Keep Smiling Through

Keep Smiling Through Read Free Page A

Book: Keep Smiling Through Read Free
Author: Ellie Dean
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shared with her father at lunchtime. She hadn’t had any appetite then, but now her mouth watered at the thought of Louise’s pasta. But her main concerns were far from the family dinner awaiting her as she rubbed her hair dry and tried to restore some order to its dark, wayward curls. They were still centred on her father, and the memories and passions they shared.
    The airfield to the north of Cliffehaven had fascinated her from the moment her father had taken her there as a small child. She’d stood holding his large warm hand, not at all afraid or overwhelmed by the noise of the place, and over the years she had become a familiar figure about the hangars and runways, asking endless questions of the mechanics and pilots as her father tinkered with the engines on his one day off.
    She had never had a yen to actually go up in a plane – she preferred to have her feet firmly on the ground – but the yearning to be a part of that exciting world and to work in the hangars had remained with her, growing stronger with every passing year.
    Rita gave a deep sigh as she ran a comb through her damp hair. The airfield had been enlarged over the past year, with more runways, a new control tower, Nissan huts and extra hangers to house the steady influx of planes and pilots. It was now an important RAF airbase and therefore off limits for the duration.
    She had been to the RAF recruiting office and asked about joining the WAAFs as a mechanic, but she was still too young, and her qualifications incomplete. The woman there had suggested she wait until her eighteenth birthday to apply for an administration post, but that didn’t appeal at all. The thought of being stuck in an office all day made her shudder.
    Her dad had understood, but even he couldn’t get round the ever-stringent rules and regulations that were now in force. He’d suggested the job in the factory as a stopgap until she found something else, and she supposed she should be satisfied she was doing her bit by welding parts of planes together. But she couldn’t quite dismiss the thought of how much more satisfying it would be to become a useful member of the engineering team that ensured the planes’ engines were running smoothly so the courageous pilots could be brought home safely.
    Dragging her thoughts into order, she glanced at the clock and gasped at how quickly time had passed. Louisa’s pasta would be ruined if she didn’t hurry up.

Chapter Two
    PEGGY REILLY WAS in her early forties and had lived in Cliffehaven all her life. She and her husband, Jim, had taken over the running of Beach View Boarding House when her parents retired, and it was there that she’d raised her four children. Jim had recently returned home unscathed after taking part in the rescue of the troops from Dunkirk’s beaches with his older brother Frank, and she gave nightly thanks they’d been spared.
    Her father-in-law, Ron, and his large Bedlington-cross, Harvey, lived in the basement of Beach View, sharing the two small rooms and scullery with her young sons, Bob and Charlie. Her much older girls, Anne, who was a teacher, and Cissy, who was theatrical, shared a room at the top of the house. Anne’s future husband was an RAF pilot who had to live on the base nearby, and Peggy fretted as much as her daughter over his safety now they were flying so many missions across enemy territory.
    The elderly Mrs Finch lived on the first floor. She’d become a permanent boarder once she’d admitted she could no longer live alone. She was as deaf as a post and refused to replace her ailing hearing aid – not that it mattered a jot, for the family had come to love her as their own, and her confused, but cheerful twittering always made them smile – and in these dark times a smile was worth a great deal.
    The holiday trade had dried up once war had been declared, but with the evacuation process in place and more service personnel arriving all the time, Peggy’s home was once again full to

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