‘Look,’ he began, ‘try and understand that I’ve nothing against Kristy. In fact, if I was going to be interested in any girl it would be her.’
‘What exactly are you saying?’ Fergus bellowed.
‘Just that …’ William hesitated before adding, ‘… I’m simply not interested in girls.’
‘Not interested in girls. Then who in the name of the good Lord are you interested in?’
‘Donald – you know, the blacksmith down at Culloden House!’
A deep, ominous silence filled the room, which was only broken when Fergus banged his fist repeatedly into the middle of the celebration cake. The assembly just sat mute as the cake showered down and round about them.
Suddenly Fergus, eyes bulging out of his head, roared directly into William’s face, ‘An abomination in the sight of God: that is what you are!’
William stepped back and gave a nonchalant shrug, which further infuriated his father.
Dumbfounded by his son’s attitude, Fergus now turned to face Shonag. ‘And you, woman,’ he screeched, causing her to flinch, ‘do you now see what allowing him to take Highland Dance lessons has resulted in?’
Shonag tried to respond but was silenced by a flick of her husband’s hand. ‘Now tomorrow,’ he spat with such ferocity his saliva sprayed onto his wife’s face, ‘by the first train to leave from Inverness, you make sure that that …’ he paused to turn and point to William, ‘… freak you spawned is on it. And he is never, ever to return to my home again as long as I live. Do you understand?’
No matter what she thought, Shonag would normally just agree to what her husband wished. Not today. Grabbing the neck of her balaclava, she whipped the hat from her head. Harry gasped when the most beautiful, wavy blonde-ginger hair he had ever seen on a woman cascaded down. Running her hand through her now free locks, Shonag whimpered, ‘No matter what he is or isn’t – he is my son and he has been the only warmth and joy I have ever had in my life.’ She paused, gulped in some air, looked her husband straight in the eye and further spat, ‘Now, my dear husband, listen and listen good, because if he goes … then so do I!’
Granny jumped up and grabbed Shonag by the arm. ‘How often have I told you that it was you who made your bed so you have to lie in it? Ogre he may be, but he is your chosen ogre, and because divorce is something no one in this family will ever sink to you’ll just have to stay put.’ What Granny didn’t add was that there was no way she would allow the croft she had bequeathed to Shonag to be solely occupied by detestable Fergus, her wily son-in-law who had persuaded her weak daughter to put it solely in his name.
Harry remembered being taken aback that his gentle and fun-loving granny, as he had always seen her, was in fact the matriarch who ruled her family with an iron fist in a velvet glove. He was further surprised when Granny turned to his mother and stated, ‘Flora, you and Harry will also be on the first train tomorrow and you will take William with you and give him a home in Edinburgh.’
‘But …’ Flora began to protest, but she was silenced when Granny took charge again.
‘In the port side of Edinburgh where you have put yourself now, William will be quite at home.’
‘He will?’ screeched Flora.
‘Sure. Do you know only last week Rena the milk was telling me that when she was down in Leith visiting her sister last month she lost count of the number of folk who didn’t know which way to turn. So that means our William will not be out of place there.’
Fergus’s coarse laughter echoed around the room. ‘And her man,’ he bellowed, pointing to Flora, ‘if he is a man at all will not give houseroom,’ he now signalled with a backward jerk of his thumb to William, ‘to that poof!’
Shonag, who Harry thought had turned into a magical, beautiful person, looked pleadingly at Flora. Nodding her head, Flora went over to Shonag and whilst
‘What exactly are you saying?’ Fergus bellowed.
‘Just that …’ William hesitated before adding, ‘… I’m simply not interested in girls.’
‘Not interested in girls. Then who in the name of the good Lord are you interested in?’
‘Donald – you know, the blacksmith down at Culloden House!’
A deep, ominous silence filled the room, which was only broken when Fergus banged his fist repeatedly into the middle of the celebration cake. The assembly just sat mute as the cake showered down and round about them.
Suddenly Fergus, eyes bulging out of his head, roared directly into William’s face, ‘An abomination in the sight of God: that is what you are!’
William stepped back and gave a nonchalant shrug, which further infuriated his father.
Dumbfounded by his son’s attitude, Fergus now turned to face Shonag. ‘And you, woman,’ he screeched, causing her to flinch, ‘do you now see what allowing him to take Highland Dance lessons has resulted in?’
Shonag tried to respond but was silenced by a flick of her husband’s hand. ‘Now tomorrow,’ he spat with such ferocity his saliva sprayed onto his wife’s face, ‘by the first train to leave from Inverness, you make sure that that …’ he paused to turn and point to William, ‘… freak you spawned is on it. And he is never, ever to return to my home again as long as I live. Do you understand?’
No matter what she thought, Shonag would normally just agree to what her husband wished. Not today. Grabbing the neck of her balaclava, she whipped the hat from her head. Harry gasped when the most beautiful, wavy blonde-ginger hair he had ever seen on a woman cascaded down. Running her hand through her now free locks, Shonag whimpered, ‘No matter what he is or isn’t – he is my son and he has been the only warmth and joy I have ever had in my life.’ She paused, gulped in some air, looked her husband straight in the eye and further spat, ‘Now, my dear husband, listen and listen good, because if he goes … then so do I!’
Granny jumped up and grabbed Shonag by the arm. ‘How often have I told you that it was you who made your bed so you have to lie in it? Ogre he may be, but he is your chosen ogre, and because divorce is something no one in this family will ever sink to you’ll just have to stay put.’ What Granny didn’t add was that there was no way she would allow the croft she had bequeathed to Shonag to be solely occupied by detestable Fergus, her wily son-in-law who had persuaded her weak daughter to put it solely in his name.
Harry remembered being taken aback that his gentle and fun-loving granny, as he had always seen her, was in fact the matriarch who ruled her family with an iron fist in a velvet glove. He was further surprised when Granny turned to his mother and stated, ‘Flora, you and Harry will also be on the first train tomorrow and you will take William with you and give him a home in Edinburgh.’
‘But …’ Flora began to protest, but she was silenced when Granny took charge again.
‘In the port side of Edinburgh where you have put yourself now, William will be quite at home.’
‘He will?’ screeched Flora.
‘Sure. Do you know only last week Rena the milk was telling me that when she was down in Leith visiting her sister last month she lost count of the number of folk who didn’t know which way to turn. So that means our William will not be out of place there.’
Fergus’s coarse laughter echoed around the room. ‘And her man,’ he bellowed, pointing to Flora, ‘if he is a man at all will not give houseroom,’ he now signalled with a backward jerk of his thumb to William, ‘to that poof!’
Shonag, who Harry thought had turned into a magical, beautiful person, looked pleadingly at Flora. Nodding her head, Flora went over to Shonag and whilst
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