Because I should have been at Biggin Hill.’

We burst out laughing.

‘You never did!’

Maire laughed, too. It was a throaty laugh, a laugh full of cigarette smoke and seductive misadventure. She threw an arm around each of us.

‘You bet your ass I did!’

It turned out that Marie had met a cute RAF pilot in town the week before and having been given the whole day to deliver a Spitfire from White Waltham to Biggin Hill, she had decided to ‘nip’ to Wales en route Biggin Hill to pay a surprise visit to the said pilot and allow him to buy her lunch.

‘And you should have seen his face – all of their faces – when I – a broad – jumps out of the cockpit. Priceless. I was sex on legs ladies, sex on legs!’

We shook our heads, still laughing. Marie had a tendency to represent everything the women of the ATA were repeatedly briefed not to represent – a world of the sexy, show-off, aviatrix! But Marie simply didn’t care.

‘So anyhow, some asshole at St Athan blew the whistle and I got my ass hauled in front of the commander when I got back.’

‘Back from St Athan?’ Anna asked again.

‘What’s with you and St Athan, you doozy? From Biggin Hill! I still made the delivery. I’m not that much of a chump!’

‘What happened then?’ Anna and I said, simultaneously, before turning to each other and laughing.

‘Happened?’ Marie took a drag on her cigarette. ‘They tried to sack me for a misappropriation of fuel. So, I told him – the boss guy – socked it to him straight. I said, “You damn sonofabitch, I’ll pay for the