Chapter Thirty-Six

“So how did you manage to get the morning off?”

Clutching her husband’s arm a little tighter, a sensation she was finding both comforting and familiar once again, Penny glanced around the forest, suddenly very glad of the daylight. Though she had no memory of the last time she’d visited the New Forest, for which she was truly thankful, she was unable to suppress a shudder, which her husband felt through his fingers.

Stepping in front of her, he glanced up and down and, finding no obvious physical reason, not counting the arm in its sling, asked, “Penny for them? And sorry, I really couldn’t think of any other way to ask.”

“Be thankful my preferred fist is otherwise engaged at this time,” she told him, hoping he’d let things drop. This was supposed to be the first of a proper set of dates, work allowing for both of them, and reliving a near-death experience wasn’t top of her list. Taking his hand again in her free one, she led him off toward a glade she’d spotted a few minutes ago. If she was right, the sun should be shining through the gap in the trees, and if her luck was truly in, there’d be a fallen tree they could sit on and enjoy the sandwiches she’d made for them.

If he suspected she was avoiding the question, he merely allowed his suspicion to show with a raise of an eyebrow. Hopping over a puddle, he held out a hand to help Penny. “Careful, I can’t swim very well,” he told her with a smile as she took it and stepped gingerly around.

Penny stood on tiptoes and kissed Tom on the tip of the nose once she’d safely negotiated the hazard. “Now, there’s the man I fell in love with.”

Before she could object, Tom swept Penny off her feet, being very careful not to catch her bad arm, and kissed her passionately back. Losing herself in the moment, Penny wasn’t sure if stars were flashing before her eyes or if Tom had always been this good a kisser. Deciding she was overthinking things, she relaxed into the moment and found herself more than a little disappointed when Tom pulled away.

“I, er, hope I didn’t get ahead of myself?” he asked.

Looking up into his eyes, Penny could see the genuine concern there. Holding out her hand, she took his and waited until they were in the glade before replying, “You may have taken me a little by surprise, that’s all.”

With an expression of relief on his face, Tom took his cap off and swept a hand through his hair. “Would it be forward to ask if I may kiss you again?”

Her heart overwhelming her head, which was crying out for her to slow things down a little, Penny shook her head. “Yes, I think that would be all right.”

The air crinkled with electricity as Penny spied exactly what she’d been hoping to find. Gripping his hand a little tighter, she took him toward a fallen tree which so very conveniently, she thought, lay in the middle of the glade, sunlight dancing off the lichen covering the bark. Sitting down, she patted the space beside her.

“Wow!” Tom exclaimed, glancing around. “This is quite the sight!”

Penny joined him in examining their glade. “It is! There’s something magical about it, I think.”

“You knew it existed?”

“No, though it’s nice when nature plays along.”

“Great instincts!” he told her, leaning in to plant his lips upon her cheek.

After he’d taken them away, she could still feel their warmth. “I do try,” she said.

“As do I,” he told her. What he asked next spoiled the moment a little, though seeing as he had his own instincts which kept him alive each time he flew, she wasn’t surprised. “So you never answered. What was the shiver for?”

Happily leaving her head against his chest, it being handy he couldn’t see her face, she took a deep breath. “This is near where Jane crashed when we were…shot down.”

Not unexpectedly, Tom jerked back. “In Lyndhurst?”

She shook her head as he gripped her free hand in a vise-like grip. “Ouch! Not so tight, please. Not in Lyndhurst, but not too far away. I meant this is the first time I’ve been back into the forest since then.”

“You’ve not been able to visit anywhere in the forest since?” he asked.

“Just flying over was difficult,” she admitted. Flapping her sling, Penny moaned, “When I was allowed to fly, that is.”

Gently, Tom laid his other hand upon the hand within the sling. “How’s it feeling? Any better?”

“I’m doing as my doctor and my nurse friend Grace advise,” was all she answered.

“Medics are scary, eh.”

“Speaking of, how’s your head? I admit, I wasn’t expecting you to be back on flying duties. Should you be?” she asked.

Tom didn’t reply right away, until saying, “Possibly, possibly not, but it’s where I should be. Plus, Stan’s very happy to be flying with me again.”

“How’s Stan doing?” Penny asked. “Are his burns healed?”

Tom nodded. “As much as they’re going to be, yes. He says they don’t hurt anymore, but Sharon’s told me that he’s still in a bit of pain. I think he’s better at hiding it from me than he is from his girlfriend! What kind of a friend does that make me?”

“A man,” Penny said without hesitation. “Not the most observant of the species,” she added with smile.

“Hey! I’ll have you know I’m very observant!”

“Perhaps when you’re flying,” Penny allowed, “but not when it comes to fellow humans. However, if you pour me a cup of tea, I’ll allow you that one.”

As he passed her a cup, Tom asked, “Before I…flew off the handle, I never asked you about what happened, did I?”

Penny shook her head. “No, you didn’t. Mind you, I don’t know anything about what happened. I was unconscious from the moment I was shot until I woke up in the hospital. If you really need to know what happened, then Jane’s who you should talk to. She did save my life, and ended up with a broken arm for her troubles. I haven’t asked her for the full story.”

Taking a sip of his tea, Tom admitted, “I guess we owe her a lot.”

Penny could only smile. “Only my life.”

“Do you want to know what happened?” Tom asked.

“Don’t think I haven’t thought about it, many a time.”

“And…”

“And…I don’t know,” Penny admitted. “Perhaps it’s best I don’t know what happened.” She rubbed her arm where she’d been shot. “I’m not certain I want to hear all the details.”

****

“Are you all trying to tell me that I’m being rationed…again?”

“Doris!” Jane pleaded as she strolled alongside her on the way home that Saturday afternoon.

“Please don’t say I’m being irrational, Jane. It’s been a long morning.”

Lengthening her stride, Jane caught up with her friend and hauled her to a stop. “You lot go ahead,” she told everyone else as they came to a stop beside them. “We’ll catch you up.” Once they were alone, Jane said, “I’m not saying you’re being irrational at all. All I’m saying is I know how much you like your coffee, especially as you haven’t had so much for so long. All I am saying…asking, is that you pace yourself. Don’t have more than one before flying, and try not to have more than that when you get back.”

Doris put her head to one side. “Sounds suspiciously like rationing to me.”

Jane put her hand through Doris’s arm and steered her back toward home. “Call it what you will. I’m serious, my dear. If I may say, you tend to get a little overexcited when you have more than one cup, and I don’t think that’s a great thing when you should have a clear head whilst flying.”

To Doris’s credit, she didn’t immediately reply, taking her time to think through what her friend had said. With a deep sigh, Doris came to a halt and, without looking at her, said, “You really are a good leader, Jane, you know that.”

“I have my moments.” Jane shrugged. “We’ve got a deal?”

Doris nodded. “We’ve got a deal.”

Both were talking amicably away when they got to the door, only to find their way blocked by Penny and Tom engaged in making up for time.

“Cold out here!” Doris pointed out, tapping Penny on the shoulder.

Breaking apart, the two didn’t look in the least embarrassed. In fact, Tom let out a huge cry of, “Jane!” and without warning, grabbed her around the middle. Hugging her tightly, he gave her a quick kiss on both cheeks before hastily stepping back next to where his wife looked as equally confused as everyone else.

It took Jane a few seconds to recover her wits. “What the hell was that?”

Now the act was over, Tom looked mightily embarrassed and indeed lowered his head as he answered, “I’m perfectly aware I’ve an awful lot to do before I can get your trust back, Jane—everyone’s, come to that—but I couldn’t help myself. Penny and I have been talking, and she made me realize I never thanked you for saving Penny’s life!”

Now Jane took a turn at being embarrassed, though Tom noticed she was rubbing her arm where it had been broken.

He nodded his head toward the action. “And I’m so, so very sorry for what you went through as well. How’s the arm now?”

Looking down, Jane became aware for the first time what she was doing. With one more quick rub, she crossed her arms. “Perhaps a little itchy, and I know Grace is annoyed I took off the cast early, but all’s right, barring that.”

Tentatively, Tom reached out a hand toward Jane, who took it without hesitation. “I’ve told Penny, and I’ll say this before everyone here. I shall do everything I can to show I deserve Penny’s love and trust, together with everyone here’s too,” he ended, raising his voice a little so Betty and Mary, who were in the kitchen, could hear.

“Closing the front door would be a bloody good way to start,” Betty shouted.

“Just what I was about to say,” Terry Banks commented from atop the stairs, “though without so much talk about love.”

Now completely embarrassed, Tom hurriedly closed the door and rearranged the blackout. “Sorry, Terry,” he told the policeman.

“Are you staying for tea?” Betty asked Tom as he followed Penny, Jane, and Doris through to the kitchen.

Tom shook his head. “I’d love to, Betty, but I’ll have to start back soon. I will stay for a cup of tea, if there’s one going, to warm up the bones before making a move.”

“I’ll do it,” Doris volunteered.

“No!” pretty much everyone else immediately cried.

“Way to make someone feel wanted,” Doris muttered, flopping down into a seat before getting back to her feet. “If that’s how you all feel, I’m going to see if I can catch hold of Eddie Winters. If anyone’s going to know a good doctor, and I mean an honestly good doctor, in case you were all wondering, one we can trust, it’ll be him.” As she got to the kitchen door, she turned and said, “I’m going to close the door for some privacy.”

“Who’s this Eddie Winters?” Tom asked.

Mary looked at the other members of the Mystery Club before replying, “Officially, he’s a member of the US Embassy press pool.”

“Unofficially?” Tom asked.

“Probably best not to ask,” Penny replied, flashing her husband a sly smile. “Suffice to say, Doris reckons if there’s anything or anyone you’d need, he’s the one she’d go to.”

“And she trusts him?”

Mary nodded. “Implicitly. If I remember right, they grew up near each other and think the same way.”

Five minutes later, Doris came back into the room, her face a picture of smiles. “Got one!”

“Just like that?” Tom couldn’t help but say, earning himself a dirty look from Doris.

“Yes, just like that,” she told him without elaborating.

“And what exactly is this all about?” Tom asked the question everyone in the room had been waiting for.

Penny looked directly into Tom’s eyes. “You trust me?”

“Completely,” he replied without hesitation.

“Good,” she nodded. “In that case, you’ll have to believe me when I tell you that we can’t tell you.” Tom went to open his mouth in protest, but Penny laid her good hand upon his on the table. “This is for your own good, Tom. What you don’t know, you can’t tell.”

Looking around the room, it didn’t take very long for Tom to say, “Everyone here knows what this is about, though, don’t you.” When no one denied this, Tom nodded once and then went silent. Everyone gave him the time to come to his own decision. Getting to his feet, Tom bent down and kissed the top of Penny’s head. “Well, I guess I’d better be on my way. Ladies,” he made sure to catch everyone’s eye as he spoke, “keep well and keep safe.”

After making sure they were safe from prying eyes, Penny gave her husband a reassuring hug. “I promise you, we’re not in any physical danger. Once this is all over, I’ll tell you everything, I promise.”

After kissing her once more, Tom replied, “And I believe you.”

Switching the hall light off, Penny twitched the blackout aside and followed Tom down the path to the gate. In the second he bent down to open the gate, a shot rang out, Tom dropped to the ground, and Penny screamed!