CHAPTER 24

Over the next few hours, Evie watches George as all his prickles disappear. He’s actually quite charming and his stuttering lessens until it’s almost unnoticeable. She can’t believe it’s the same person who tumbled out of the coach and onto the driveway.

“Well, now, Evie. One shouldn’t judge on appearance alone, eh?” says Grandpa.

He’s right, thinks Evie. George Henley is pleasant. Even if he is here to take Rhino. Oh no, Rhino.

Evie’s heart sinks. For a few moments, she’d forgotten why George was here. She excuses herself, and slips out of the house and into the stables. Rhino’s in the foaling stall with Dominique sharing a bucket of bran and molasses. He sees Evie and moos, tossing his head. Evie smiles and strokes his nose. His rubbery lips nibble at her fingers and, as she scratches his chin, she contemplates George Henley.

Evie feels she should hate George, but finds she cannot. He has a round, open face and he speaks to her with frankness, giving her his full attention. He makes her feel seen and heard. Meeting George hasn’t been as difficult as she expected.

Maybe he will take care of Rhino? wonders Evie.

She climbs the ladder to the hayloft to check on the monkeys. They’re sleeping entwined and even though they seem to be snug and warm, Evie pulls another horse rug over them. She strokes their downy hair and sweet little faces. Their injuries are healing well and Evie’s noticed they’ve lost that hollow look they had about them. She grins, thinking it must be Cook’s apple pies.

Evie kisses Rhino goodnight as he snuffles and inhales her hair and face. She hurries back to the house and pauses at the study door to listen to Grandpa and George.

“Evie is a delightful child. She seems older than her ten years,” says George.

“She’s been through a great deal,” says Grandpa. “Her parents drowned in a shipwreck two years ago. Robert was my only son, and Isobel was like a daughter to me. It was a huge blow. For both of us.”

“I’m sorry for your loss,” says George.

“Don’t worry about Evie. She’s smart and she’s fearless, as you shall witness tomorrow. She has a natural affinity with animals and a unique ability to communicate with them. Evie has a gift, like her father before her. And, dare I say this to you, she is very attached to Rhino. And he to her.”

Evie sighs. Hearing this comparison to her papa makes her feel like laughing and crying at the same time.

“I see,” says George, uncertainty in his voice. “Well, in the morning, I’m very much looking forward to meeting this rhinoceros.”

Evie slips back into the study, plonking herself down on the rug in front of the fire with Albine. The rain outside begins to hammer down in earnest and George stares into the fire. She sees a wave of sorrow pass over his face. A fire can do that to a person, make them remember sad things.

I wonder what’s making George so sad? thinks Evie.

“Did you know, Evie was the one who found the rhinoceros on the beach?” Grandpa says to George.

“Good Lord, I did not,” says George, turning to Evie. “Weren’t you scared?”

Evie shakes her head. “Oh, no. He is the kindest of all animals.”

“I see.” George is quite taken aback. “How did you manage to get it back to Lunar House?”

“He followed me.” Evie stares at George with her enormous blue eyes.

“She led him by the horn,” adds Grandpa, the beginnings of a small smile tugging at his lips.

George shakes his head. “Remarkable.”

“Evie, tell George about your recent bird sighting.”

“Oh, yes, please do,” says George.

“Rhino and I saw a pair of orange-bellied parrots. They’re rare, thought to be extinct.”

“How marvellous. How would you describe them?” George leans forward in his chair.

Evie sits up, animated. “They’re colorful and they have an unusual bird call.”

“How so?”

“It’s a buzzing sound. Like an insect.”

Evie heads to the bookshelf. She retrieves The Birds of Australia as she tickles Claudette under the chin. She also grabs another book, a green cloth-covered folder. Its spine is worn and it contains every ornithological academic paper published by C H Strahan.

“Well done, Evie. A budding ornithologist, eh, Charlie?”

“Oh, no. Evie’s quite the seasoned expert.”

“Grandpa’s library is one of the most comprehensive ornithological collections you’ll ever see,” says Evie, puffing her chest out.

THE BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA

1. SPOTTED PARDALOTE 2. TAWNY FROGMOUTH 3. GRAY PLOVER 4. BLACK-THROATED FINCH 5. RED-TAILED BLACK COCKATOO

George rises for a tour of the bookshelves with Evie. She shows George the near extinct orange-bellied parrot in The Birds of Australia, and Grandpa’s recent illustration.

“This is incredible, Charlie. There are books on your shelves I’ve never seen before. Tell me, you must know my father?”

One of Grandpa’s eyelids twitches. If you didn’t know him well, you might have missed it, but Evie didn’t.

“Who’s your father?” asks Evie.

“Well, as you know, he’s the director of the zoo, but he also wrote this,” says George, holding up The Birds of Australia. “About twenty years ago.”

Evie stares from George to Grandpa, with wide eyes and a gaping mouth. A light flickers on inside her brain. She takes the book from George and flips The Birds of Australia over and stares at the spine, and there, embossed in gold, is the author, D L Henley.

Douglas Henley is George’s father! I knew I’d seen that name somewhere before.

Evie shivers. Why have I not made this connection before? Something isn’t right here. Could this be the reason why Grandpa loves this book, but also why he can’t stand it?

Grandpa inclines his head. “I do know your father, George. I used to know your father very well. We served together in the Ornithological Society and the Acclimatisation Society of Victoria.”

A look of concern washes over George’s face. “I didn’t know that. My father never m–m–mentioned it to me, and yet he was the one who sent me here. Don’t you think that’s odd . . .?” George says with a sense of unease.

“Well, to be fair, the correspondence regarding the shipwreck didn’t have my name on it. Your father wouldn’t know I live here. We haven’t seen each other for a long time.”

“But why are you no longer involved in either of the societies, Charlie? You obviously still have so m–m–much to offer.”

“The Acclimatisation Society collapsed twenty years ago and reformed without me, as the Royal Melbourne Zoological Society. It’s all right, George, if there’s one guarantee in life, it’s that nothing stays the same. Everything changes.”

Evie can’t believe her ears. She is listening to Grandpa explain all of this to George without a hint of bitterness in his voice. He’s actually smiling as he speaks.

And then it dawns on Evie, whatever happened all those years ago, Grandpa no longer cares about it. But the problem is, that Evie does. There’s a whiff of injustice and she’s going to find out exactly what happened. She can tell by George’s face, a mixture of shock and disgust, that he isn’t convinced either.

“But why, Charlie? I don’t understand why you were so blatantly left out.”

“It’s complicated, George. Oh, don’t worry about me. I’m happy with my life. Would you like to go for a ramble tomorrow? With all this low-lying water we have an abundance of birdlife.”

“That would be wonderful. Will you come too, Evie? I’m sure I’ll need your help identifying birds.”

George looks so keen, Evie feels she can’t refuse and nods her head.

“It’s bed time, my dear girl,” says Grandpa. “Come on, I’ll walk you upstairs.”

A loud peal of thunder claps overhead, followed by a flash of lightning.

George flinches at the sound, but notices it has no effect on Evie.

“I love storms.” She grins at him. “Good night, George.”

“Good night, Evie.”

Leaving the study, the cats leap down from the shelves and slink after them. As they climb the stairs, Grandpa carries Albine like a baby and Evie hugs The Birds of Australia and Grandpa’s academic papers to her chest.

Evie loves reading about birds before she nods off and, as Grandpa tucks her in and kisses her forehead, he whispers, “Don’t read too long, my dear girl.”

But when Grandpa closes the door, Evie reaches into her bedside drawer for her emergency stash of candles. Claudette and Florette leap onto the bed and claw at the quilt, as if they’re kneading dough, before snuggling in close.

Evie places The Birds of Australia and Grandpa’s academic papers on either side of her. Albine burk burks in her sleep and Claudette and Florette softly purr, as she reads long into the night.