“Maybe it’s good news,” Audrey said as they jogged up the street to the ambulance headquarters. The news had been hopeful lately. Rome had fallen to the Allies on June 4. The long-awaited D-Day invasion had finally come on June 6. An armada of airplanes had filled the sky that day, more than Audrey thought existed, some of them from Robert’s air base. At the end of those long days of anxiety and bloody warfare, the Allies established a foothold in France for the first time since the Dunkirk evacuation.
“I’m so afraid to hope,” Eve said, panting from the uphill climb. “Do we dare believe the war might finally come to an end?”
“But the cost . . . the lives lost. It’s horrible, Eve. Horrible! I thank God every day that Robert hasn’t left for France yet.”
“Do you think they’ll transfer us across the channel to follow the advancing Army?”
“Maybe that’s what this meeting is about.” It would be a dangerous assignment. Even after everything she’d endured, Audrey wondered if she was ready for it. “You and I have been driving the longest, Eve. Before conscription even started.”
“Which means we’re the most experienced. They’ll need experienced drivers.”
They squeezed into the former petrol station—now the ambulance command center—for the meeting. The other drivers looked as harried and weary as Audrey felt. Their commander called for everyone’s attention, and Audrey held her breath, waiting.
“I know we’ve all been bracing for Hitler’s response to the D-Day invasion. . . . Well, the news is bad. We just learned that he has a new weapon. The V-1 missile resembles a torpedo with wings and is launched directly from bases in France and Holland without a pilot or an airplane. Each missile carries nearly two thousand pounds of explosives and causes enormous damage. They travel so fast that there’s no time for warning sirens. And unlike the Blitz, V-1 attacks happen around the clock, even in broad daylight. We haven’t discovered a way to shoot them down.”
Audrey’s already-tense muscles tightened with fear. She glanced at Eve as the other drivers whispered among themselves. If Eve was frightened, she didn’t betray it. The officer raised her voice above the murmurs. “The engine that powers each missile makes an odd sputtering sound. Some say it’s a bit like a motorcycle with a faulty engine. Others describe a buzzing noise. Just before the missile falls to earth, the engine stops. Nothing else is heard until the explosion.” She paused again. This time the room fell silent. “Since firing the first missile on June 13, the Nazis have launched about a hundred a day, every day. With no advance warning, you’ll need to stay alert for the sound. If you think you hear one, get out of your vehicle and take cover.”
“What if we’re transporting casualties?” someone asked.
The officer shrugged. “Now, I’m asking for drivers who are familiar with London and are willing to transfer there. Central London is being hit especially hard by these missiles. Can I see a show of hands from volunteers?” Eve immediately raised hers. Audrey hesitated, then raised hers as well. “Thank you. All those who have volunteered, please remain after everyone else is dismissed.”
They were told to pack their belongings and leave immediately for their new post at St. Thomas’s Hospital in central London. They would need to memorize the streets and landmarks. Most of the orderlies had followed the troops on D-Day, so Eve and Audrey would receive an emergency first aid course and be assigned to the same ambulance. They would be billeted in nurse housing and be on call when needed. The tension Audrey already felt spread to her stomach. She could barely manage tea and toast before hurrying back to her room to pack.
“Such discouraging news,” Audrey said on the train to London later that morning. “Hitler’s new secret weapon sounds frightening. There’s no warning? No time to get to a shelter?”
“If it’s our turn to die, what difference will it make how it happens?” Eve replied. “And you already know how I feel about sitting inside a shelter.”
“Yes, I do.”
“I volunteered for your sake, you know.”
“For mine?” Audrey asked. “What do you mean?”
“You’ll be much closer to Wellingford Hall if we’re living in London. Closer to Robert.” Eve waited for her reaction, and when Audrey managed a smile, Eve laughed out loud. “Isn’t love wonderful?” she asked.
Audrey felt herself blushing. “Yes. It is.”