was the bird,’ she told herself, ‘He’s so wild and beautiful. Yes! That’s what it was. Holding the falcon was exciting! How many people ever get to do that?’
Being there in the barn with Joe, and sharing the excitement of the falcon, had somehow unsettled her.
Suddenly the door was flung open and there was Frank. ‘Oh!’ Laughing, she fell into his arms. ‘Frank! Oh, I’m so glad you’re back,’ she said breathlessly. ‘We wondered where you were.’ She clung fast to him, almost as though she were fleeing from something.
‘Woa!’ Taken aback by the way she threw herself into his arms, Frank held her at arm’s length. ‘I was about to come looking for you. Mum said you’d gone to stand at the gate, so you must have been invisible when I came by just now.’
‘I was in the barn.’
‘In the barn? What were you doing in the barn?’ He smiled proudly. ‘Looking for me, were you?’
‘No, well yes…I mean, I was looking for you, but then I saw Joe go into the barn, and I asked him where you were and he said you should be back soon, and then I saw the falcon.’ When she realised she was gabbling, she took a breath. ‘Oh, Frank, the falcon is so beautiful!’
Frank noticed how excited she was, and he began to wonder. ‘Oh, yes, the falcon. I was told about that. So, is it doing all right, or what?’
‘Joe thinks he’s doing just fine,’ Alice informed him eagerly. ‘At first Joe thought his wing might be broken, but it’s only damaged. Anyway, Joe says he might be able to fly away soon.’
‘That’s good news. So! You were in the barn, were you? I’m surprised you didn’t see me go by.’ All he could think was that she had mentioned Joe’s name three times in less than a minute.
‘I expect I didn’t see you because I was holding the falcon, but then I gave it back to Joe and came to the house to see if you’d got here yet.’
Tickling her under the chin, Frank smiled broadly. ‘Well, I’m here, and you’re here, and it’s good that the bird is repairing.’ Deliberately holding his smile, he teased. ‘Though I’m not sure I like the idea of you being in the barn with a strange man.’ He emphasised the last two words by widening his eyes and pretending to frighten her.
Alice laughed. ‘Joe is not a strange man. He’s your brother.’ Again, she recalled how she was drawn to Joe on that first meeting.
Keeping up the pretence, Frank kissed her long and slow on the mouth. ‘You’re right. So he is!’
When he saw the light go out in the barn, he ushered her inside. ‘Come on. We’d best get back inside before Mum throws the entire dinner out the window!’ Keeping her extra close, he escorted her into the kitchen.
He had a great deal to think about, because now it seemed he had a new and unexpected worry. This growing friendship between Alice and Joe had to be nipped in the bud.
Already irritated by Alice’s obvious excitement, Frank vowed that if he ever suspected Joe of making a play for his future wife, it would be the last thing Joe ever did!
‘Oh, here you are at last!’ In the kitchen, Nancy was already dishing up the food. ‘Where’s our Joe?’ Stretching her neck, she looked towards the door.
‘He’ll be here in a minute,’ Alice volunteered. ‘He’s just bedding the falcon down for the night.’
‘How is the bird?’ Tom asked eagerly, still chomping at the bit for his evening meal.
Before Alice could answer, Frank chipped in. ‘Joe reckons it’s almost ready to take off.’
Tom was pleased about that. ‘Ah well, he always did have a way with stray creatures, did Joe.’
‘Off upstairs, Frank. You need to wash and change before dinner,’ Nancy ordered.
‘Oh, I was hoping to beg a cuppa before I go up and change.’
‘You’d best make it yourself, ‘cause me and Alice have the dinner to serve,’ Nancy reminded him. ‘Oh, and try not to get under our feet.’
Frank took offence at being ordered about like a little boy. Smiling to himself, he wondered what his parents would say if they knew Joe had been in prison. The very thought of it made him feel good.
While Frank got himself a mug of tea, Alice and Nancy went about setting the table.
Tom got his fingers rapped for picking at the peas, while Nancy saw to the gravy and juggled dishes of steaming, juicy vegetables, she assailed everyone with stories of Joe and his boyish escapades. ‘D’you recall the time Joe scampered up that huge old tree to rescue that ginger cat?’
She chuckled. ‘The cat jumped down and left Joe stranded. We had to get the big ladders out and help him down. As if that wasn’t enough, the very next morning he found a badger caught in a trap.’
Stealing a carrot, Tom picked up the story. ‘Ten year old he were, and would you believe he turned up here with the badger still in the damned trap! The badger’s leg was almost off, and it was half crazed.’
While Nancy checked there were enough places set at the table for Alice’s parents Tom went on, ‘I gave Joe a right talking to. I mean…as we all know, badgers are bad-tempered at the best of times, and this big divil was in terrible pain. Snapping and snarling like a mad dog it was. I don’t mind telling you, it’s a miracle he didn’t have Joe’s fingers off at the bone!’
Out the corner of her eye Nancy caught Tom dibbing into the peas. ‘Get your mucky fingers outta them peas!’ Catching him across the knuckles with the ladle, she gave him one of her frosty stares. It was enough to send him scurrying for his raggedy old newspaper again.
When the telephone rang right beside him he almost leaped out of his chair. ‘Noisy damned thing. I wish we’d never had it put in!’ Tom hated all things new.
‘Don’t be so miserable!’ Nancy chided. ‘It’s bad enough you made us wait till everyone else in the village had one, before you gave in. Anyway, you can’t deny it’s been handy.’
With the telephone still ringing and no one seeming prepared to answer it, Alice grabbed a tea towel and wiped her hands. ‘I’ll get it!’ she said, and was across the room in no time at all.
Snatching up the receiver, she said, ‘Hello? This is Brook Farm, who’s that please?’
She listened for a moment or two, quietly answering in between, ‘What’s happened? Yes, we’ve just got dinner on the table. Oh, I’m sorry. Tomorrow? I will, Father. Yes, if that’s what you want, all right, but what’s happened?’
There was another pause while she paid attention to what her father was telling her, then, ‘Oh, I see. Yes, all right. I’ll tell them, yes. No, they’ll understand I’m sure. Well, I don’t know, but don’t worry. I just hope everything’s all right when you get there. Give them my love. No, Father, it’s okay. Yes, I know. I expect so. Yes, I will. Bye then.’
As Alice replaced the receiver, Nancy was curious. ‘That was a strange conversation,’ she commented. ‘I take it that
