Beauty Chorus, The (49 page)

Evie looked around. He had been hit.

‘Beau,’ she said under her breath. The Messerschmidt was after him now. She made a corkscrew dive to port, and a steep climb to starboard, drawing fire. The planes danced like
swallows around one another. In a final burst, the Messerschmidt rained fire on Beau’s Lysander, and she saw the flash as bullets tore along the fuselage and canopy. Still Beau did not give
up, and she saw him turn sharply. ‘Let’s hope that Jerry was on his way back home and is short of fuel,’ she said. Sweat was trickling in her eyes now, and her muscles ached as
she threw the Spit into a steep climb to avoid the Messerschmidt. Her eyes fell to her gauges. ‘Damn. He’s not the only one who’s short of fuel.’ She had no idea where she
was, or if she had enough fuel to get back to Debden now.

*

‘Bugger off,’ Beau swore under his breath as he brought the Lysander around on course. He looked to the port side and saw the Messerschmidt retreating to its base. ‘Hey,
Joe,’ he called to his passenger. ‘You’re going to have to bail out I’m afraid. I don’t know if I can get this old girl down in one piece.’ The stick shuddered
in his hand. He had been hit, and his shoulder was beginning to throb with pain. ‘I’ll give you the signal once we’re over the target.’

Where the hell has Evie got to?
he thought, desperately searching the sky behind him for the flare of her exhausts.

Evie reduced her speed to under 140 knots and opened her canopy, the wind rushing against her face. Her cockpit lights glowed on the big black dome of the semi-circular panel,
and the glare from her roaring exhausts made night flying even more difficult. Above the note of her own engine she could hear Beau’s misfiring. She swung around, followed the course he was
on as his plane limped over the French coast.
Oh God, I have been so stupid
, she thought, as she slid the canopy closed again. There was no way Beau could make it back to England in the
stricken Lysander. The sound of his engine cutting out brought back Megan’s crash. She hadn’t been able to help Megan, but maybe this time she could do something. She couldn’t
leave him. Perhaps together they could make it safely home.

Evie’s hand shook as she tossed her British maps to one side and dug around in her flight bag. She pulled out a torch and put it in her mouth, then flipped open her diary and found a map
of France.
Think clearly. ‘First point is Caen. Follow the river’
, she remembered.

Up ahead it was snowing as the scarred, deserted beaches gave way to open fields.
There it is.
She spotted the silver river snaking across the dark countryside, and curved around to
starboard. She could see Caen at her side. ‘Oh thank God,’ she said aloud when she spotted Beau’s exhausts in the distance, and the faint outline of his black plane against the
midnight blue sky. This time she stayed close, afraid of losing him again. They carried on along the river for some time, until he veered off, Evie on his tail. The Lysander was misfiring badly.
She saw a figure leap from the back of the plane, his parachute unfurling as he drifted to the ground.

Beau sent out a Morse signal, flashing his wing light. As she circled, Evie saw someone on the ground reply, and three pinpoint lights illuminated one by one, marking out a
triangle on the landing field.

‘You can do it,’ she whispered as she watched Beau’s plane gliding in to a descent. Fear rose in her as she remembered Megan’s crash, the roaring flames. Up ahead there
was an open, snowy field, with a barn at one side and a dark copse of trees. Beau landed heavily, his plane ploughing along the fresh snow as he deliberately aimed it at the trees. Evie eased the
Spitfire into a slow descent, and with a quick burst of throttle made a perfect short landing near the copse. She turned her engine off, and all she could hear was the sound of her hot exhaust
stubs ticking.

By the time she got out of the Spitfire, there was no sign of Beau. She ran to the Lysander, fighting through the tangle of branches. There were holes in the cockpit canopy where the bullets had
gouged the fuselage.

‘Beau!’ she called, stumbling in the snow. She clambered into the plane, saw him collapsed over the instrument panel. ‘No!’ she yelled, lifting him back in his seat.
There was a bruise on his forehead, and his shoulder was dark with blood. She reached over, released his Sutton harness, and dragged him into the back of the plane. ‘Beau?’ She shook
him, slapped his face until he came round.

‘Evie?’ he said. ‘What are you doing?’

‘Rescuing you.’

‘You’re rescuing me?’

‘What the hell’s going on?’

‘I could ask you the same thing.’ He scowled, touched his head. ‘We have to get out of here.’ He struggled up. ‘Where’s your plane?’

‘Near the wood.’

‘How much fuel have you got?’

‘I don’t know,’ she said.

‘Think. Where were you heading?’

‘Tangmere to Debden.’

‘Then there’s not enough to get you back.’ He winced as he tried to put pressure on his arm. ‘In fact you were bloody lucky there was enough in the tank to get you
here.’

Evie tore off her silk scarf and tied it tightly around the wound. ‘Will you be alright?’

Beau flexed his arm. ‘Yes, it’s fine. Luckily the bullet just nicked my shoulder.’

‘Anyway, what do you mean, get
me
back?’ She leant away from him. ‘Beau, whose side are you on?’

‘I’ll explain later,’ he said as he swung his legs down to the ground. ‘We have to hide your plane.’

‘Is that why you aimed yours into the woods? I thought that was a duff landing, even for you.’

‘Flattery will get you everywhere.’ Beau dragged her down behind a pile of timber not far from the plane. ‘They’ll be here in a moment. Christ, Evie, this should have
been a three-minute turnaround. What are you doing here?’

‘I saw you, Beau. I saw you talking to that German at the base …’

‘And you just had to stick your nose in and find out what was going on?’

‘No!’ She paused. ‘Not just that. Olivia was there. She threatened to get a message to your father. They were going to ambush you, Beau, I was trying to help,’ she said
miserably. ‘I thought I could just get a signal to you, get you to head back … but then I got lost, and the Messerschmidt turned up.’

‘He just got lucky. Fortunately he must have been low on fuel and on the way back to his base.’ Beau saw the concern on her face. ‘It’s nothing to do with the Shusters
– there are Jerries everywhere. Olivia’s father likes to think he’s deeply involved with the Nazis but he’s nothing. The British are on to him anyway.’

She shook her head. ‘I feel like such a fool. Olivia said some horrible, horrible things.’ Evie looked into his eyes. ‘Did you know that she’s a Nazi
sympathiser?’

Beau winced. ‘I knew about Hans and her parents, but no, I didn’t have a clue until recently.’

‘And yet you’ve still been seeing her?’

‘God, not now, Evie.’ He looked at her, saw the confusion and fear on her face. ‘I told her about us, and she threatened to kill herself. I’ve been trying to make sure
she’s alright.’

‘She should be locked up,’ Evie said bitterly.

‘Olivia is just a naïve girl.’

‘You would say that.’ Evie shrugged him away as Beau put his arm around her.

‘Darling, everyone thinks this evil that we are fighting is some great terrifying force, but it’s cleverer than that. Evil can be seductive, and tempting – all the high ideals
that appeal to people like Olivia and her family, all these aristos seduced by the idea of a master race …’ He shook his head angrily. ‘Well, all the opera, and art, and healthy
young Aryans, it’s a mask, an illusion, behind which are some of the most inhuman and barbaric ideas and actions mankind has ever known.’

Evie touched his cheek. ‘I’m sorry. I knew in my heart she had to be lying about you.’

‘Let me get this straight,’ he said gently. ‘You risked your life, your career, to try and save me?’

‘Yes. Ridiculous isn’t it. I felt responsible. I heard you saying you were heading to France, and it slipped out. I—’

Beau silenced her with a kiss. ‘I love you. Olivia can’t touch us. Trust me.’

Trust
, Evie thought. ‘Daddy called. Beau, he’s in hospital. We have to go and see him. He has cancer—’

‘I know.’

‘What do you mean you know? Why didn’t you tell me?’

‘Evie this is no time for a domestic argument.’

‘They’re going to operate, but he won’t let them until he sees us both. Beau, I don’t understand—’

Three men in dark clothes appeared from the forest, and Beau leapt up. He spoke quickly to them in French, and they helped him heave open the doors of the empty barn.

‘Right, Evie. Taxi the Spit in here, they’ll push,’ he called.

Once the Spitfire was hidden in the barn, he closed the doors behind her and the men slipped off into the night. ‘You’ll be safe here,’ he said.
‘I’ll be back as soon as I can. The Maquis have gone to find my Joe. Once they let me know the coast is clear, I’ll get help so we can transfer the fuel from the Lysander’s
long-range tanks to the Spit.’

‘Will that work?’

‘It will get you safely out of here, that’s all I care about. You’re bally lucky this field is firm and level. On most of them your Spit would have pitched right over on its
nose.’

‘Since when have you been flying Lizzies?’

‘I’ll tell you all about it later. Now, stay here.’

‘I’m not staying here by myself!’

‘This is not the time to be stubborn, Evie. Do you know where we are?’

‘France … somewhere,’ she said.

‘This is occupied France. There are German troops everywhere, and as that Messerschmidt spotted us on the way over they will be looking for us.’ Beau flinched as he pulled away some
straw bales at the back of the barn. ‘Help me will you?’ Evie reached down and fished out two pairs of skis.

‘One for you, and one for him?’

‘Only for emergencies. He’ll be fine, he knows what he’s doing – unlike you,’ Beau said as he brushed the straw from his skis. As Evie followed suit, he glanced up
at her. ‘What do you think you’re doing?’

‘I told you, I’m coming with you.’

‘What am I going to do with you?’

‘Frankly, I don’t know. I don’t know anything any more. Who are you, Beau? What’s all this about?’

Beau pulled a bag from behind the bales and shook out two dark ski suits. ‘If you insist on knowing right now, the “German” you saw at Tangmere was an SOE agent. I’m with
No.138 Squadron based at Tempsford—’

‘Where?’

‘Special Duties. It’s been continual practice the last few months, learning to navigate and plot by moonlight – that’s why I’ve been so busy.’ He slipped his
feet into one of the suits. ‘We’ve been flying clandestine intelligence missions since February. Hitler and Goering know we have a secret base somewhere, but they haven’t found us
yet. Unlike you ATA chaps. We’re always having to shoo away curious girls from the gates.’

‘Special Duties? Why didn’t you tell me?’

‘I couldn’t. That’s the whole point, you can’t tell anyone.’ He looked at Evie. ‘That’s why I was so reluctant for them to recruit you.’

‘Recruit me?’

‘Your father is quite keen.’

‘What’s Daddy got to do with all this?’

‘He’s M19, Evie. His job at the Air Ministry is just a cover. I’ve been working with him and the chaps at SOE for months.’

‘M19? Is there an M19? What on earth—’

‘Frankly, I fought the idea. This is a tough job, and I don’t want you involved with SOE.’

‘Maybe that’s my decision.’

‘Well, you can talk to him when we get back to the hospital. I imagine that’s why he wants to see us both.’ Beau stepped towards the door as he zipped up his suit, looking for
the Maquis.

‘I think I’d make a good spy,’ she said. ‘Look how I managed to keep up with you.’

‘I let you follow me.’

‘How did you know it was me?’

‘When I saw the Spit following me do that ridiculous little wiggle you do with the wings.’

‘I do not wiggle my wings.’

He smiled as he turned to her. ‘Haven’t I always told you—’

‘I know. Keep my wings level.’ Evie shivered as Beau pulled the door closed again, and a cold wind swept through the barn.

‘Do you really think I’d have let you see me if I didn’t want you to? I guessed you were following me for some reason.’ Beau shifted his shoulder, wincing at the sharp
pain. ‘I came back to get you. There’s no way a pilot with your lack of experience could follow me at night.’

‘But I did.’

‘You did well, better than I expected.’

‘I had a good teacher.’

‘You will make a good agent, if that’s what you want, but at the moment you are too impulsive. You have a lot to learn.’

‘Will you teach me?’

He shook his head. ‘I’m just the pilot. They won’t let you fly to Europe, you know that don’t you?’

Evie stepped towards him, slipped her arms around his waist. ‘I’m sure I can find something useful to do, if you’ll help me,’ she said, her voice muffled as she buried
her head against his chest.

He kissed the top of her head tenderly. Beau couldn’t bear the thought of it. ‘If that’s what you want, I’m sure Leo will help,’ he said evenly. Evie looked up at
him. ‘Right now, we need to get you out of here and off the hook at home so you can get to the hospital and see him.’ Beau thought for a moment. ‘The weather was lousy when we
took off. I suggest when you get to the base at Debden, say you put down in a field somewhere overnight, and couldn’t reach the phone. Hopefully they will be so relieved to see you and the
Spit in one piece they won’t ask too many questions.’

‘Well that is the ATA motto, better late than—’ Her words were cut off as he kissed her.

‘Now, take off your Sidcot suit.’

‘What, here? You’ve just been shot.’

‘Not that, woman.’ He tossed her the other dark suit. ‘As much as I would love to ravish you on the spot, if you’re coming with me, you need to get changed into
this.’ At the sound of a low whistle, he strapped on his skis and went to the door.

‘Ready,’ she said, stepping awkwardly to his side, her skis slapping against the earth floor.