The House of Birds and Butterflies. Cressida McLaughlin

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СКАЧАТЬ she walked in there was the soft hum of voices and Ryan, a few years older than Abby and a big, gentle bear of a man, gave her a cheery welcome. ‘They’re through there,’ he said. ‘Got you one in, unless Stephan’s particularly thirsty.’

      ‘Thanks, Ryan.’ She made her way to the large table by the window, where they always liked to convene and were very rarely unable to. The window faced the reserve’s approach road, and Abby liked seeing who turned onto and out of it. The visitor centre shut at five, but at this time of year, when the sun took its time going down, people could still park and walk the trails, though signs reminded them they were doing so at their own risk.

      Stephan pushed a pint of pale ale in her direction as she sat down, Raffle settling on the floor next to her chair. Along with Gavin, the other full-time warden, Marek had made an appearance, even though it was his day off. This was the largest their gathering ever got; it was rare for them all to be available on the same day.

      ‘Happy birthday, Abby,’ Marek said, holding up his glass as everyone else echoed his words. ‘What is it, twenty-four, five maybe?’

      Abby laughed. ‘You charmer. Thank you, everyone.’ She took a sip of beer, her eyes automatically going to the table. They were all her friends, it wasn’t exactly a surprise party, but she still felt self-conscious. How was it she could lead an activity at the reserve in front of forty strangers, and yet being the centre of attention with people she cared about made her want to hide in a cupboard?

      ‘If I’d known, I would have baked you a cake,’ Stephan said.

      ‘You still can,’ Rosa replied quickly. ‘A few days late won’t matter, and cakes can be enjoyed by more than just the birthday girl. That’s what makes them so brilliant.’

      Stephan laughed, his eyes bright. He was in his mid-fifties and had run the café at the reserve for the last eighteen months, coming on board at the same time as Abby and Rosa, the supposed turning point for Meadowsweet, when the new visitor centre opened and the venture was supposed to be more professional and profitable. Abby had noticed that Stephan never seemed to have an off day, never appeared grumpy or downcast, and she wondered how much of that was forced, how big a role he’d had to play both to his wife, Mary, and the rest of his friends and family while Mary was dying of cancer.

      Sometimes she wanted to ask him how he really felt, sure that he couldn’t be upbeat all of the time, but she knew any delving would be a two-way thing, and she wasn’t prepared to reveal too much about her past – she’d need another decade getting to know them all for that.

      ‘What did you do, Abby?’ Gavin asked.

      ‘I met up with my sister and her family at their house in Bury.’

      ‘No wild nights out on the town? Bury’s got a good nightlife. Relatively speaking.’

      ‘Tessa’s got a young family, so she’s usually asleep on the sofa by half nine, and besides, this is my night out – what could be better than you lot in here?’

      ‘Abby, Abby, Abby,’ Marek said pityingly, his accent softening the words. His family had moved to Suffolk from Warsaw nearly twenty years ago, and he’d worked on the reserve much longer than the rest of them, when it was still Penelope and Al’s pet project. He was happy with his position and hadn’t begrudged Gavin the role of head warden when he’d started the year before. ‘This is the best you can do?’

      ‘It is for me,’ Abby said, patting Raffle. ‘Besides, I have to get going on a plan to save the reserve in the morning, and I don’t want a sore head when I’m doing it.’

      ‘Bloody Wild Wonders,’ Gavin said. ‘What a fucking curse, eh?’ His glass was empty, and the swearing – usually quite prevalent anyway – had ramped up a notch, which meant he was already on his way to being drunk, making the most of the pass he’d got from his wife.

      ‘It’s good for the area,’ Stephan said carefully. ‘It might mean more publicity for Meadowsweet as well as Reston Marsh. I don’t think Penelope would have appreciated me saying this earlier, but we shouldn’t knock it until it’s started.’

      ‘They’re here already.’ Rosa turned to Abby, filling her in on the gossip she had missed by turning up later than the others. ‘Stephan passed three trucks emblazoned with the logo on his cycle over this evening.’

      Stephan nodded. ‘I went home to feed Tilly her Whiskas, and I passed them on my way back here. Great big bloody things, I wouldn’t be surprised if they get stuck in the mud at some point. I wonder, did they not do a recce when they decided to come to Reston Marsh and realize that the reserve is, unsurprisingly, in marshland? Even car parks and properly built trails won’t always cut it for fifty-ton trucks in this kind of environment.’

      Marek chuckled. ‘You would have thought the name would give them a clue. Wouldn’t it be great if they started off with a huge disaster like that? All the expensive filming equipment lost, because one of the trucks tipped over into the mire.’

      ‘I’m not sure even that would be enough to raise a smile from Penelope,’ Rosa said. ‘She’s so austere – more so than usual.’

      ‘She has a lot on her plate.’ Stephan echoed Abby’s earlier words. ‘Wild Wonders is real. And I’m the only one who thinks it could be a bonus for us, instead of a problem.’

      ‘It’s like putting two mobiles on the table,’ Marek said. ‘One’s the latest iPhone, and the other’s the Nokia 3330 with the tiny buttons and the snake game. No matter how nostalgic you feel, you’ll go for the iPhone, 100 per cent.’

      ‘But why can’t people have both?’ Abby asked. ‘The iPhone for the cool features, the Nokia because it reminds you of simpler times. Why won’t people go to Reston Marsh for the thrill of being somewhere they see on the TV, and then come to us because it’s more peaceful?’

      ‘I’ll give you a reason,’ Gavin said. ‘Flick Hunter. That’s why.’ He sat back, a smug grin on his face and tried to drink the now non-existent dregs of his pint.

      ‘I’ll get another round in.’ Rosa stood and disappeared to the bar, but not before Abby had seen the eye-roll.

      ‘Who’s Flick Hunter?’ she asked. ‘It sounds like a made-up name.’

      ‘Wild Wonders TV presenter,’ Marek said. ‘She is a hottie. Blonde hair, long-limbed, twinkly eyes. A reason to watch all on her own, never mind the wildlife.’

      ‘But she’ll only be there when they’re broadcasting, surely?’ Abby tried not to be annoyed at their obvious objectification of this woman.

      ‘But people will still go to Reston Marsh on the off-chance,’ Gavin said. ‘Hell, I’m trying to come up with a detour home so I can get a glimpse of her striding through the trees.’

      ‘Oh God.’ Abby put her head in her hands. ‘I can’t believe the success or failure of Meadowsweet is going to come down to a television presenter who probably doesn’t know that much about wildlife in the first place.’

      ‘It’s not that bad,’ Stephan said. ‘The lads are exaggerating. Thinking with their lower halves. We’ll be fine.’

      ‘Yeah, right.’ Gavin gave a humourless laugh, and the table settled into quiet, not remotely jubilant contemplation. Beside her, Raffle whined softly, and Abby scratched his ears, reminding СКАЧАТЬ