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her wearily.
    â€œSo? Constable Tavish is a local. He has loyalties to an old family name. We really don’t know the truth. Our lawyer may be American, but he still knows the law. We need to get more serious legal advice, and get it fast.”
    â€œLegal advice from the States may not help us now,” Kevin reminded her.
    â€œThayer?” Toni said.
    He shrugged, shaking his head. “I saw the ads for the place in Glasgow, and I saw the same thing on the Inter net that you did. And yes, I read the rental agreements, just as we all did. Gina, can I see the papers?” he asked.
    Gina set them down before him.
    â€œEven Laird MacNiall said that they look real or proper or…whatever!” Toni murmured.
    â€œYeah, they look legal,” Ryan said bitterly. “Tons of small print.”
    â€œWe actually rented from Uxbridge Corporation,” Thayer murmured. “We’re going to have to trace it down. When you sent the euro-check, Toni, was there an exact address?”
    She groaned, sinking into one of the chairs.
    â€œWhat? What is that groan for?” Ryan demanded.
    â€œThe address was a post office box in Edinburgh,” she admitted.
    â€œOkay!” Kevin said, reaching over to squeeze her hand and give her some support. “That will give the police a trail to follow, at least.”
    â€œIt will help the police,” David said softly, offering Toni a half smile despite his words. “But I’m not real sure what it will do for us.”
    â€œToni, why didn’t you want the constable to take the papers tonight?” Gina asked, frowning. “Wouldn’t it have been better for him to have gotten started on this as quickly as possible?”
    â€œThose papers are all we have,” Toni said. “What if I’m right and this man has lost his family castle yet still has illusions of grandeur in his head? If the constable is his loyal subject, our papers could disappear.”
    â€œShe has a point,” David said.
    â€œShe has a point, but this fellow isn’t broke. You can’t be broke and own a horse like that,” Ryan told them.
    â€œSorry, but it looks like we’ll have to suck up to this guy if we want to make it through the weekend,” Thayer said.
    â€œMaybe he borrowed the horse,” Toni said.
    â€œOh, honey, come on. You’re just getting desperate here,” David said softly.
    â€œWell, hell, it is desperate!” Toni said.
    â€œEverything we’ve saved has gone into this!” Gina breathed, sinking into a chair, as well.
    â€œMaybe we can arrange a new rental agreement,” Toni said.
    â€œWith what?” Thayer asked. “We put a fortune into this. Unless one of you won a lottery before you left the States…?”
    â€œNo. But I still say we have to have some rights!” Toni insisted.
    â€œThe sad thing is,” Kevin told her, “unfortunately, people who have been screwed don’t generally have a right to anything. They’re just…”
    â€œScrewed,” David said.
    Toni shook her head, rising. She felt a pounding headache coming on. “I’m going to go to bed. Tomorrow afternoon, I’m calling the lawyer in the States. He can give us some advice, at the very least.” She started toward the door, then turned back. “I am sorry, so very sorry. At best, this is really a mess.”
    â€œAmazing,” Gina said suddenly.
    â€œWhat?” Toni demanded.
    â€œThat he looks just like your MacNiall—the one in your phony family history. I mean…it’s incredible that you could invent a man who existed down to the last de tail.”
    â€œNo, not to the last detail. The MacNiall I invented died centuries ago,” Toni said bitterly.
    â€œYeah, but apparently, there was one of those, too,” Gina said.
    â€œLook, I don’t believe it, either!” Toni said.
    â€œToni,” Kevin said