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Chapter 14: Rapide Crossing
While Clegg was entertaining the Comtesse in France, back in the UK it was late in the evening as Jennings swung the Bentley past the Stourside airfield control tower and on towards Clegg's hangar..
“Pity we couldn't bring the Bugatti, Jennings . I fear we won't be back for a while and I'd have liked a spin.”
“Indeed, Sir, but unless you had planned to bring Miss Sally along strapped across the bonnet like some American hunting trophy then I fear that we would have had to leave her behind. I don't think that would have been wise, really.”
“No, Jennings , no. You're right of course. Amusing idea, what, strapped across the bonnet. Might have attracted some attention, though. Not a good idea to leave her behind, either. Even I can see that. Still I think we need to send this crate in for a service – there's been a frightful banging from the back all the way out.”
“Ah, I think you'll find that's Miss Sally, Sir.”
Beside Clegg's hangar a De Havilland Dragon Rapide biplane was sitting on the tarmac standing with its two engines already running. Bertie could see Elspeth in the pilot's seat, her face lit by the instrument panel lamps, running through the pre-takeoff checklist. The canvas skin of the bi-plane quivered as she revved each engine in turn checking that each was performing correctly. The car drove around behind the Rapide and into Clegg's hangar.
Jennings stepped out of the Bentley's driving seat, brushed himself down and straiented his bowler hat. He lifted down the large wicker basket that had been strapped to the rack on the back of the Bentley. Unfastening the lid revealed the bound and gagged Sally Fellows within. The helpless girl was extricated from the basket without ceremony and hustled through the open door of the aircraft. Bertie left Jennings to deal with the car and pushed Sally down in one of the seats. He edged his way between the two lines of empty seats up to the front of the aircraft. “All aboard,” he said cheerily to Elspeth as Jennings climbed in through the small door.
“Good,” she replied curtly peering over her shoulder back down the fuselage. “But can you all sit up towards the front for the takeoff. With the weight at the back I'll never get the tail up. And if I don't get the tail off the ground, the rest of this kite won't get off the ground either. So unless you want a personal introduction to the woods at the end of the westerly runway I suggest you come and sit in the two rows behind me.”
“Sure thing old girl,” said Bertie. As Jennings climbed in Bertie gestured to him to bring Sally forward as he strapped himself into his own seat.
The Rapide bounced across the airfield, the single lamp from its nose marking out a cone of light on the grass in front of it. Bertie looked across to the control tower as a single green light signalled permission to take off. Elspeth moved the throttles forward, the two Gypsy Six engines roared and the aircraft began to accelerate across the field. It eased away from the ground in plenty of time to clear the woods and Bertie watched the dark tree tops slide away beneath them.
Elspeth swung the ‘plane around to the north east and eased back on the throttles, setting the aircraft into a slow but steady climb. It was perhaps 20 minutes later that she turned off the aircraft's navigation lights and banked the Rapide again – first of all west and then twenty minutes after that due south. An hour after taking off the ‘plane slid back across the coast well to the west of Stourside.
With the ‘plane's trim set to keep it straight and level, Elspeth was able to turn her attention to her passengers for a moment. She turned around in her seat. The cabin was noisy but she could make herself heard over the engines. “Everyone comfortable?” she asked.
“I'm not sure the young lady would say she was, but Jennings and I are fine,” said Bertie. “How long's the flight?”
“Depends a bit on the weather, couldn't get much of a forecast when I took off. Maybe two hours from here, maybe half an hour more.” Elspeth looked back into the cabin from the cockpit. “Your friend's very quiet.”
“Ah, ha, I'm getting better at this you see,” smirked Bertie. “Found a strap does an even better job than a cloth, see.” He leant across and pulled down the scarf that had been wrapped across Sally's face. A leather belt had been pulled across her mouth gagging her. It was cutting into the corners of her mouth, a small dribble of blood trickled from a short gash where it cut the corner of her mouth. Elspeth could see that the strap held in place a wad of cloth that packed the helpless girl's mouth. Sally gave a whimper and a choking cough.
Elspeth looked despairingly at the excessively vicious gag. She spoke to Jennings . “That's a fine job that Bertie's made of that,” she said, generously. “But she won't attract any attention up here and I'd hate her to choke before we get to where we're going. Do take it off, please.”
Sally spluttered her gratitude as the belt was unbuckled and the cloth that had almost choked her was pulled out. Then she sank into silence as the plane sped on into the dark.
After a while Bertie pulled out hip flask from the recesses of his overcoat. “Bit chilly in here, isn't it?” he asked, offering the flask around. “Any one fancy a nip?”
“No, thanks,” called Elspeth from the cockpit. “Not while I'm driving. I want to be seeing straight when I have to put this down.”
“Perhaps some coffee, Miss Elspeth,” Jennings called, struggling to make himself heard above the engines' noise. “I brought a thermos.”
“Thank you, Jennings , that would be very nice. If you could pass it up here.”
Jennings unscrewed the cup on the top of the thermos and poured some steaming black coffee into it. He got up to make his way forward, crouching in the aircraft's small cabin. “There you are Miss,” he said. “I thought you'd need some of this.” Elspeth took the cup and sipped the hot drink.
“Terrific idea; these flasks,“ she said.
“Yes,” said Bertie, damned clever technology, you know.”
“Uh, huh,” Elspeth replied not really paying attention to him.
“Yes, keeps hot things hot. But it keeps cold things cold. Damned clever. I'd just like to find out how it knows which is which. Ha!”
“Very droll, Mr Bertram,” remarked Jennings , “very droll. Shall I give some to our other passenger?”
“Yes, of course,” called Elspeth. “She'll be cold too.” Jennings held the cup while Sally, her wrists still bound behind her, drank the coffee as best she could. She looked pleadingly at Jennings but got no more than a friendly smile in return. “There, there, Miss Sally,” he said. “Sorry to have to keep you strapped into your seat like that but there's nowhere for you to go anyway.”
Two hours later Elspeth sighted the twin rows of kerosene lamps that marked out the landing strip. She eased the Rapide down and taxied across to the canvas marquee that doubled as a hangar.
Sally was gagged again and taken from the plane. Two men grabbed her at the foot of the aircraft's steps and hustled her towards a waiting Citroen van. She was blindfolded and pushed inside. One of the men climbed in beside her. “Let's see you don't bounce around too much, Mademoiselle,” he said gruffly, pulling her against him as the van drove off, bumping across the field. Her nose was filled with the smell of garlic and stale tobacco as the man reached across her, tying ropes to pin her against the side of the van. “We'd hate you to get hurt.”
After an uncomfortable drive the van drove into the courtyard of the chateau. Sally was introduced to the Chateau's wine cellar, stripped, shackled and united with her friend Alice and the other captives in the depths of the Chateau D'Ysel where the four of them were left alone together.
Bertie, Elspeth and Jennings found more comfortable accommodation.
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