Heartwarming and emotional story of one girl's courage in WW2 Fenella Miller (best books for 8th graders txt) 📖

‘It’s been my absolute pleasure. And I’m rather hoping I’m going to see a great deal more of you in future.’

Here it comes – Dunlop was about to pop the question.

‘No, Greg, don’t spoil things. You know I’ve no interest in anything apart from flying and I intend to keep doing that as long as I can. As far as I’m concerned you are a friend of the family. I hope you understand.’

There was a long silence. Jack smiled in the darkness unsurprised that she’d taken the initiative.

‘I see. I suppose your father told you my intentions.’

Jack tensed. Was she going to reveal who actually informed her?

‘I’m not blind, Greg, I noticed you were treating me differently since we kissed the other night. If I’d gone to bed with you that would be different – you might feel you have to do the gentlemanly thing. But a kiss? I hope I get the opportunity to kiss quite a few attractive men before I settle down.’

Bloody hell! She wasn’t as naive as he thought. He waited to hear what the response would be. If it had been him he would have made love to her right there in the garden. There was an uncomfortable tightness in his groin at the thought. This wouldn’t do. Tomorrow he’d find himself a willing bed-mate – if he was reacting to Ellie then he must be desperate.

He’d heard quite enough and moved away from the window and switched on the light. He drew the curtains noisily letting them know he was there. If he was honest he felt a bit sorry for Dunlop, he quite liked him, but Ellie wasn’t right for him. It would be the same situation as her ma marrying Fred, but in reverse. Better that folk stuck to their own kind, in his opinion.

When the door opened shortly afterwards he pretended to be asleep. There was no need to rub salt in the poor bloke’s wounds.

‘She turned me down. Comprehensively. But, in case you’re interested, Reynolds, I’m not giving up. She’s agreed to correspond with me and I have an open invitation to visit if I get any leave.’

Jack pushed himself up on his elbows. ‘Good for you, mate, but I don’t hold out much hope for your success. She’s made it very plain marriage to you, or anyone for that matter, doesn’t feature in her plans.’

‘So she discussed it with you?’ He didn’t sound too pleased and Jack didn’t blame him.

‘Fred told me and I told her. I needn’t have bothered as she’d already guessed. You’d be better off sticking with some classy debutante, she’d fit in better with your family than Ellie would. It didn’t work out too well for her mum, marrying beneath her, did it?’ Jack heard the other bed creak.

‘You could be right. But don’t they say that, "love conquers all"?’

‘I reckon they do, and it could be right. Goodnight.’ He turned over and fell asleep immediately.

*

When Ellie came down for breakfast Greg had already left. Jack greeted her with a wave of his bacon-laden fork.

‘He left you a letter, it’s on the dresser. Will you be ready to go in twenty minutes? If not you can cycle.’

She glanced across and saw the envelope but ignored it. ‘Unlike you I don’t stuff my face every morning. It’s too hot to use my bike so I’m ready when you are.’

He nodded towards her new work outfit. ‘Much better – you can do your job just as well in slacks. I’m glad to see the back of those overalls.’

‘I’m wearing these because of the weather, not because I want to look smart. When I have my flying kit on nobody can see what’s underneath anyway.’

*

On the drive to the airfield she thought it safe to ask a question that had obviously been bothering her. ‘Have you heard from Joe?’

‘My aunt said he’s still helping police with their enquiries and she’s not been able to see him. They took away several boxes from the attic but she’s no idea what they are intending to charge him with – if anything at all.’

‘I’m finding it hard to accept that Joe isn’t the man I thought he was. I’d always wondered why he came to Glebe Farm and why my dad agreed to let him have these fields and barns. Knowing that Joe blackmailed him is horrible.’

‘I’m not exactly happy with it either. I spoke to Fred about this, asked if he wanted me to move out, but he said no. He thinks that he’s actually gained more from the arrangement than he lost. You wouldn’t be a pilot and neither would your brothers if Joe hadn’t set up here.’

‘I suppose you’re right. If Dad isn’t bothered then I’ll forget about it. Do you think your uncle was blackmailing other people as well? Was that what was in the boxes the police took?’

They bumped to a standstill in his usual parking place. This wasn’t a conversation they could continue when they might be overheard and Sid was already busy in the hangar.

‘I’d always thought he was a fence, never actually got his own hands dirty, just handled the stolen goods. Now I’m not so sure. I’m trying to figure out how he came to be in possession of that list. I can think of only one feasible explanation – he was a member and tore the page out himself. How else could he have got hold of it?’

Ellie was glad she hadn’t eaten any more than a slice of toast as her stomach lurched uncomfortably. ‘That makes sense and I don’t know why I didn’t think of that too. What doesn’t add up is why no one attempted to recover the evidence until now.’

‘It has to be something to do with the police investigation. But I agree, why wait until now to get the document back?’

Sid would wonder why they were still sitting talking in the car and not getting