Page 81 of Plane Passion

Saying she broke his heart felt like such an understatement. Every part of him missed her. From his fingers to his toes, he ached with longing to have her back. But he had to hold it together for the sake of his family. “Listen, I’ve got to go. I have an early morning on the construction site tomorrow.”

Jack sighed and drank down the last of his whiskey. “All right. I’ll let you off the hook this time but remember that I’m right next door if you ever need to talk about it.”

“Sure.” He got up and headed out without waiting for Jack. He needed a little time in the icy air to clear his head and put his feelings back in a box where they belonged. For his family, he had to be strong. For them, he had to forget Millie Aldrich ever existed and focus on building a future out of the rubble of his current circumstances.

A few snowflakes drifted down from the sky, and one landed on his nose. For a moment, he was transported to the Brockerhoff and that wonderful, marvelous, ruinous day in the snow. For a moment, Millie was his, and his horizons were endless.

And then it was over. He was back—plain old Ernie from Brooklyn with a family to support and a job to do in the morning. Squaring his shoulders, he strode home, determined to never think of Millie again.

28

Millie looked up at the sky in Annapolis, grateful that there wasn’t a cloud to be seen. It was warmer than usual for early December, so hopefully their guests were comfortable in their seats. Rory Hawley, whom she’d only met a few weeks back, was a wonder when it came to organizing a big event. The moment Rory heard from Katherine what they were planning, she’d set to work.

From the size of the crowd, it looked like all of Congress and their families had come out to see the show, along with a sizeable contingent of the women’s rights activists who had led the suffrage movement. Millie just had to hope they had enough blankets, hot water bottles, and hot cocoa to keep them all warm so that they could be comfortable and enjoy the entertainment.

Some silly part of her hoped she’d spot Ernie in the crowd, but the odds of that were low. She’d avoided reaching out to him about it. If it went well, she could tell him about her triumph, but if it went poorly… No, she wasn’t going to think about that. The last thing she needed before a big show was to give in to self-doubt.

After all, Mr. Burleson was out there somewhere, and he was expecting perfection. Initially he’d declined the invitation, but Millie had enlisted the help of her formidable new friends, Rory Hawley and her aunt, Alva Belmont—prominent suffragettes from a powerful and influential family.

The three of them had visited his offices together to make their case. He agreed that if this worked and he got his airmail funding, he would reconsider his stance on women flying the mail. He also grudgingly agreed to offer Ernie his job back after Millie pleaded his case. But Mr. Burleson’s parting words were, “No mistakes or our deal is off.”

Millie had to deliver the best performance of her life, and everything she cared about was on the line. Thank God she had help! She could never have pulled this off alone.

Rory came striding over, decked out in a plum satin flying suit lined with fur, her homage to Harriet Quimby, the first woman to earn a pilot’s license—God rest her soul. If only Harriet could have flown with them today! But Rory was an excellent pilot and would dazzle the crowd just as thoroughly as her predecessor. “Darling, are you ready for the show? It’s simply smashing how many people came out to see us ladies take flight!”

It was. The sight of so many brought tears to Millie’s eyes, which she blinked back. The only thing that would have made this more perfect was Ernie, but she’d promised herself she wouldn’t reach out to him until she’d made things right and gotten him his job back. And this was the day she would make everything right. She would save the airmail and get Ernie’s job back, God willing. “I’m ready. Where are Katherine and Gertie?”

“Over by their airplanes doing final checks. Shall I tell Aunt Alva we’re ready to go?”

Sure enough, her friends had already donned their flight suits and were scrutinizing every inch of their aircrafts. Millie had already checked her plane several times over. Nerves didn’t usually bother her, but with the stakes so high, she had butterflies in her stomach as she looked out at the airfield. “Yes, please. Let’s show everyone what an aviatrix can do.”

Rory grinned and nodded then strode off to tell her aunt to deliver the opening address.

Millie headed for her plane, holding her head high and fending off the jittery flutter in her gut. Katherine and Gertie greeted her as she joined them.

“Millie, I’m so glad we’re doing this!” Katherine came over and wrapped her in a big hug. “Let’s show those dusty old idiots in Congress what we ladies are capable of.”

“Hear, hear,” Gertie added, joining the hug. “This is going to be one heck of a sockdolager!”

Yes. Yes, it was.

The electric crackle of the microphone over the loudspeaker made them break apart and stand at attention. Rory hurried over and joined them as they all turned to the podium where Alva Belmont took her position, somehow managing to look like a brigadier general despite her fur coat.

“Ladies and gentlemen, members of Congress, and dignitaries, we are gathered here today to see a once-in-a-lifetime performance by four daring young women who are pioneering a new era in the skies. No sooner were airplanes invented than ladies took flight. The future, my friends, belongs equally to both sexes, and aviation is no exception.”

The women in the crowd rose to their feet and applauded so loudly that Mrs. Belmont had to pause. The men were slower to clap, but when they saw the reaction of the women around them, they joined in. The women’s vote had become very powerful indeed! Millie’s heart was fit to burst at the sight. Maybe this crazy scheme was going to work.

“Yes…yes…now then…” Mrs. Belmont attempted to calm the crowd. At last, they settled down. “Ladies and gentlemen, I am delighted to introduce to you the amazing pilots who will perform daring aerial acrobatics today, starting with my niece, Mrs. Aurora Hawley!”

The audience jumped to their feet again, hooting and hollering, as Rory climbed into her cockpit and waved.

“Miss Gertrude Hamilton,” Mrs. Belmont called out, and Gertie beamed as she climbed into her cockpit and waved with both hands to the adoring crowd.

“Miss Katherine Stinson!”

The noise from the crowd got even louder as Katherine took her place.

“And Hollywood’s high-flying sweetheart, Miss Millie Aldrich!”