The House of Birds and Butterflies. Cressida McLaughlin

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СКАЧАТЬ looks like it’s been trampled on, OK?’ She flung her arm in the direction of his Range Rover. ‘And it’s just a car. You need to sort out your priorities.’ She shrugged out of his grasp and skidded down the path, thinking bitterly that she wouldn’t have done that if her walking boots had been £250 Arc’teryx models, and began to walk back to the reserve. When she turned, once, immediately wishing she was stronger than that, she saw that Jack was still there, leaning against the doorframe, watching her. She almost gave him a wave, realized she couldn’t guarantee the sarcasm would be obvious, and so left it.

      Let him stand in the rain and get soaked, she thought. What did she care?

      Abby’s sister Tessa and her family lived in a new development in Bury St Edmunds. Quite like the Harrier estate five minutes from Meadowgreen, it was a warren of roads and closes, the houses not quite identical. Abby wasn’t sure how she didn’t get lost every time, and always felt a surge of panic when she turned onto the estate, but somehow her hands turned the wheel and found the right driveway, the pale-pink front door and the cuddly Peppa Pig in the upstairs window.

      She hauled her craft materials out of the boot of her aged Citroën Saxo, took Raffle by the lead and, propping her pile of paper, fabric, pens and paints under her chin, managed to press the doorbell with one, straining finger.

      ‘Abby!’ Her sister opened the door and took the stack off her, leading the way through to the large kitchen at the back of the house. The garden was small but neat, with beds Tessa worked hard on and an immaculate lawn. There was a wildlife area at the end, which she was slowly developing with her daughters – and Abby’s advice – and with the wall of windows and French doors, the kitchen was somehow an extension of the outside, a haven of calm. If she lived here, Abby would spend most of her time in this room.

      ‘What can I get you?’ Tessa asked. ‘Tea, coffee, wine? Are you staying tonight?’ Abby’s sister was older by three years, taller, and, since giving up her job as a swimming teacher to be a full-time mum, even leaner than Abby, which she attributed to running around after Willow and Daisy all day. But Abby knew she was conscious of her appearance, much more so than Abby was, and had her dark-blonde hair dyed a strange violet hue that somehow made her look much younger than her thirty-four years.

      ‘Tea for now, thanks,’ Abby said. ‘Not decided about staying.’

      ‘You’re not working tomorrow, though?’

      ‘Nope. This is my challenge for the next two days.’ Abby settled herself at the island in the centre of the room and spread out her craft materials. Raffle did his usual slow peruse of the space, and then lay at Abby’s feet. She’d taken him for a two-hour walk this morning, knowing that he wouldn’t get as much of a run around in the evening. The following weekend was her first big event – Penelope was calling it the autumn flagship event, a term that made Abby feel slightly nauseous – and she had this weekend off to prepare. Which was what she was hoping to rope Willow into, maybe Daisy too, though a three-year-old was perhaps slightly too young to design Halloween bunting.

      ‘Are your events going well?’ Tessa brought the teas over along with a plate of pastel-coloured fondant fancies. She had a grey jumper pulled over her hands, the thin fabric threaded through with silver, and her nails were the colour of fresh lavender.

      Abby glanced down at her own outfit, a navy jersey dress. She’d rolled the sleeves up, and the fabric had started to tear at the hem where she’d walked Raffle for hours, catching it on endless twigs and bramble bushes. She pushed her hair away from her face, and Tessa reached out and pulled a strand forward again, appraising her silently in the way she often did.

      ‘They’re fine,’ Abby said. ‘It’s mainly been walks and school activities so far, trying to widen the reach of the reserve. We’ve sent emails out to all the schools in Suffolk, as well as some just over the border, and we’ve got the county and borough councils to link through to our website on their days-out pages. Take-up’s been good, and the feedback so far has been positive. Next weekend, though, that’s the biggie.’

      ‘Halloween,’ Tessa said. ‘Willow’s been talking about it non-stop. I think some of the other parents are really into it, having parties and all sorts. She’ll love that you want her to help with all this.’

      ‘Where are they?’ Abby asked.

      ‘Neil’s taken them to the park, making the most of it while the weather’s still good. They keep asking about your bird book, and when they’re going to get to read it.’

      ‘Oh God,’ Abby said. ‘I should never have mentioned it. It’s ridiculous!’

      ‘No, it isn’t. It’s a lovely idea. Have you done any more?’

      ‘A few notes,’ Abby admitted. ‘We had a boy at the reserve a few weeks ago who described a mistle thrush as having a bread-and-butter pudding tummy, so I’m going to steal that.’

      ‘It’s perfect. See – get young people to help you create it, then they’ll definitely be able to identify with it.’

      ‘Hmm.’

      ‘Come on, then.’ Tessa picked up a packet of pumpkin-shaped confetti and wiggled it. ‘What’s the plan with all this?’

      ‘Bunting for the visitor centre, and I’m running a scary drawing competition. I wondered if Willow and Daisy would like to do some examples for me, so I’ve got something to show the children when they turn up. I think if we keep it light, I won’t end up with pictures full of blood and gore.’

      Tessa laughed. ‘Of course you will – they’re children. No risk assessment will ever prepare you for the imaginations of small people.’

      ‘You think I should stick to a nature theme?’

      ‘I think,’ Tessa said, picking up a fondant fancy and biting into it, closing her eyes in ecstasy, then waiting until she could speak again, ‘you could theme it around kittens and you’d still end up with some unexpected drawings. Go with horror – at least it’ll be entertaining.’

      ‘You’re not helping to calm my nerves.’

      ‘What do you have to be nervous about? You’ve got this, Abby.’

      Abby toyed with the yellow icing on her cake. She debated telling Tessa that she thought Penelope’s financial concerns were bigger than she was letting on, that she was beginning to feel the weight of responsibility on her shoulders, and that she had this irritating, left-field problem she was thinking about more than she should be – because how much of a risk was he, really, with his petty notes and his non-existent car damage?

      ‘There’s just a lot to get done,’ she settled on. ‘But if Willow and Daisy aren’t around, how good are you at drawing bats?’

      That evening, once Willow, Daisy and Raffle had worn each other out running around the garden, and two of them were upstairs asleep, and the other was snoring gently in front of the fireplace, ears twitching, Abby, Tessa and Neil sat in the snug living room, a bottle of wine open on the table. Abby had relented and decided to stay over, as she often did, the thought of going back to her homely but silent terrace unappealing after spending time in her sister’s boisterous household.

      ‘We’ve been watching that Wild Wonders thing on the TV,’ Neil said into an easy silence, earning a slap on the arm from his wife.

      ‘Ssshhh, no we haven’t. Not every СКАЧАТЬ