Heartwarming and emotional story of one girl's courage in WW2 by Fenella Miller (top 10 ebook reader txt) 📗

He grinned. ‘That’s what the pater keeps telling me every time he sees me. I want to join with experience not start from scratch. Anyway, I’ve loved these past few months and it gives me a legitimate excuse to be away from the bank.’

‘Fair enough. I’ll see you later. Excuse me, but my boss wants me in the office.’

Joe was waving frantically. He was rarely upset about anything so this didn’t bode well. She burst in to find that her nemesis was already there. She ignored him.

‘What’s up? Have we got a ministry inspection or something?’

‘Worse than that. My Phyllis says the police have been ransacking the house. Some bleeder has squealed and I’m in for the high jump.’

She’d never inquired about how he’d come to get into flying when he wasn’t the sort of person usually associated with an aero club. From what she knew of the matter these were usually set up by toffee-nosed people and were as exclusive as the local golf club.

‘Will they confiscate the aircraft?’ As soon as she’d spoken she realised she should have asked about his welfare.

Jack answered. ‘I didn’t know until today that everything here is in my name. I own the club and they can’t touch it.’

‘What about you, Joe? Have you done something illegal?’

He chuckled and his belly bounced up and down underneath his shirt. ‘Nothing they can prove, my love. But there’s a lot of nasty buggers after my blood and things could get a bit spicy for me until it settles down.’

‘What do you want me to do?’

‘You don’t have to do anything, Ellie, just carry on as normal. My Jack is taking over. I’d better get off home before the local constabulary turn up to arrest me. Your ma wouldn’t take kindly to that.’ With a cheerful wave he waddled out and drove away in a puff of oily smoke.

She now had to find a way to work with her new boss. He might not be as accommodating as Joe, and she really didn’t want to lose this job. She had no other qualifications because she had not stayed on at school to get her higher certificate. She had been sent to a prestigious boarding school, which she’d hated every moment of, as her mother had the vain hope her daughter would become a debutante and take after her. Ellie eventually persuaded her father to release her from this hell. If she wasn’t at the airfield she would have to work on the farm as she had no intention of becoming a shop girl or a filing clerk.

She fiddled about with the papers on the desk and the silence became oppressive. She’d better say something.

‘Do you want me to show you the ropes?’

‘No thank you, my uncle’s already done that. For God’s sake sit so we can have a sensible conversation.’

Hastily she pulled out a chair and plonked herself down on it. She still didn’t look at him as for some reason just the sight of his fiery red hair set her nerves on edge.

‘Do you have your instructor’s certificate?’ This question was addressed to the table.

‘Ellie, you’re being childish. We’ve got to work together and you’ve got to accept that I’m your boss. Look at me – I can’t have a conversation with the top of your head.’

She straightened and glared at him. ‘You didn’t answer me. If you can instruct as well we can take on some of those on the waiting list. As you can see, we’re fully booked six days a week.’

He appeared unmoved by her stare and replied as if they were the best of friends. ‘I have and we can. I have already rung half a dozen of them and the first is coming tomorrow morning for a two-hour lesson.’

‘So I can just carry on as usual then? Do you want me to continue to do the books and correspondence?’

He nodded and flicked through the large leather-bound book in which all the appointments were made. ‘You don’t appear to have had any holiday or a complete weekend off since you started. From now on you can have Saturday as well as Sunday.’

The last thing she wanted was to spend time at home. Mum would have her in a frock and paying calls on her friends before she could say Jack Robinson – or perhaps that should be Jack Reynolds now.

‘Thank you, but I have my regulars and I don’t intend to let them down. The Air Ministry was most insistent that the more civilians who can fly the better and that’s why the lessons are being subsidised by the government at the moment.’

He leaned back in his chair and viewed her through narrowed eyes. ‘Please yourself. If you’d rather be here than at home that’s your business.’

She thought he’d finished and was about to stand up when he waved her back into her chair. ‘I’m going to put your wages up and give you a bonus for every person that goes solo, starting today.’

*

If Jack had announced that he was a Nazi she couldn’t have looked more surprised. Uncle Joe had been ruthlessly exploiting the girl’s love of flying and he was glad he was in a position to put that right.

‘You don’t have to do that. I’m quite happy with what I already get. I don’t want to put the business in jeopardy…’

‘Is that what the old bugger told you? You should be paid more than double what you’re getting. You’re worth it.’

‘You don’t understand the arrangement we had. My brothers and I got free lessons in exchange for Dad leasing him the fields and barns for nothing. Then we worked here once we were qualified in exchange for free use of the aircraft. Joe insisted that I took some wages as well when things got busy a couple of years ago.’

He frowned. ‘It’s worse than I thought then. Doesn’t your old man own the Swallow as well? Is