Page 16 of Utterly Dauntless (Return to Culloden Moor #3)

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

T he group spilled onto the sidewalk outside Glasgow International. Shug's kilt drew curious stares from passersby. Loretta and Lorraine Muir had been waiting for them, dressed identically in blue and purple bohemian rig-outs that made them appear more witchly than Aries remembered. Probably intentional.

Loretta took charge. "After we got the skinny from Carson on the phone last night, we made arrangements at the Blythswood. Craig Campbell and his family are already there, though they don't yet know why. Can we fit in two taxis?"

Aries' stomach clenched. She wouldn’t be confessing to just the brother, then, but a whole family. "What did you tell them?"

"That they'd won a luxury spa weekend." Lorraine’s eyes sparkled with delight. “His wife was quite excited. And naturally, their teenagers will be happy for an excuse to miss school."

Before Aries could process it all, she found herself being ushered into a large taxi. She faced the rear with Grey on her left. The sisters took the seats opposite and insisted that a nervous Carson sit between them. That left the other four men to pack into the second car along with a large bag Wyndham had carried from the plane.

The close quarters of the taxi meant her thigh pressed against Grey's, and every tiny movement of the vehicle caused their hips to brush. She tried to focus on what she would say to Craig Campbell, but Grey's proximity commanded her attention. He smelled of body wash and...Grey, and the taste of him on her tongue invited a flood of memories she'd tried so hard to forget.

"It will be fine," Grey said, to the taxi at large. "The sisters would ken it if we were heading for trouble."

Carson's eyes widened and he held perfectly still, as if just realizing he was seated between two actual witches.

Aries gave him a smile and a wink. If he thought Grey was joking, he might not be so uptight. But when Loretta patted Carson’s knee, it was a wonder he didn't fly straight out through the roof.

Loretta didn't seem to notice. "The family will be taken to the conservatory for lunch at 11:30, where we'll all be waiting. We thought that would be best—neutral ground, lots of witnesses."

"And a lovely view of the gardens," Lorraine added. "Very soothing."

Aries nodded, her throat too tight to speak. She'd spent years running from her past mistakes, and now she was about to face another one head-on. At least Craig didn't remember what she'd done to him. But his brother did, and that was the whole point. If she could at least get the two back on the same side, it wouldn't matter what they ultimately thought of her.

Grey's hand rested on her upper arm, briefly, as if he wanted to offer comfort but wasn't sure she would welcome it. As he pulled away, she caught his fingers and gave them a squeeze before letting go. Whatever happened next, she was grateful not to be facing it alone.

The Blythswood's stately facade came into view, and Aries took a slow shuddering breath. Time to face the music. Again.

The conservatory was a masterpiece of glass and iron, flooding the space below with natural light that sparkled off cut crystal and polished silverware. Potted palms created intimate spaces between tables draped in crisp white linens. Through the soaring windows, the garden of manicured hedges waited to be appreciated.

Aries stood near a tall window wishing she dared lean her shoulder against the cool clean surface. The others had spread themselves casually around the room—the sisters at a corner table sharing tea, Shug's yellow tartan brightening a leather chair near the entrance, the rest of the men positioned strategically but not obviously around the perimeter.

And down the center of the room, a long table with tented napkins and table settings for fourteen until a staff member in a white jacket came through the doorway, consulted with Loretta, then took one of the settings away.

Grey leaned against a pillar a few feet from Aries, pretending to study the leaves of a palm while stealing glances in her direction. She caught him more than once, and each time their eyes met, the air between them crackled with unspoken words. She forced herself to look away, to focus on what needed to be done, but she was hyper aware of his every breath.

At precisely 11:30, Craig Campbell appeared in the doorway with his family. Despite their age difference, he and Carson could pass for twins. His wife was a petite blonde with kind eyes, and their teenagers—a lanky boy and an equally willowy girl—trailed behind, taking pictures with their phones. Craig's step faltered when he caught sight of Carson, then his face lit with genuine pleasure.

"Carson! What in Heaven's name?" He strode forward with open arms. "Ye arranged all this?"

Carson accepted the embrace awkwardly. "Aye, well, not?—"

"Ye should have just come to the house, ye daft man. Ye're always welcome."

"And ye're always welcome back home .”

"I work a lot," Craig explained. "Barely see the weans myself these days. Right, Emma?" He squeezed his daughter's shoulder.

The girl looked up from her phone to nod, then seemed to realize how much her father and Carson looked alike. "Dad's never home before eight."

"This is brilliant though." Craig beamed. "A proper family weekend."

A server appeared with a tray of champagne flutes. Something sparkling and golden for the adults, and pink lemonade for the teens. As the drinks were distributed, Aries stepped forward before she lost her nerve. "Mr. Campbell? I'm afraid I'm the reason for all this."

Craig's brow furrowed as he studied her face. "Do I ken ye?"

"No. But I'm the reason your brother's been...troubled...all these years." She swallowed hard. "I used to be…I am …Aries Muir." The man wouldn’t care about the small detail of her handfasting, whether or not it had any legal significance.

Carson's wife gasped softly. "The witch girl? The one who?—"

"There are no such things as witches," their son muttered, rolling his eyes.

"Actually, there are." Loretta rose from her corner table. "Your uncle has been telling the truth all along."

Craig shook his head. "Look, I dinnae ken what this is about?—"

"When you were boys," Aries cut in, "at my father's funeral, I wished you away. Both of you. Into nowhere." Her voice shook but held steady. "Carson remembers but he shouldn't have. Your memories were supposed to be altered. For some reason, it didn't work on your brother."

"This is ridiculous." Craig's wife moved protectively closer to her children. Her husband just laughed and waited for the rest of the joke.

"Not ridiculous." Lorraine joined her sister. "Aries doesn't have her power anymore, but we do. And we came along in case you needed some convincing."

The boy was paying attention now. "Cool. What can you do?"

"We can sometimes see the future," Loretta said cheerfully, as if she enjoyed saying it out loud. "For instance, your mother is carrying a child. Another son. One she hasn't told anyone about yet. We're always good at that." She faced the woman and peered into her eyes. "You'll name him...Carson."

"Mum!" Emma's eyes went wide. "That's gross! Ye're not pregnant!"

The brother took one look at his mother's face and groaned. "That is gross. Ye're so old!"

"Shut it, Jake," the mother hissed. Her face was white as a sheet.

"Mary?" Craig looked ill as well. "Is it true?"

She nodded slowly. "I only found out Tuesday. I was going to tell ye..."

"See?" Carson grabbed his brother's arm. "I told ye! I told ye! But no one believed me!"

Craig ran a hand through his hair. "I never thought ye were crazy, Cars. I just...it was easier to think ye had a dream ye thought was real." He looked at Aries. "But ye're saying it really happened? We really disappeared? Just a snap and we were gone?"

"Yes." Aries felt tears threatening. "And I am so, so sorry."

The brothers exchanged a long look and she could almost see decades of misunderstanding crumble and fall away.

Craig was the first to find his voice. "Ye poor man. Sorry I am that Mum and Da arenae here to hear it."

A server appeared to announce that lunch was ready, and everyone moved to the table. Shug said something to make everyone laugh, and the tension dissolved. The teenagers sat across from the Muir sisters. By their faces, it was clear they were creating lists of questions to ask—as long as it didn't have anything to do with their parents having sex.

No one expected the Campbell clan to swallow the tall tale that all five Highlanders had been born near the turn of the 18th century, let alone the fact that they were recently raised from the dead by yet another Muir witch. So, as they were seated, Aries introduced the five men as friends who had nothing better to do than come along for the day.

Grey pulled out a chair for her, then walked around the table to sit across and down a little. She truly hadn't expected to sit down together in the end and share a meal. But the Muir sisters were nothing if not miracle workers.

"So tell me," Craig said, "what exactly happened that day? I've heard Carson's version a hundred times, but I never could quite believe it."

Aries took a steadying breath. "I was young and angry. My father had just died, and I thought you boys were...being disrespectful. I had this power, you see. Whatever I wished for would come true. Only I didn't always control it well. When I saw you throwing rocks into my father's grave, I wished you would go away. And you did."

"Just like that?" Jake leaned forward, suddenly interested. "Like, poof?"

"Just like that," Carson said. "One minute we were there, the next we were...in the middle of nowhere. Looked like any old moor. Then some Highlander showed up and took us home. Our parents thought we were dead. Hadn't seen us for days. But I don't remember being cold or hungry, don't remember it getting dark. But I do remember thinking we were stuck on that moor forever. Lost."

"How long were we there?" Craig asked.

Aries shook her head and lied. "Who knows?" Aries explained. "That powerful witch who found you thought that he'd altered your memories."

The teens looked at each other, grinned, and spoke in unison. "Altering memories." Like it was a new ability they were about to be granted.

"That's why ye went a bit...odd," Craig said softly.

"Aye. No one believed me. Mum and Da took me to doctors, put me on pills..." Carson's voice cracked. "I would flush them down the toilet because I knew there was nothing wrong with me. And the only person who might be able to help...ran away." He looked at Aries and gave her a kind smile. A gift of forgiveness.

She looked for Grey, hoping against hope that he could do the same. But he was frowning at his plate, and she wondered if he'd been paying attention.

Mary reached across the table and squeezed her brother-in-law’s hand. "I'm so sorry."

The first course arrived—a delicate soup that steamed gently in fine china bowls. For a few minutes, there was only the quiet clink of spoons and murmurs.

Emma piped up. "Ye said ye're not a witch now?"

Aries nodded. "I gave up my powers. They were too unpredictable."

"But you could never turn anyone into...say...a toad?"

Everyone laughed.

"No. Nothing like that."

"But we can," Loretta said, sharing a smile with her sister. "Would you like to volunteer, Jake?"

The kid blanched and shook his head.

The sisters snickered. "Just kidding."

Jake eventually relaxed, then he pressed. "Can you do some more? Something cool? Predict Emma's future? Will her husband be fat and bald?"

Lorraine closed her eyes for a moment, then grinned at him. "That girl you like—the one with the green hair? She's going to ask you to the autumn dance."

Jake's face flushed scarlet.

Craig shook his head in wonder. "It's all true then. Everything Carson said..."

"I'm just sorry it took so long to prove it," Aries said quietly. "I should have come back years ago, should have explained..."

"Ye're here now," Carson said. "We’ll be grateful for what we get. And we're grateful to have my brother here. And grateful for this." He gestured to the parade of staff coming to exchange their bowls for the next course.

The rest of the meal passed pleasantly. The men were cagey about what they did for a living, which was understandable. None of them wanted to admit they were set for life, thanks to each of them enjoying a tiny share of one of the greatest treasures of gems known to mankind. They spoke openly about their appreciation for the people they loved, friends and family alike. It was good for the teenagers to see physically impressive men admit that true love humbled them.

Grey nodded through it all, silent for the most part. On the rare instances where she caught his eye, he would smile. But those smiles were brief and always strained. Something was brewing behind those eyes, and Aries would have given anything to have the power to read his thoughts.