Butterfly Hunter 01 (8 page)

“
Yes,
darling,” Nicholas replied in a long–suffering spouse
voice.

“
Good. Yeah.
Bit anal about this sort of thing.”

“
It’s life and
death!” Nicholas protested. “Of course you take it
seriously.”

Dave grinned at him. “All
right, all right. Now, go back up and get your shoes. I can’t have
you wandering around the Outback barefoot any more than you can be
bareheaded.”

“
I
did
remember the Akubra,” Nicholas commented with
mock innocence.

“
I
am
not
buying you shoes as well,” Dave responded with mock
severity. “Go on! And then we can have breakfast, just as soon as
you’re ready.”

“
David,
I am
always
ready …”

Dave just growled – and
Nicholas scarpered with a gurgling giggle.

Nicholas didn’t even want
to stop for a cup of tea late that morning – their last chance for
one that they didn’t make themselves – so Dave kept driving, and
they shared a bottle of water. Within a couple of hours, they were
into the search area – which was massive. While they were still
around the edges, at least, Dave had negotiated Nicholas down from
stopping every mile to stopping every ten kilometres. They’d pull
over, and Nicholas would look around, identify anything
butterfly–related that he found, take handwritten notes, photograph
it. And then they’d drive on. He didn’t discover much, and nothing
unexpected, though sometimes the identification would take a while
of frowning over the guide.

At one point in the early
afternoon, they found a flurry of white butterflies amassed over a
particular spot that looked just the same as any other to Dave in
the relatively featureless scrub. Nicholas lit up like it was
Christmas – God only knew what he’d look like when they found his
blues. They pulled over, and by the time Nicholas was done
recording all the pertinent details, Dave had set up two folding
chairs in the shade of the Cruiser, and brought out cold drinks and
the makings of sandwiches for lunch. They sat there together
watching the drift and hover of tiny scraps of white against the
huge curve of bright blue sky. Nicholas was just
wallowing
in the sight.

But Dave was prompted to
raise something that had given him pause. “How do we find a
blue
cloud?
I mean, I can
see
this. And I get the cloud idea. But how on earth
do we spot them against a blue sky?”

Nicholas was too happy to
doubt. “If Clemence Hall could see them, we’ll be able to,
too.”

“
Maybe we need
it to be overcast, so the blue shows up against the white
haze.”

But Nicholas shook his
head. “Not if they only fly in the direct sunshine. Butterflies
have to be warm enough to be able to fly, you see. Otherwise, they
remain settled.”

“
That’s why
they only fly during the day,” Dave said with a sense of
realisation.

“
Yes.”
Nicholas looked at him, obviously knowing there was more and
waiting for it.

Dave shook his head. “A
story I heard once. I’ll have to remember it properly before I tell
you.”

“
All right,”
Nicholas agreed contentedly.

They sat there for a while
longer.

Eventually Dave cleared
his throat. “Is there more to see?”

Nicholas turned to him
with an apologetic look. “Can we wait until they settle again? Any
observation –”

“–
is useful,
yes. No worries,” Dave added. And he relaxed a little further down
into his chair. He might have even nodded off in the mid–afternoon
warmth …

When Dave opened his eyes
again he found the Cruiser’s shadow stretching out further beyond
his feet, and Nicholas’s warm amused gaze on him – and Nicholas’s
hand resting lightly on Dave’s forearm. As soon as Dave stirred,
Nicholas’s hand lifted away and resettled against the shirt over
his chest. Pressed flat over his breastbone. Dave eyed him with a
frown, still only half awake.

“
Sorry,”
Nicholas offered, “I thought you’d want to –”

“
Of course,”
Dave agreed. He reached for the water bottle, and poured a bit of
life back into himself. “Of course, yeah.” He sat up straighter,
and checked his watch. Almost five already. Then he thought to look
for the butterflies. And found the air was empty for as far as he
could see. “Have they –”

“–
settled for
the night. Yes.”

“
So should
we.” Dave frowned in thought for a moment. “One more ten–click
stage,” he suggested, “and then we find somewhere to set up
camp.”

“
Only one …
?”

“
It’s our
first camp. It’ll take us a while to get set up. Better make sure
we have plenty of daylight to do it in.”

Nicholas nodded. “All
right, yes. I understand.”

“
Good.” Dave
drank some more water, and felt revived enough to continue. “I’ll
pack this lot up, if you’re ready.”

“
I’m ready,”
Nicholas said. “I’ll help.”

“
Thank
you.”

Of course the reality was
that on a trip everyone had to pitch in and help one way or
another. And with only two of them, there was just as much to do in
many ways, and fewer people to do it with. Dave had warned
Nicholas, of course, and he knew that Nicholas was more than
willing to help, but until they got started Dave had been sceptical
about how much the Englishman would be capable of. He was the son
of an earl who had servants, for a start. He might have gotten away
with never having to do much that he didn’t want to. Not to mention
that the man was slim to the point of scrawny, with pale almost
translucent skin.

In the event, Nicholas was
tireless, and seemed possessed of a supple wiry strength Dave
hadn’t even suspected. Not like delicate fine china at all. He
cheerfully did all that he was asked, and more, too, when he saw
something that needed doing. Well, he was cheerful right through
the task of putting up Nicholas’s tent. But his face fell when he
realised that they were about to put up a second tent for Dave. His
face fell, and then resentment sparked in those deep dark
eyes.

“
Do you really
not trust me?”

“
It’s not
that,” Dave said uncomfortably.

“
I’m not
the kind of guy to insist where I’m not welcome. I
promise
I’m
not.”

“
I know,” said
Dave. “I know.”

“
These tents
are … well, not enormous. But certainly large enough for
two.”

“
They’ll sleep
four if necessary. I usually allocate a tent for every two or three
people.”

Nicholas stared at him
hard. “Well, then?”

“
Don’t you
appreciate having your own space?”

The stare flickered a
little, and some of the righteousness ebbed away. “I suppose. Yes.”
Nicholas sighed. “Yes.”

“
I
always have my own tent,” Dave explained. “
Always
. It’s one of my
rules. And no one gets to come in. That’s my space, d’you
see?”

Nicholas sagged a little
further. “Yes, of course. I do see.”

“
It’s nothing
to do with you. I mean, no more than any client.”

“
I
understand.”

“
Good.” Dave
turned away. It’s not as if anything would have happened, anyway,
whether they shared a tent or not. Such a thing didn’t even factor
into his calculations.

“
I suppose you
have a non–fraternisation rule, too. You’d never sleep with a
client, would you?”

“
Of course
not.”

A beat of silence. Another.

“
Come on,
then,” Nicholas said with a friendly kind of briskness. “This tent
isn’t going to assemble itself.”

And Dave turned back to the man
with an appreciative laugh.

Dave lit a campfire, of
course. Partly for warmth, partly for the focus it provided, partly
because it was expected. He set a billy to boil over it for bush
tea, but otherwise cooked their meat, potatoes and veg on the gas
stove. While waiting for dinner to be ready, he pottered about
happily, organising everything just so. And he didn’t forget to
call Denise on the satphone, to give her their coordinates and
reassure her that all was well. Dave might have wandered around the
far side of the Cruiser before making the call, but that didn’t
signify anything. In any case, Denise only had time to jot down the
details, as Zoe was crying for attention, though she made a point
of telling him to take care. Which warmed his heart, even now. Dave
hung up, and went to attend to his own charge.

Dinner was a success.
Nicholas ate ravenously and gratefully – and, as he finally set his
empty plate aside, declared, “That was delicious!”

“
Food always
tastes better outdoors.”

The man laughed, but
insisted, “No, it was really great.”

“
Thank you.”
Dave measured out the tea into the billy, and added a couple of gum
leaves he’d saved for the purpose, then left it to steep. “Come
on,” he said, beckoning to Nicholas. “Come away from the
fire.”

Nicholas cast a somewhat
nervous look around them. “Are you sure? Why?” He’d stood up,
though, and stepped after Dave. “What’s out there?” he asked in
hushed tones, as if predators could be avoided by
whispering.

“
Nothing.
Don’t worry.”

But Nicholas’s hand had
slid into Dave’s, just as easily as if Dave had been holding it out
in invitation. Trust the gay English earling to interpret his
gesture that way! But when Dave turned to tell him off, he
discovered a wide–eyed Nicholas, honestly innocent and genuinely
fearful.

“
If there’s
anything out there, it’s either asleep or it’ll avoid you if you
give it the chance. I promise. You’ll be fine.”

Nicholas’s hand squeezed
his, as if returning his reassurance. “Then what –”

“
Just keep
your back to the fire. Let your eyes adjust.”

They did that, walking away from
the fire, with Dave leading Nicholas, hand in hand. Picking their
way through the scrub, keeping an intent gaze on where they were
putting their feet.

Finally they were ready. Dave
came to a halt, and Nicholas settled beside him, watching him
trustingly.

“
Now,” said
Dave, “look up.”

And rather than take in
the wonders of the night sky himself, Dave watched Nicholas’s
stunned reaction. He gaped, and swayed back for a moment as if he’d
find himself abruptly sitting down again. “Oh my …” he murmured.
Dave had let go of Nicholas in order to put his hand to the man’s
back, keeping him upright. Nicholas similarly grasped a goodly
portion of Dave’s shirt in one hand, hanging on. Hanging on.
Somehow restraining himself from actually touching Dave, though,
for which Dave gave him points.

So many more of the stars
were visible out here that it seemed like some kind of miracle.
Some completely different universe, perhaps, or more than one,
intermingling its beauties with the Earth’s familiar
skies.

“
Oh, David,”
Nicholas murmured.

“
I
know.”

“
You don’t
even guess at all this. Not even from the country, let alone a
city. In England, I mean.”

“
It’s just the
lack of other lights out here,” Dave explained. “We’re so far from
anything now. This is always there, above our heads. We just don’t
see it.”

After a moment, Dave
realised that Nicholas had lowered his head and was staring at Dave
with much the same kind of wonder. “That’s very wise.”

“
Is
it?”

“
Don’t you
think …” Nicholas slowly began. “That’s such a metaphor. For our
lives, I mean. The beauty is there – the awesome beauty – but we
just don’t see it. Most of the time it’s right above our heads, and
we walk along oblivious.”

Dave shrugged
uncomfortably. “I was just talking about the stars. I don’t know
that there’s any life lessons to be had here.”

Nicholas considered him for a
moment, thoughtful. And then he deliberately let go of Dave, and
stood alone. Dave let his hand drop, and was almost sorry for it.
Nicholas turned his face up to the stars again, and now Dave did,
too.

“
I’m sorry,”
Nicholas eventually murmured. “I was making a philosophical
mountain out of what should be simply a lovely
experience.”

“
It’s all
right,” Dave muttered uncomfortably.

“
Some of us
need a little more faith to cling to, that’s all.”

Dave made a fairly
agreeable yet neutral noise, and left it at that. The stars were so
very spectacular … He found himself wondering, though, what
Nicholas really needed. And why.

Dave woke early, as he
usually did – though if he didn’t have any particular plans for the
day, he was partial to returning to bed for a further snooze. That
morning, however, once he’d seen to the necessaries, Dave
discovered that Nicholas was already up – and perhaps had been for
some while, even though it was still mostly dark. The eastern
horizon was just beginning to lighten. And Nicholas was sitting
perched on the roo bar of the Cruiser, with a blanket wrapped
around his shoulders.