Page 123 of A Christmas Celebration
‘We met briefly when he arrived early this morning,’ I explained, ‘but the owls weren’t set up then which is why I’ve come back for a look.’
‘Hi,’ said Ed, as he soothed a barn owl who was looking a little ruffled.
‘Hi.’ I smiled and he turned bright red.
‘That’s not an owl, is it?’ I then said to Will, having spotted a small hawklike bird at the back.
‘No,’ he said, ‘that’s a kestrel.’
‘It’s beautiful,’ I said, taking in the prettily speckled plumage and inquisitive dark eyes.
‘You can hold her if you like,’ said Ed. ‘This is her first time at an event, which is why I’ve put her at the back. It can be a bit overwhelming, so I introduce them gradually to the display and if they don’t settle, Mum takes them away again.’
‘What’s her story?’ I asked, as Will helped me put on a thick glove.
Before I had a chance to get too nervous, Ed carried her over and the little kestrel, who was incredibly light, hopped on to the glove and he then wrapped a strap around it. Thankfully, she seemed relaxed.
‘She was liberated,’ Will said with emphasis, and I wondered at his choice of word, ‘from someone who had bred her and was keeping her in appalling conditions.’
I looked from him to the tiny face and thought of the sad start the diminutive bird had had. I was tempted to stroke her, but wasn’t sure how she’d react.
‘That’s awful,’ I said. ‘Will she ever be released?’
‘No,’ said Ed. ‘Sadly not. She sustained a couple of injuries when she was young which means she’s not a good flyer.’
‘Or hoverer,’ added Will.
I remembered seeing kestrels hovering over ditches and dykes as they tracked their prey. If she couldn’t do that, she’d have no hope of fending for herself in the wild.
‘Well,’ I said, a minute later as Ed took her back to her perch and prepared to pack up for the day, ‘I daresay she’s very happy with you.’
‘I hope so.’ He blushed again.
‘I know so.’ Will smiled. ‘Ed and I have worked together for years and there’s not a bird he’s encountered which he hasn’t been able to soothe, settle and tame.’
‘Says the man with the true healing touch.’ Ed grinned.
‘You sound like a dream ornithological team,’ I laughed, thinking that here was another example of teamwork in action and this time, from an unlikely pairing.
‘We should have that printed on a T-shirt,’ Will laughed back.
Having thanked Ed for the privilege of holding one of his beloved birds and said goodbye to Will, I made another quick trip to the reindeer enclosure and then headed back to the courtyard. The last few cars were leaving and Archie was chatting with the remaining stallholders and catering crews.
‘Great news about you and Brodie,’ said Jack, once Archie had moved on from the much-depleted Brambles stall and we were alone. ‘I’ve never seen him so happy.’
‘It’s a while since I’ve been so happy too,’ I unguardedly told him, feeling my cheeks flush almost as brightly as Ed’s had when I’d smiled at him. ‘But you’ve changed your tune,’ I reminded Jack. ‘That day at Brambles…’
‘Please don’t.’ He winced. ‘I’m still feeling bad about that and after watching the pair of you at the dance, well… I realized that some things in life are just meant to be.’
I wondered if Brodie had told his brother how we were connected through his former employer? At least I now knew the rough time Brodie was going through with his work that Jack had referred to was with his creative block and not embezzling money from dodgy financial portfolios. Not that I could ever really have believed he was capable of that.
‘You were just looking out for him,’ I said generously, hoping to make Jack feel better. ‘Protective brother and all that.’
‘I really thought I was.’ He smiled.
‘You had his best interests at heart.’
‘I did.’ He nodded. ‘I still do. And I get the feeling that he’s finally painting again which is certainly in his best interests. You wouldn’t happen to know anything about that, would you?’
