William was obviously a popular member of the club; everyone greeted him with warm smiles, and there was the odd joke that indicated they appreciated his gentle charm. She received a fair amount of curious looks and shy nods herself and she couldn’t help asking herself how many other women he’d taken gliding. She was surprised to feel a bit jealous; she wanted it to be only her. And then she wondered why.
‘Come on,’ said William. ‘Let’s get it over with!’
Gilly laughed. ‘Do I look that terrified?’
‘Yes,’ said a couple of the other people.
‘But no need,’ one went on. ‘You’re going to love it.’
‘It’s traditional to have a big cooked breakfast after your first flight,’ said another, ‘no matter what time you go up.’
Gilly managed some sort of smile; now her ordeal was nearly on her, she was getting more and more frightened. She started breathing deeply. That was always a good idea.
‘Is this your glider?’ she said as they approached the machine, which seemed hardly bigger than a dragonfly.
‘No, this belongs to the club. Mine is a single-seater. I thought it was a bit early to put you up in that.’
It took Gilly a couple of seconds to realise he’d made a joke. She whimpered in response.
‘It’s tiny!’ she said, looking at the space she was expected to climb into. ‘I swear this must be one of the few activities where you can be claustrophobic and agoraphobic at the same time!’
‘Here, let me help you. You get in the front, but don’t worry, you don’t have to drive.
Gilly cast him a terrified glance before getting herself up and into the tiny seat. Then the Perspex top came down and clicked into place.’
He handed her a headset. ‘Here, put this on. It means we can talk to each other.’
There were a few minutes of bumping along the grass, the wings of the glider being supported by cheerful men, and then suddenly the glider took flight. Gilly gasped, breathed deeply and gradually felt her fear being replaced by amazement. She forgot about the flimsy machine and just felt joy at being in the air in almost complete silence. Only the sound of the wind rushing past disturbed it and Gilly found she tuned it out quickly.
‘All right?’ came William’s steady voice from behind her.
‘It’s wonderful!’ she said. ‘It’s like being a bird! Look! I can see the Severn! My goodness, this is amazing!’
‘Can you see the mountains beyond the river?’
‘Are they the Brecon Beacons or the Black Mountains? Oh, there’s the Sugar Loaf, that’s the Brecon Beacons, isn’t it?’
‘Do you want to have a little go on the controls yourself?’
‘No thank you. I just want to swoop about, pretending to be an albatross, though I think they mostly fly over the sea, don’t they? Oh, look! There’s Dead Man’s Acre.’
‘What?’
‘Doesn’t matter.’ If William didn’t know the story she didn’t want to waste time telling it to him now.
Gilly became totally absorbed in looking at the fields and villages, woods and hills spread out beneath her like toys. She could see the escarpment and where it dropped to the Severn plain.
There were sheep dotted about like blobs of cotton wool, cows in groups next to hedges splashed with blossom – blackthorn, she reckoned – and hawthorn. Smaller rivers, canals and ponds flashed silver. She saw a group of deer near a spinney and sighed with happiness.
The twenty minutes was over very quickly. The landing was very smooth.
‘I’ve been on scheduled flights that bump more than that,’ said Gilly, hoping her legs hadn’t stopped working while she’d been airborne. ‘I really hate the airline that plays that horrid cock-a-doodle-do thing if they arrive on time. I’d rather be late.’
Her legs had weakened a bit and she was glad of William’s supportive presence as she extracted herself from the tiny space and got to the ground.
‘So,’ he asked, looking down at her in a fond and proud way, ‘do I gather you liked that?’
‘I loved it! I never thought I’d be able to get through it without having some sort of fit but it was magical!’
‘Next time, we’ll stay up longer, go a bit further.’
‘So there’ll be a next time?’ Gilly asked, feeling like a child asking for a treat.
‘There will be if I have anything to do with it!’ William put his arm round her and together they walked back to the clubhouse.
‘That went well, then?’ asked one of the friendly men.
‘I loved it!’ said Gilly. ‘I never thought I would. I’m such a coward about these things normally.’
‘What things?’ asked the man.
‘You know – roller coasters, scary things generally.’
‘So, are you up for a breakfast?’ the man went on.
Gilly looked at William. ‘I’m terribly sorry,’ he said, ‘although I hate to break with tradition, I have to get to work.’
‘I have to work too,’ said Gilly. Her work involved hanging sheets on the line. It seemed mundane but when you washed as many sheets as she did, good drying days became very important.
‘I’m so glad you liked it,’ said William as they neared her house.
‘So am I!’ said Gilly, unaware until very recently how very important it was that she did like gliding. She wanted to like it for William’s sake. ‘And I didn’t just like it, I loved it!’
William didn’t speak but smiled across at her when he’d parked the car. He looked very happy, Gilly realised.
‘Have you time to come in for a coffee?’ she asked him.
‘No, I’ve got to rush back to the office,’ he said, but got out of the car. He was at the passenger door in an instant and handed her out.
‘Thank you so much for taking me,’ said Gilly.
‘It was my absolute pleasure,’ he said, and kissed her cheek; then he cupped it with his hand, looking into her eyes without saying any more.
As she watched him disappear down the drive she felt that these two simple gestures were somehow more meaningful and touching than the most full-on kiss would have been.
Chapter Nineteen
Gilly wanted to see William again but didn’t quite know how to go about it. She had written him a card after he had taken her gliding, taking care with it so he would realise how much she had loved the experience of seeing the landscape from the sky. He hadn’t responded and that was over a week ago. On the other hand, she was delighted that she hadn’t heard from Leo.
She looked at her calendar, the mocked paper ‘family calendar’ that caused mirth or disapproval depending, and saw something she thought could be useful: an opportunity to see him again without looking needy. No woman ever wanted to look needy, especially one of a certain age.
She composed an email, inviting him to Helena’s upcoming show, implying he would be a guest of the family group. Later she would ask him for a lift – her car was going in for a service at the perfect time.
But while Gilly was writing her email, Martin rang.
‘Hi, Mum! Just making plans for going to Hel’s show.’