Isabella’s Airman (21 page)
“Isabella was my closest friend, more like family. I know how upset she was after our jump, and I felt guilty for a long time that I hadn’t done enough to help her.” Her breath hitched, and she moved closer, her voice dropping in volume. “I hoped for a long time that the record of her death was a mistake and that she might still be alive somewhere.”
She stood so close I could smell her shampoo again. Sweet, light, and floral. It suited her. I blinked. “We should continue walking.” After another step, I cleared my throat. “You were saying?”
“I wanted to let you know that I’ve stopped looking for traces of Isabella. I’m ready to accept that
whatever
happened to her, it was for the best.”
There wasn’t much I could say to that, and even though Student Delafield had shown herself to be a skilled liar, I was inclined to believe her this time. I didn’t think she’d expose her friend.
I’d checked on the stolen photographs on my return, and they’d changed again. In the first image, Davy now held hands with Isabella while they talked to the older man. In the second picture, Davy stood behind her, his arms draped around her swollen belly, while she peeked back over her shoulder at him.
His smile was bursting with pride and utter devotion. How must that feel? I would never know, but at least I knew we’d been successful.
As long as the photographs stayed hidden, Isabella’s secrets were safe, and so were mine.
I walked a little farther with Juliet. It was a beautiful day, and once again I was tempted to simply walk with the intriguing student and enjoy her company. With a new mission just days away, it wasn’t possible, and perhaps that was for the best. There would never be room in my life for anything more.
“Thank you for coming to find me today.” Juliet glanced at me, a smile teasing on her lips. “I’ve been selected for another field trip, and I leave in a few days.”
“Same period?”
“No. This one is quite different.” She blew out a breath. “Late twentieth century.”
There were only a limited number of jumps made at any time. Surely she wasn’t… I stopped walking, and she paused beside me. “Don’t tell me. Manchester, nineteen ninety-six?”
“Yes. How did you know?” Her eyes were innocent, but her cheeks held a telling flush of color.
I didn’t know whether to feel amused or concerned. “I’m jumping with you. That’s my next assignment.”
The film
Target For Tonight
exists: Description of a Bomber Command raid on Germany, showing the general preparations beforehand, the raid itself from the viewpoint of "F For Freddie", and the mounting anxiety at the station when the plane, a Wellington, fails to return on time. It can be found on YouTube:
https://youtu.be/PDTLeFl8cXU
I pulled on many sources for reference material, but the following were key:
Pastoral
, by Nevil Shute, a fictional account of a Wellington bomber crew.
The Longest Night (Voices from the London Blitz)
, by Gavin Mortimer, a detailed account of the raids held 10–11 May 1941.
The Blitz, London’s Longest Night,
a two-part dramatized account of the blitz over London in December 1940. Available on YouTube.
Part 1:
https://youtu.be/RFlIY-YVB8s
Part 2:
https://youtu.be/ZCdIyRoK_2U
If
Isabella’s Airman
could be said to have a soundtrack, this would be it:
Glenn Miller & His Orchestra: “Moonlight Serenade”
Glenn Miller & His Orchestra: “In the Mood”
Glenn Miller & His Orchestra: “A String of Pearls”
Cyndi Lauper: “Time After Time”
Pearl Jam: “Given To Fly”
Pearl Jam: “Immortality”
The Doors: “Riders on the Storm”
Billie Holliday: “Stormy Weather”
Norah Jones: “Come Away With Me”
This Wild Life: “History”
Lorde: “Everybody Wants To Rule The World”
Kings of Leon: “Beautiful War”
Villainy: “Another Time”
Coldplay: “Clocks”
Listen to the full playlist on Spotify:
https://play.spotify.com/user/12165779057/playlist/5HEuuKNhMlcpfUywOL8e1e
Romance author Sofia Grey spends her days managing projects in the corporate world and her nights hanging out with wolf shifters and alpha males. She devours pretty much anything in fiction, but she prefers her romances hot and her heroes to have hidden depths. When writing, she enjoys peeling back the layers to expose her characters’ flaws and always makes them work hard for their happy endings.
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