And then it came to her. She would say she was meeting Raine. Better still, if Raine could really get a few hours off and go to Southall with her, then Maman couldn’t accuse her of telling a lie.
‘Beatrice Mortimer has invited me for a real cup of coffee,’ Maman said when Ronnie walked through the door after attending to the vegetables, ‘but I will be back for lunch. I have made a soup. Please have the table laid ready and slice some bread.’
Ronnie wrinkled her nose. Her mother wasn’t best known for her soups – or any of her cooking, for that matter. But at least she’d have the house to herself and could telephone her sister in private.
‘All right, Maman. Tell her I said “hello”.’
The front door shut. All was wonderfully silent. Ronnie went straight to the telephone.
‘Oh, operator, could you please put me through to the aerodrome at White Waltham?’
After half a minute a woman’s voice said, ‘What department, miss?’
‘The Air Transport Auxiliary. I’m trying to reach Lorraine Linfoot – one of the pilots,’ she added proudly.
‘Your name?’
‘Ronnie Linfoot – her sister.’
‘One moment, please.’
The minutes ticked by. Then there was the sound of a click.
‘Ronnie, is something wrong?’ Raine’s voice was breathless, as though she’d been running hard.
‘No, nothing really,’ Ronnie said, delighted her sister was there. ‘I just wondered if you could meet me in London on Friday?’
‘London?’
‘Yes. I’ve never been and I thought it would be a good opportunity for us to have a proper day together. We never have,’ she finished.
There was a pause. Then Raine said, ‘I’m not due a day off until Monday. Would that do?’
‘No. You see I’m meeting someone on Friday.’
The line crackled. All she could hear was Raine saying ‘important’.
‘It is important,’ Ronnie said.
‘Are you meeting a boy?’
‘Don’t be daft. I’ll tell you about it when I see you. Is there a chance –?’
More crackling. Ronnie shook the receiver in frustration.
‘– I could swap?’ Raine finished, and Ronnie could imagine her older sister’s eyes gleaming with the idea of a secret. ‘No one’s going to jump at giving up a Friday for a Monday, but I could probably persuade someone. I’ll see what I can do and phone you back. It might not be until this evening as you only just caught me. I’ve got a couple of deliveries to do.’
‘That would be marvellous. I’d clap my hands if I wasn’t holding the receiver.’
Raine chuckled, then said, ‘Where’s Maman at the moment?’
‘Having coffee with Mrs Mortimer.’
‘Oh, James’s mother. I’ve still not met her, but Suzy says she’s lovely.’
‘I have, and she is,’ Ronnie said.
‘Right then, I must go. Give Maman my love. I’ll have a word with her as well this evening.’
‘Thanks, Raine.’
Ronnie put the receiver down. If her sister could organise the swap it would take a load off her mind.
The telephone rang just after six. Ronnie sprang up to grab it but her mother, who was in the front room, got to the hall first.
‘Is it Raine?’ she mouthed.
Simone put her finger to her lips. There was a long pause. Ronnie was just about to go back to the kitchen when she heard her mother say:
‘This is Mrs Linfoot, Véronique’s mother.’
Another frustrating pause. Ronnie was beside herself with curiosity.
‘Oui, I know. I can give her a message.’
‘Maman, please let me take it.’
Ronnie put out her hand for the receiver but Simone held on to it.
‘Shhhh!’ She turned her back to Ronnie. ‘Excusez-moi,’ she said into the mouthpiece.
‘Yes, I will pass on the message. I am sure she will do this.’
‘Maman, please …’
‘I did not quite hear.’ Her mother gripped the receiver more firmly and the caller spoke for some moments. ‘Oh, yes, she did mention it.’ She nodded. ‘Yes, I hope so, too. Thank you, monsieur.’ She replaced the receiver.
‘Maman—’
‘That was your Mr Lincoln,’ Simone said, walking back to the front room. Ronnie followed. ‘He asked if you could go in tomorrow afternoon at two o’clock. He needs you to stay with some animals while he is gone no more than two hours. You heard me. I said I was sure you will do this. You may telephone him to confirm.’
‘Why didn’t you let me tell him there and then?’
‘Because he said something very interesting. He asked me if I could persuade you to accept his offer to work for him permanently.’ Simone regarded Ronnie and sighed. ‘But you have not told me this.’
Ronnie’s chest tightened. ‘He only mentioned it yesterday as I was leaving.’
‘Surely that is important enough to discuss with your maman.’
‘I was going to, but I wanted to make a decision first. He asked me to think about it before giving an answer.’
‘You must know if you would like to work for this man … and do you not love animals?’
‘You know I do. If there wasn’t a war on I’d jump at the chance but …’ Oh, what the heck. She plunged in before she could change her mind. ‘Maman, I spoke to Raine this morning. We’re planning to go to London next week – spend the day together. Just her and me,’ she added quickly.
To her amazement her mother smiled. How beautiful she was. If only she would smile more often. Then Ronnie froze at her next words:
‘We can all three spend the day together. A mother and her two daughters. It will be wonderful.’
No, Maman. That’s not what I want at all. Blast it!
Ronnie tried to control the alarm she felt at Maman’s suggestion.
‘Véronique, why are you quiet? What is the day you will choose?’
‘Um, I’m not sure. Raine’s going to telephone this evening. She has to work something out with the other pilots.’
‘It must not be Friday,’ Maman warned. ‘I have promised to help Beatrice Mortimer at the Red Cross.’
They’d just finished supper when
