Bluebirds (90 page)

 

THE END

Margaret Mayhew was born in London and her earliest childhood memories were of the London blitz. She began writing in her mid-thirties and had her first novel published in 1976. She is married to American aviation author Philip Kaplan, and lives on the borders of Wales. Her novels,
The Crew, The Little Ship
and
Our Yanks
, are also published by Corgi.

The Crew
Seven men who barely know each other are thrown together in a Lancaster bomber to conduct gut-wrenching raids over Germany. But, slowly, they grow to depend on each other. On the ground, the women who love them wait for the men who risk their lives every day . . . but can they bear to lose them?

The Little Ship
Before the war, cousins Matt, Guy and Lizzie spend idyllic summers on an old boat. When Anna, a Jewish girl, and Otto, a German diplomat's son, join their household, tensions rise – but one wonderful day their rivalries are forgotten aboard the little ship. Then the world explodes into war and they go their separate ways. Until they all meet again at Dunkirk . . .

The Pathfinder
Berlin 1948: a city of rubble. In the British sector is Michael Harrison, a war hero who bombed the city. In the Russian sector is German Lili Leicht, whose mother was killed by British bombers. As tensions in the smouldering city grow, so Michael and Lili slowly fall in love. But can their relationship overcome the hatreds of war?

Our Yanks
The inhabitants of King's Thorpe had lived with the idea of invasion for some time – by the Germans, not the Americans. But in some lives, the Yanks are to make a long-lasting and emotional impact: especially young Sally Barnet from the bakery, Agnes Dawe, the Rector's daughter, and newly-widowed Lady Beauchamp from the Manor.

Those in Peril
In the midst of war, Louis Duval makes the perilous journey to England to fight for his beloved France. In Dartmouth he meets young widow Barbara Hillyard, who is trying to make a living for herself, and Lieutenant-Commander Alan Powell, who oversees undercover operations. Both men are drawn to the lovely Mrs Hillyard, but she has eyes only for the Frenchman . . .

The Boat Girls
Brave Frances, conventional Prudence and flame-haired actress Rosalind become friends when they join the band of women working the canal boats, doing a man's job while the men are away fighting. A tough, unglamorous task – but one which brings them all unexpected rewards . . .

I'll Be Seeing You
In 1943, Daisy is stationed at an airfield taken over by Americans. She falls in love with a bomber pilot – but she is heartbroken when he is posted missing, presumed dead. Pregnant and grieving, she marries a long-term admirer only to discover that her pilot had survived the war . . . Forty years later, can her daughter trace the father she never knew?

The Other Side of Paradise
While Britain is in the grip of war, Susan Roper's life in Singapore is devoted solely to pleasure. But when Japan invades, she finds herself in grave danger. Taken prisoner by the Japanese, war forces Susan to find courage she did not know she had, and love where she least expected it . . .