Isabella’s Airman Read online

  I still held the plate of food. Leaning back against the doorway, I tried a smile. “Would you like this instead? Did you miss supper?”

  There was the lopsided smile again. He took a step forward, one hand rubbing the back of his neck. As he drew closer, I could see his cheeks were now smooth and clean. A woody, smoky fragrance rolled off him. He smelled divine. I held my breath as he took another step toward me. My heart beat faster, my pulse thrumming with anticipation. He stood so close, if I reached out I could touch him.

  “I’m not hungry, thanks.” Closer now, I caught a hint of another scent. Beer? Of course, he’d been in the pub. Shy now, I glanced down at the plate in my hand. Could I just abandon it?

  He must have sensed my uncertainty. “Teddy will eat that. When he’s, ah, finished.” What would he do if I touched his arm? My fingers itched to bridge the gap between us, but I still held the food. Mrs. Latham solved the problem. Walking up behind me, she looked briefly at Davy and then at me.

  “Shall I cover this for you to have later? You can go now, Isabella. It was a miracle you turned up when you did. I didn’t expect any extra help tonight.” Her pleasant chatter washed over me, and I hurried to unfasten the apron and tug the scarf from my head. As I straightened my skirt, I looked up to see Davy’s gaze, his eyes tracing my curves, a splash of color in his cheeks.

  Free at last, I moved to his side, enjoying the slow smile that lit up his face.

  “Can I walk you to your block, Isabella?”

  I nodded, my mouth suddenly dry, unable to think of anything to say. I stepped into the yard beside him and froze as the kitchen door closed behind us. So dark. I’d never been in total darkness before. It pressed against me, a heavy weight that constricted my lungs.

  “May I?” I felt Davy take my arm and slip it through his own, the wool of his jacket scratchy beneath my hand. Tucked into his side, his warmth radiated, solid and strong. “Even after all this time, the blackout takes some getting used to, aye?”

  “Yes,” I whispered, grateful for his reassurance. It felt wrong to be speaking out loud, the night crowding us like a thick blanket. I took a quick breath, still unable to see. How quickly would my eyes adjust to this?

  This was ridiculous, I couldn’t see a thing. How were people supposed to get around? No wonder there were so many accidents. Davy stepped forward, his feet crunching on gravel, and I followed. After a few steps, my eyes began to adjust, and I realized there was some light. Not enough to find my way around, though. I knew the kitchens were behind me, the dry store over to my left, but how would I find my sleeping quarters?

  Seconds later, Davy stopped. Had we arrived already? “Look up.” His murmur took me by surprise, and I lifted my head to gaze up into the night sky. Stars carpeted the heavens, glittering points of light gleaming like a thousand candles. They appeared different from how I usually saw them, and I frowned as I contemplated why. There were so many here…my gaze was transfixed by the almost full moon, a giant yellow disc that hung in the sky.

  “Do you want to hold it? The moon?” Davy’s voice whispered somewhere near my ear. His breath drifted across my lobe, causing a shiver to course through my body. “Like this.” My vision adjusting to the gloom, I followed his arm as he raised it to the moon, his head tilting. “You close one eye and squint. Go on, try it.”

  I freed my right arm from his, copied the movement, and squinted. “Oh!” Entranced, I blinked and stared again. “It looks as though it’s sitting on my palm.” The illusion was perfect, the way the moon bobbed and danced across my hand. I spun round to face Davy, brushing against his outstretched arm as I moved. “It’s so beautiful.”

  I’d never stood so close to a man before. I should have felt threatened. Instead I felt…safe. The breath caught in my throat as he brushed his fingertips against my cheek. “It’s you that’s beautiful, Isabella.”

  I could make out his face in the darkness, a hint of white teeth when he spoke. I’d never been called beautiful before. This was a night of firsts.

  Juliet flashed through my head, and her clear instructions on how to kiss. She’d made me giggle as she practiced on the back of her hand. She was probably practicing her own moves right this minute. I could hear her words in my head. Lean into him, tilt your face, don’t forget to open your mouth.

  He seemed impossibly young to be fighting in a war, to kill his enemies, to put his own life at risk every time he climbed into his airplane.

  “What do you do,” I blurted, “in your crew? What part do you take?”

  “Rear gunner.” His voice gruff. “There are six of us in the Wellingtons. I’m one of the two gunners who try to keep everyone from shooting us down.”

  I curled my hands into loose fists, a shaft of fear stabbing my heart. His hands, the same hands that covered my embarrassment in the truck, were used to kill other men. It didn’t seem right.

  “I didn’t plan to do this, but I couldn’t sit back and not do my bit. I signed up at the start of the war.” His quiet voice washed over me. “I planned to be a doctor. Like my father.” I digested his words. I wondered how it must feel to plan one future and have it snatched away. “I’ll do that later.”

  “Later?”

  “After the war.”

  My heart ached afresh. I knew Davy would never see the end of the war.

  Chapter Three

  There was nothing I could say to Davy. Not one thing that would fill this gaping silence without me breaking all the rules that had been drummed into me. I wanted to tell him to make the most of his last few weeks, months, however long it was. All I could do was stand there and stare.

  I’d met him just hours earlier, and yet I already knew him more intimately than any man of my own time. He called me beautiful.

  Time spun out, and it was Davy who moved first. “You probably need to be up early. I’ll walk you to your block.” His voice was low, the accent more pronounced than it had been. Seconds later, my arm was safely tucked through his again, and we were strolling across short, springy grass.

  My eyes were becoming accustomed to the dark, and now I could make out some of the buildings we passed. I didn’t think we had far to go, and I slowed my pace. How could I tell him I didn’t want this magical evening to end?

  “We’re here.” Davy led me from the grass to a hard road surface, and we stopped outside a doorway I recognized.

  I found my tongue at last. “How did you know this was my block?”

  “There’s only one WAAF block. Kitchen hands are bunking in with them.”

  WAAF. I searched my memory for the acronym. Women’s Auxiliary Air Force. Yes, that would be some of the others working in the Airmen’s Mess, the girls in uniform. “Thank you.” I didn’t let go of him. Instead, I breathed in the night air, fragrant and perfumed, and tried to lock the moment into my brain to think about later. A bird called softly in the distance. A dog barked. Davy breathed, rapid and uneven.

  Don’t go yet. That was all I needed to say, but the words stuck in my throat. I stared at him and wondered if he’d hear my silent plea. Maybe he did.

  “I, um, probably have ops tomorrow night.” He shuffled his feet. “But there’s a dance on Friday night in the NAAFI. I don’t suppose you’d like to come? With me?”

  A dance? I didn’t know how to dance.

  Davy rolled his shoulders and sighed. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean—”

  “Yes.” It came out as a squeak. I took a breath and spoke again. “Yes, please. I’d love to. Thank you.”

  He made a humming noise. “That’s all right, then.”

  What would I wear? Could I learn to dance in forty-eight hours? At least enough so I didn’t disgrace myself. I’d ask Juliet. She’d know. She’d probably already be going with Teddy.

  While my mind lurched from one panicked question to the next, Davy disentangled my arm from his and took a step back. “It’s been my pleasure to meet you, Isabella Gillman.”

  The pleasure’s all mine. That’s what I m
eant to say, but it came out garbled and breathy, and making no sense at all.

  Davy shoved both hands in his pockets. “Goodnight.” I still didn’t move, and he huffed a short laugh. “Go on.”

  My hands felt empty, and I twisted my fingers together. Go inside, I reminded myself. First, though… I took a deep, calming breath. “Good night, Davy.”

  •●•

  I lay on my hard, narrow bunk and waited for Juliet to come in. We’d been lucky and were given a room to ourselves, but it meant space was cramped. Sleep was miles away, in any case. I tried to review everything we learned today, but all I could think of was Davy. His smile. The feather-light touch on my cheek. You’re beautiful.

  I was training to be an historian. I had to remain objective and focused. Compared to the number of men in this camp, women were in short supply, and Juliet and I were new faces. A novelty. Davy and Teddy and the other airmen would most likely try to pair up with all the young girls who were posted here. We’d been repeatedly warned about the differences in social behavior, and we had to be wary of succumbing to sensory overload.

  The sentinel would meet with us tomorrow, and he’d make sure we maintained our protocols. His role in this timeline was to act as advisor for the many students passing through. He was fully entrenched in the period and would help us with any queries or issues, including emergency evacuations if necessary. His cover was simple, a priest, and this meant he could travel freely and offer counsel without raising suspicion.

  Footsteps outside caught my attention, and I sat up, clutching the wool blanket to my chest. I’d gone to bed almost an hour ago.

  It was Juliet. She eased into our room and sank onto the empty bottom bunk with a sigh. “These shoes are so uncomfortable. I swear I have blisters on every toe.” Unlike me, Juliet hadn’t taken the time to get used to her new shoes before we jumped.

  “I have some pain relief ointment in my bag.” Disguised as a period treatment, of course. “So where did you go? With Teddy?”

  She kicked off her shoes with a flourish and then scrambled up the ladder to join me on the top bunk, sitting with her feet swinging over the edge. “We went for a walk.” She gave me a coy smile. “And he kissed me.”

  “No.”

  “Yes.” Flinging her arms over her head, she dropped back to sprawl across my legs. “I’ve been kissed by Sergeant Teddy Burrell.” Her tongue flicked across her lips, and her smile grew. “He’s an awfully good kisser, Bella.”

  “And did you, um…” I couldn’t say the words. Have sex. “Anything more?”

  She pouted. “No, not tonight. He wanted to, I’m sure. But I don’t want him to think I’m a slut.”

  I frowned at the unfamiliar word, and she rolled her eyes. “A woman of easy virtue. I’ll make him wait a few days.” She snuggled down, even though the space was cramped and uncomfortable. “And besides, we’re seeing the sentinel tomorrow. If he gets even a whiff of us misbehaving, he’ll probably send us straight home.”

  Her voice was sleepy, her eyes drooping closed, and so I jiggled my legs to wake her.

  “What?” She peeked up at me. “Did you kiss the rear gunner? I forgot to ask.”

  “No.” I want to. I squashed that train of thought. “They don’t make it, Juliet. They don’t survive the war.” Saying the words made me shiver, and I tugged the blanket higher.

  “What do you mean?” She sat up, attention fully on me.

  “C-for-Charlie goes down with the loss of all hands.”

  “How do you know that?”

  I shrugged. “I recognized Davy’s surname. Porteous. I wrote a dissertation on loss statistics, and how their odds of survival improved the closer to home they crashed.” The words dried on my tongue. “C-for-Charlie was one of the crews I used as a case study.”

  “Christ.” Juliet wrapped her arms around herself. “How long do they have?”

  “I’m not sure. I studied six aircraft, all downed this year. They were all later though, in the winter months.”

  “That’s decided it. I’m definitely screwing Teddy, as you called it.” Her tone was firm. “And you should think about doing it with that cute rear gunner.” She stretched, lithe as a cat. “Can I have that ointment now, please?”

  Chapter Four

  I slept badly, tossing and turning all night in my unfamiliar bed, convinced I might fall to the floor. Juliet, in contrast, slept peacefully in her bunk, a serene smile on her lips. Perhaps she was thinking of her handsome second pilot?

  I tried to compose myself as I splashed my face with cold water and brushed my teeth. Focus on the day ahead. Working in the mess and meeting the sentinel.

  I scrubbed tables and mopped floors again, while Juliet got to wear a white apron and serve food alongside the WAAFs. Like a rerun of the night before, I was emptying a bucket of dirty water into the outside drain when Davy found me.

  “Hullo, Isabella.”

  I straightened and turned to face him. “Hullo, Davy.” I knew my cheeks would be bright red from my exertions, and loose flyaway hairs were stuck to my forehead, yet he smiled as though I was the nicest thing he’d seen that day.

  “All personnel are restricted to base today, so it looks as though we have ops tonight.” He didn’t look worried by the prospect. I wanted to grab him by the lapels again and tell him to be careful, but of course, I couldn’t do that. I could only stand helpless while he gazed at me. “I wondered if you’d like to go for a walk tomorrow afternoon? We normally sleep late when we’ve been up all night, but if the weather stays nice, I could show you around a little bit.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “If you’d like to.”

  I should have said no. I should have continued with my cleaning chores, but I didn’t. Instead, I leaned on the mop, ducked my head, and then peeked up at him. My cheeks burned some more. “I’d like that.”

  His smile broadened, and I saw a flash of relief in his eyes. “That’s all right, then. I’ll come and find you tomorrow afternoon. Around three?” I nodded. I was sure I had a matching, giddy smile on my face when I returned to the kitchen.

  This is just research, I told myself firmly as I carried on with my chores. A way of learning more about the period by interacting with the natives.

  My happy mood lasted until our shift broke for lunch and our appointment with the sentinel. Juliet and I sat on hard, wooden chairs in a small room off the chapel and waited for him to sit. The man was older than I expected, his hair silvered at the temples, but his eyes were shrewd and clear. Apart from his straight-backed military posture, you could mistake him for a priest, and the locals of the period accepted him in this role.

  “Student Gillman and Student Delafield.” We both nodded. “You may call me Father Dermott. I am your primary point of contact for any jump issues or concerns.” We nodded again. “This is an informal session today, and you may speak freely.”

  He flicked through a paperbound notebook, and then made some notes with his pencil. Apart from the scratching of graphite on paper and the light ticking of the clock on the wall, it was silent. What was he writing? He’d only just met us. I pressed my hands together in my lap and tried not to fidget. “I’d like to hear your first impressions,” he said, and looked directly at me.

  “It’s very noisy,” I ventured. “Not just the aircraft, but the people. They talk and laugh in the mess and seem relaxed. Not like I would expect soldiers in the middle of a war.”

  “Mmm. And yet the war has barely started for them. It will run for several years, although they don’t know that.” He made another note in his book. “I know your major is in data analysis, Student Gillman. I shall be looking for you to expand your social analysis during this field trip.”

  “Yes, sir.” Did that include going for a walk with a handsome airman? Or to a dance? The sentinel made another note and then turned his attention to Juliet.

  Somewhere beyond the window, an aircraft engine fired up and sputtered to a stop. There was an op tonight, and Davy would be flying. I t
uned out the conversation with Juliet and strained to hear any other engine noises. The armorers might be loading up the Wellingtons with their bombs and bullets, while the engineers checked every inch of the aircraft that would be taking part in the raid. Davy may well be catching a nap right now, or was out there with his plane. I only had a theoretical idea of the flight preparations, and I wanted to know more.

  Too late, I realized the sentinel had spoken to me again. My heart raced, and I tried to recover my mistake. “My apologies, sir. Could you please repeat that?”

  “There is a message for you from your cousin, Lieutenant Marc Gallagher. I have transcribed it.” He reached out with a folded sheet of paper, and surprised, I took it and slid the note into my pocket. Why would Marc want to speak with me? He was one of the ghardians, the elite soldiers that guarded our timelines and tracked down time runaways, while I was a mere student. Even though we were related, I rarely saw him.

  Juliet asked a few questions about the different ranks and insignia, while I nodded attentively, and finally the interview was over. We’d see him again the week after, but he was available any time if we needed assistance.

  We didn’t have long before our shift resumed, and so we headed for the kitchens. Juliet nudged me as we walked. “Marc Gallagher. Isn’t he the ghardian that was awarded a commendation?”

  “Yes.”

  “What happened? Do you know?”

  “Not really. He was on a retrieval mission that went wrong, and I know he risked his own life to save someone, but that’s all.”

  Her eyes were wide. “In this time period?”

  “No, it was the Dark Ages.” I recognized her puzzled look. “After the Ancient Romans left Britain. He was a Dark Ages specialist, but he’s retraining for another period.”

  “Maybe he’s planning to come here?” She played with her hair as we walked. “You know that ghardians can propose their own partners. I wouldn’t mind making a commitment to a ghardian.”