Karrie’s little sister, Tessa, said, “Dad, you promised you weren’t going to talk about your books while Finch was meeting his brothers.”
Joe, put up his hands, “I know, I know, I’m hushing up.”
Finch Mac asked, “So yer mother’s real name, Fraoch, was...?”
“M’mum is named Agnie MacLeod, she—”
Joe said, “That’s funny, when I was researching the Earl, there was an Agnie MacLeod who lived in the village there, very small world.” He sipped from his drink.
Finch said, “And Lochinvar, what is yer mother’s name?”
Lochinvar had been cutting open a box of chocolate chip cookies with a stab to the side with a gold and silver dagger. He said, “I dinna ken m’mother, she died when I was young. I only met Donnan once, I was kidnapped by Ormr and—”
Joe said, “Ormr? Now that’s a name you don’t hear every day, and now I keep hearing it.”
Finch blinked and looked around at the faces. “Ormr kidnapped ye?”
Magnus nodded.
Finch said, “Now I want the Bridge off the table, I daena want it anywhere near my son.”
Emma hopped up to move the Bridge and the vessel back to their hiding places.
Magnus dug in the cooler for more beers and passed them around. “Ye said ye met Donnan, Finch Mac?”
“The last time I saw him I was about twelve years old. He sent m’mum and me tae live here in Maine.”
“Ye are lucky he was nae in yer life, he was an arse. I saw him enough times tae ken he made most people miserable.”
“I agree, I tell m’mum tae beware of him, but she winna listen.”
Magnus met my eyes then said, “I daena ken if ye hae heard, but he has passed away. We lost him a few years ago. I ken it is always difficult tae lose a father even when he was an arse, so I winna begrudge ye having some trouble with it, but he was a verra bad person and the world is infinitely better now that he is nae in it.”
Finch’s brow raised. He nodded. “I was tellin’ m’mum recently that I thought we’d be better off without him.”
Joe said, “So how long have you lived here, are you…?”
I said, “This was my grandparents’ house, I grew up spending summers here, we’re just visiting on a little family vacation.”
Finch joked, “Just Magnus and all his brothers, all their wives, all the kids, and his personal chef?”
Magnus said, “And the personal chef’s wife and kids, tis a verra large family growin’ larger by the day.”
Joe asked me, “So who were your grandparents?”
“Jack and Barb Sheffield.”
“I knew Jack and Barb!” He looked at his wife, “Remember Jack and Barb, we would see them every year at the faculty dinner? What a lovely couple, such intellects.”
Lydia said, “I adored them, so sorry for your loss.”
Joe said, “We got a few of their things from the estate sale, and...” His eyes went wide. “That’s where I got the...” He pointed at the house. “The thingie that looked like that thing, what do you call it?”
Magnus said, “Tis called a vessel.”
“I always wondered what their connection was to the Campbells but now I know it was their connection to Magnus, the brother of Finch, and whoa, this is a really small world.”
Chef Zach and Tracy rushed from the house carrying a fruit platter, a bowl of potato salad, a green salad, and some rolls, placing them down on a serving table.
