that it was lovely. Even Brigid’s dreaded sister perked up a bit despite her obvious bitter envy.
“Come with me, honey,” I said, touching Brigid gently on the arm.
“What’s up?”
“I think it’s time we gave your sister her present.”
Meegan was by the punch bowl. The one with vodka in the mix that only the guests were supposed to drink from. Rooms had been made up in the house for anyone too drunk to drive.
Her dress, a slightly simpler version of the one Brigid was wearing, looked perfect on her. Natural. She had already asked if she would be able to keep it.
“Meegan?”
“Oh, hello,” she said, at least trying to be civil.
“We have something for you. Kind of a combination maid-of-honor gift and a thanks for letting me stay with you so long.”
“Thank you,” Meegan said, her face stony.
The paper dropped away and Meegan suddenly looked like she might cry. The book was large and leather-bound. The title was etched into the aged brown leather in Gaelic.
“It can’t be - I mean, not the original.”
“No, it’s a copy, but a damn good one. 11th century, according to my research. The illuminations are quite beautiful.”
“Thank you,” Meegan said, humbleness emanating from her very core.
I had another present to give her, though.
“I would like you to meet my brother, Sven,” I said.
“Does he look like you?” Meegan asked, as though she was dreaming.
“He’s my twin, so, yes. Though our mother says I’m the handsome one. To be fair to him, he made his money as a lawyer, which is something I could have never done. You might have heard of them. Olafssen and associates?”
“Your brother is Sven Olafssen?” Meegan asked, a certain gleam in her eye.
“According to our mother.”
“Wow. That’s great. Thank you!”
Brigid
I had never seen Meegan so happy. We hadn’t had the best upbringing, which at least partly explained her adult personality. She couldn’t protect me from our abusive father when we were kids, so she started protecting me ever since.
The only problem was, she saw every man as a potential threat. Wanting to help and save people was also what drove her to go into nursing. She told me as much at her graduation party. She was several sheets to the wind at the time, but that tended to make her even more truthful.
I was glad we had been able to make up, with Leif’s help. I was ready to let bygones be bygones.
She danced with Sven like a teenager at the prom, finally living out a fraction of the adolescence she never was allowed to have. The Book of Kells had been my idea, as I knew how much Meegan was into history, though Leif was the one who really made it happen.
The party wound down, most of the guests going to find their rooms in the big beautiful house. The kitchen staff were already working on food for those who might still be a bit peckish, even after demolishing the spread on the center table.
“Bye, Mommy,” my favorite little voice said.
“See you soon, baby,” I said, giving Polly a last hug, after having turned her over to the nanny we had hired.
From the house we went to the nearby airport where Leif kept his plane. I wasn't sure why I was initially surprised he had a private plane. To save the trouble of having to wait for someone to come in and fly it, Leif had long ago added a pilot’s license to his list of skills and achievements.
Double-checking the fuel supply, he helped me up into the two-seater and prepared for takeoff. The charted destination: the coastal Norwegian town of Sunnfjord where Leif had bought us a cabin as a getaway. Our honeymoon seemed to be the perfect time for a first visit.
There was no airport in Sunnfjord. The closest one was in the city of Bergen, which was, according to him, known as one of the main homes of Norwegian black metal.
That didn’t matter, though. The grounds around the cabin were considerable, and while it was unlikely that we would technically be allowed to land there, there would be no patrols standing by to write us up.
Catching me in his waiting arms as I hopped out of the plane, Leif carried me to the cabin, not putting me down until we were well across the threshold, closing the door behind us with his foot. It was like we had stepped back in time. The cabin had been lovingly preserved over the hundreds of years it had stood.
The dress