‘I need to work hard too. I wasn’t going to tell you until I’d heard back from Minty Manders, but I’ve put in to take the French exam again.’ Claire’s face relaxed into a smile. ‘I shall take it seriously this time. I want to do more than drive the brass about. I want to make a difference. So thanks for reminding me,’ Eddie said. ‘Pals?’
‘Pals!’
‘You wanted to see me, Aircraftwoman Dudley?’
‘Yes, Flight.’
‘Well?’
‘Well--’ Claire wasn’t sure where to begin. She wasn’t a complainer. She prided herself on getting on with the job, however difficult.
Leaning her elbows on the desk, Flight Officer Manders put her hands together and made a steeple of her fingers. ‘I haven’t got all day, Dudley.’
Claire took a breath. ‘Captain Mitchell is unnecessarily hard on me, Flight. He works me longer and pushes me harder than he does any of the other women in my group. He has me jumping through hoops, literally. He barks orders at me, makes me the scapegoat when anything goes wrong, and keeps me behind when everyone else has been dismissed.’
‘Has he told you why he pushes you, or singles you out?’
‘He says my arms are weak. He keeps me behind to do exercises, which he says will make them stronger.’
‘And have they strengthened?’
‘Yes,’ Claire admitted, reluctantly, ‘but--’
‘Then my advice is keep doing what the captain tells you. He has your best interests at heart.’ Claire stared into the mid-distance. She didn’t think the Canadian captain had a heart. The FO picked up a file. ‘This is your report.’ Claire felt the nerves on the top of her stomach tighten. Expecting it to be full of critical and derogatory comments, she held her breath. ‘Captain Mitchell has passed you fit, and recommended you to the SOE. You have an interview in the New Year. The bully you talk of is so confident that the SOE will want you that he has enrolled you in a parachute training course at Ringway airport, near Manchester.’ Claire’s eyes widened in astonishment. ‘I take it you do still want to work with the SOE?’
‘Yes, Flight.’
‘Good. Then it was worth putting up with the captain’s bad temper?’
Claire couldn’t help but smile. ‘Yes, Flight.’
‘Then I suggest you start packing. Ringway are expecting you on Monday at 0:900 hours. You’ll be staying at Dunham House, in Cheshire – it’s all in here.’ She handed Claire the file.
‘Thank you, Flight.’
The FO chuckled. ‘Reserve your thanks until you’ve read this lot,’ she said, handing Claire two files that looked similar to the first. ‘From Colonel Smith. Needless to say, they are for your eyes only.’ Claire nodded. ‘And I think it best if we keep this conversation between ourselves. There are a lot of hoops to jump through before the SOE posting is definite!’
‘Understood!’
‘Dismissed, Aircraftwoman First Class – and well done.’
‘Thank you, Flight Officer Manders.’ Claire felt like jumping for joy. Instead she saluted, turned on the spot, and marched out of the FO’s office.
‘This is worse than being at school,’ Claire said. Rubbing her tired eyes, she closed the last of the folders that FO Manders had passed on to her from Colonel Smith.
‘What is?’ Eddie asked.
‘This lot.’ Claire put the folders face down on top of the cupboard. Eddie had been lying on her bed reading a magazine, but was now sitting up eagerly awaiting an explanation about Claire’s reading matter. Claire ached to share her good news with her best friend. She knew she couldn’t tell her everything, but since she was off on a parachute training course in a couple of days, she needed to tell her something. ‘Minty Manders has organised a couple of courses for me,’ she said. ‘And if I get through them, she says she’ll suggest me for a translating job.’
‘That’s great, Dudley,’ Eddie said, smiling. ‘The RAF are always looking for German speakers to interpret what Luftwaffe pilots are saying to each other, and what they say to their command centre.’ Eddie’s smile slowly faded. ‘You’ll be based on the south coast then?’
‘I suppose I will.’
‘How long will you be away?’
‘Well, there’s a couple of training courses, so it could be as long as six weeks, perhaps longer.’
Eddie stuck out her bottom lip. ‘I shall miss you.’
‘I’ll miss you too, Ed, but it’s too good an opportunity to turn down. Oh, and I’ve been given forty-eight hours leave. So if I get through the first course in time, I can go home for Christmas before I go south.’ Claire looked away. She hated lying to Eddie. She hated lying full stop, which was why she rarely did it. She could remember anything she put her mind to, but she had a hard time remembering lies. She satisfied her conscience by telling herself that she would be going south, eventually. Now the Canadian captain had passed her physically and mentally fit, she would be going to London to meet officers of the Special Operations Executive, after she’d been to Manchester and learned how to jump out of aeroplanes. Bubbles of excitement fizzed in her stomach.
CHAPTER FIVE
Claire jumped out of the taxi, paid the driver and, taking her suitcase from the back seat, ran across the drive to the front door of Dunham House. The brief said to be there at six o’clock for tea and introductions. Dinner was at seven. She looked at her watch; it was five to six. She inhaled and exhaled slowly to calm her nerves. It didn’t work. ‘Here goes,’ she said under her breath and, approaching the door, she lifted her hand to the bell.
‘Hello?’ Claire heard someone shout. She turned to see a young woman getting out of a car on the far side of the
