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"Who came with you from Scotland?"
"Ashley."
Isaac stares at me for a moment, then he swerves his attention to his daughter. "When were you in Scotland?"
She winces. "Quite a few times over the past several months. I was trying to convince Errol to search for the Grand Canyon treasure with me. Then this past week, I rented a house across the street from him. I think that's what finally broke his resolve not to go with me."
"I see," Isaac says, though he doesn't look like he understands.
"We can talk about all of that later, Dad. Would you come with us?"
"Ashley, you can stay here," I say.
"No, I'm going with you. We're a team, remember?"
Isaac rolls his chair back and stands up. "Let's all go. I've never been to Scotland."
"You'll love the Highlands," I say. "And you'll get to meet my family, including all my cousins, aunts, uncles, grandparents—"
"Let's not overwhelm Dad," Ashley says. "Your family can be a lot to handle."
"We'll start slow."
Seven hours later, we land at the Inverness airport. A three-hour drive in the limousine my cousin Rory had hired for us takes us directly to Loch Fairbairn—and my house. I don't have a spare room, so I offer to sleep on the sofa. Isaac won't hear of it. He insists on taking the sofa instead. The issue of who sleeps where becomes moot when Magnus and Piper show up on my doorstep.
"We have orders to take you three to Dùndubhan," Magnus announces. "Your mother is waiting for you there, and you're all welcome to stay for as long as you like."
"That's a generous offer," I say. "But it's up to Ashley and Isaac."
"I'd love to stay at the castle," Ashley says.
Her father lifts his brows. "Castle? Yeah, I'd love to go there too."'
"Would you rather drive yourselves?" Magnus asks. "We would be happy to take you in our car."
"Donnae think we'll all fit, Magnus," I say. "You're very large."
"Then drive yourselves. We'll meet you there in a wee bit."
And that's how we wind up piling into my car for the drive to Dùndubhan. Isaac and Ashley ask me to point out landmarks or anything I think might be of interest, as we roll down the road. I enjoy telling them about my homeland and its history, and Ashley gets excited about all of it. Every time she acts this way, I want to kiss her. But not with her da in the backseat.
I temper my driving style for Isaac's benefit. I'll let him get used to me before I show him my wild side.
By the time we reach Dùndubhan, Kirsty and Luke are already waiting for us.
"I tried to stop her," Luke tells us. "But holding a MacTaggart woman back is like trying to stop a tidal wave by throwing water at it."
"We donnae mind," I say. "Ashley and Isaac would love to meet you, I'm sure. Let's do the introductions, then we can talk about what has Kirsty so excited."
Ashley and Kirsty become instant best mates, laughing and sharing stories while we all head for the dining room. Luke informs us that the family is bringing food for dinner, and it will be a feast of "epic proportions." My mother and Ailpean are waiting for us in the dining room. I introduce them to Ashley as "my ma, Finella Murdoch, and her boyfriend, Ailpean Boyd." No, I can't make myself refer to him as Ma's lover. "Boyfriend" is as close as I can get.
The meal my family arranged for us meets Luke's description perfectly. It's a feast. The desserts have been set up in the dining room, but the meal itself takes place in the great hall upstairs. Naturally, the feast also involves plenty of laughter and bawdy jokes, many of them at my expense. I expected that. MacTaggarts express their affection for each other via insults and naughty humor. Isaac seems a wee bit confused by my family at first, but he quickly acclimates and shares tales of his days in the field. Ashley is having a wonderful time, I can tell. She looks so bloody beautiful when she laughs, and I cannae wait to take her upstairs so I can shag her.
But after dinner, I have a promise to keep. I'd sworn to Kirsty that we could talk about Kieran after the feast. I never renege on a promise. So Ashley, Kirsty, Luke, and I make our way to the sitting room. Kirsty wants me to find out what happened to our ancestor, and she gives me the journal written by Efrica, Kieran's aunt. He had three aunts, and I can't help noticing a coincidence there.
"Were these aunts also witches?" I ask. "You and your sisters are Wiccans, and you're direct descendants of Kieran."
"Donnae know if Efrica and her sisters were witches," Kirsty says. "If they were, I'm sure they only used white magics. No matter what Simidh Gunn said about Kieran, I will never believe my ancestor was a black witch. No one knows if he was a witch at all. That's why I need your unique skills, Errol. Will you take the journal and study it for clues?
