Previously: Ten minutes on and according to his calculations he should be crossing the coast. No hope of finding ... wait. What was that? A flashing light to his left. The South Stack lighthouse. Matthew reviewed the map in his head. The aerodrome was to the south, south west. He looked to his right. There were two faint lights, one green and the other red both strobing in the distance. He smiled. A beacon. He gently banked to the right. There would be welshcakes for tea yet.

Saturday, October 2, 1920

Holyhead Aerodrome, Wales

Matthew taxied to the hangers. He saw Bart waving at him and he taxied that way. An airman directed him to a spot on the tarmac. He shut down the engine. The prop spun to a halt. He undid his belts and let out a sigh as the tension drained from him.

He climbed out and stood on the ground, a little unsteadily to be sure and so he put his hand on the plane's fuselage.

"We didn't think you'd make it old chap, thought you'd probably turn back or fly on."

Matthew smiled at Bart. "I'd was considering those options when I saw your beacon, it was a godsend."

Bart gave him a puzzled look. "Beacon? We don't have a beacon yet. It's in the budget for next year."

"But .." Matthew turned and pointed at the end of the runway. Pointed at nothing. "But...there were two flashing lights. I followed them here."

Bart shrugged. "Maybe you saw the headlights of an auto or a lorry? Although I don't remember there being any out that way just now and why they would be flashing their lights I wouldn't know."

Matthew continued staring at the end of the runway. "Yes that must be it." The fog had tried to kill them and someone, something had saved them. He turned to Bart. "Please don't say anything to Mary, I don't want to alarm her."

Bart nodded his agreement.

"Excuse me. Oh pilot, a little help please" Mary called. Matthew and Bart looked at her. "I cannot get my arms back to my sleeves" she explained.

Matthew went to Mary and undid her belts. He then undid the top of the flight suit exposing a sleeping Sybil to the elements. She shivered and then burrowed deeper into Mary's bosom.

"How did it go?" Matthew asked as he helped Mary climb out of the observer's cockpit..

"Very well. She fretted a bit when we took off but then she settled down. I was talking her ear off telling her all about Downton Abbey and she reached a hand up and put it on my mouth like she was telling me to be quiet so she could sleep. She's been sleeping since then. At some point she did manage to wet herself and me."

"Well she's only one you know" Matthew laughed.

Bart pointed towards his auto. "Come you two, I mean three, let's get you up to the house."

-0-

By high tea Mary was so knackered she could hardly eat . She had not gotten any sleep the night before what with alternating between thinking about Matthew sleeping but three halls away from her and worrying about Sybil. Then two aeroplane flights, the showdown with Tom's brother, a crash course in childcare from Mrs. Mullen, another flight and part two of 'an introduction to childcare' with Mrs. Bandy. She was very thankful her kind had nurses and nannies because she did not think she could care for a child full time. Both Mrs. Mullen and Mrs. Bandy, the latter somewhat more tactfully, had told her that she would have to care for Sybil herself, at least until a bond was forged between them, considering she had already lost a year, the most precious year of all, to do so. And it might take some time given the sceptical way Sybil regarded her.

From what she understood Matthew and Bart had spent the afternoon in the officers' mess with the other pilots from the base, operations having been cancelled because of the fog, swapping war stories. He certainly looked well rested. So relaxed that she was tempted to tell him that he had no idea, no idea, what it was like to raise a child and if he knew what was good for him he'd quit smirking at her and offer to take Sybil for a while. She stared hard at him but the spell she was projecting was interrupted when she had to stifle a yawn.

Even so, Matthew blinked at her a few times and then held out his arms. "Let me" and he took Sybil from her. Mary had a jealous pang when she saw how easily Sybil smiled at him.

After tea they sat in the Bandys' snug little sitting room Mary half listening to Matthew telling Sybil a story which seemed to be about a little girl who could turn herself into a bird and half dozing. She woke up when Mrs. Bandy announced the sleeping arrangements.

"I'm afraid that the only bedroom available is our sons'. They are both at school. It has twin beds. We can rig up a make shift crib between the beds. If you two will come with me I'll show you." She looked first at Mary and then at Matthew.

"Excuse me" Mary said "are you saying Matthew and I are going to share a bedroom? You know we are not married yet..."

"I can go down to the officers' mess" Matthew offered "I'm sure they can find a spare bunk for me."

"Nonsense" Mrs. Bandy told them. "You will be married in a matter of weeks; you are sharing a bedroom, not a bed, remember there are twin beds; Sybil will be chaperoning you; and no one outside this room will ever know. Plus "and here she pointed at them both "you are both to promise that there will be no hanky panky. Understood?"

"Yes Ma'am." they chorused.