“I don’t want to debate.” Jack had to drag this conversation away from Darcy and back to the problem at hand. “My point is she’s inexperienced. Whether male or female, a transatlantic attempt takes enormous experience. These last two test flights are the riskiest. Either one could go wrong in a hurry. I need experience in the other cockpit.”
“Didn’t you read in the Times that Grieve only has four hours dual flight experience?”
“I’ll bet he didn’t crash a plane on his first attempt.”
Burrows hooted. “Like Jack Hunter did?”
Jack, red-faced, protested, “I didn’t wreck the plane.”
“Semantics. Tell the truth, old sport, that’s what you love about her. She’s got the chutzpah to succeed. Mark my words. She’ll be great someday, maybe in a few weeks.”
This was not going the way Jack wanted. He’d counted on Burrows to support him. “Then you won’t step in?”
“You don’t need me. I wouldn’t, even if I could, but you know I can’t. I’ll look over your engines tomorrow. That’s it. I need to get back to Rockaway Beach for the launch. Then we head north.”
“You’re flying?” Jack couldn’t keep the envy from his voice.
“Ground support. The necessary and unheralded part of any successful journey. See you in St. John’s.” He reached out a hand.
Jack reluctantly shook. He’d pinned his hopes on Burrows, feeble though they were. “Maybe.”
“Miss Shea’s not a maybe kind of woman.”
“Miss Shea doesn’t understand the danger. She doesn’t know how far we are from going and how close the others are to success.”
“Then you’d better get busy. First thing in the morning, unless you want to work tonight.” Burrows patted his jacket pockets. “Almost forgot. Saw Cecelia on my way here. She wanted me to give you her best.” He pulled out an envelope.
“You saw my sister?” Jack was stunned.
“We’ve corresponded for years. She’s a real peach.”
Jack did not like the idea of Burrows anywhere near Sissy. “Don’t get any ideas.”
“Trust me, that’s the last thing you have to worry about. She’s too smart to fall for a lout like me. In the morning?”
Jack nodded. Though he should go over the engines tonight, he had to read that letter. He had to know what his sister and best friend had been talking about all these years. And why hadn’t either one of them happened to mention it?
After Burrows left, Jack ripped open the envelope. The single sheet said much the usual: how she missed him, what had happened with such and such a nurse, and absolutely nothing about Burrows. But that was all forgotten when he reached the last paragraph.
“Jackie,” she wrote, “I hope you’ll be happy for me. I’ve met a wonderful man here, a doctor. He sees me everyday, and we talk and talk. He’s such a good friend. He listens to me babble on and never once mentions my useless legs. I’m mad with happiness, and I so want you to meet him.”
It went on from there, but Jack didn’t need to read more. He crumpled the letter and tossed it in the wastebasket.
Sissy was in love, but she’d only get hurt. No man would marry her. No man would make a life with a cripple.
Jack wanted to drop everything and get on the train to Buffalo, but of course he couldn’t. He had a flight to make, win or die.
Chapter Fourteen
Darcy stomped to the barn the next morning. The ground crunched under her feet. Jack Hunter could not displace her on a whim. Knowing Pohlman could arrive at any moment was one thing, but giving the cockpit to Burrows was quite another.
Well, he would not get away with it. She’d get back in that cockpit.
To her surprise, the plane was already out of the barn. Jack and Simmons watched from the ground while Burrows crawled along the wings and around the engines, measuring, noting the results and calculating with his slide rule.
As Darcy drew near, Burrows hopped to the ground.
“This girl should get into the air with no problem.” Burrows handed his notes to Jack. “You did a great job.”
“I had nothing to do with it. Mr. Simmons here did the engineering.”
Burrows shook Simmons’s hand. “I’d like to have you at Curtiss Engineering.”
If only Darcy would get such an offer. Simmons, of course, shook his head. He wouldn’t try anything new.
“And the wing repairs are Darcy’s doing,” Jack added.
The icy knot of fury inside her melted. He’d acknowledged her contribution, though she hadn’t done the repairs herself. “I only organized everyone.”
“She’s too modest. Sure you can’t stay?”
Burrows shook his head. “Gotta run, old sport. The NC-4’s waiting, and I still need to pack.”
Darcy took in the turn of events in disbelief. All night she’d stewed for no reason. Burrows wasn’t staying. He wouldn’t fly today.
Jack didn’t give up. “You could always take tomorrow’s train.”
“You’ve got all the help you need.” Burrows nodded to her. “Just use the takeoff pattern I suggested, lose a little weight, and you’ll do fine.”
After a few more pleasantries, he set off for town, leaving Darcy alone with Jack and Simmons. She still didn’t believe what she’d heard.
“We’re doing the full-load test?” She followed Jack into the barn. “And I can go?”