All through the writing of The Lad That Time Forgot, I scoured the first five books trying to find important details that needed to be included. I swear I did. I even went looking specifically for mentions of the child or children Jillian was carrying in the Juliet book. I was almost sure she'd been expecting twin boys, but I couldn't find a word about them.
Obviously, I was blind.
Thanks to a fan of the series, who also happens to be a Muir, my big blunder was brought to my attention. I mentioned, in the new book, that Monty and Jillian had a daughter, Lucy, who was particularly close to Quinn and Jules' daughter, Emmie. But I failed to mention the twins--two more lads that Time/Lesli forgot.
So...
May I introduce Ewan and Seumas Ross, four-year-old twins who are just 11 months older than Lucy. Even at this age, they are finding their own paths. Unlike his sober brother Ewan, Seumas hates being indoors and prefers following the animals around all day. Even in church you can find something alive and furry in one pocket or another. It has gotten to the point that Jillian has to do a TSA-style search of his person before he's allowed to get into the car on Sunday mornings.
A week ago, when the pointed little nose of a hedgehog appeared above the top of Seumas' shirt pocket during a particularly long prayer, Ewan confessed he'd been used as a drug-mule and had smuggled the animal inside the church.
Both boys were given porridge for supper--Seamus, for using his brother to further his crimes, and Ewan, for even knowing the term drug-mule. Montgomery was speechless when he was served the same meal, albeit a larger portion.
He gasped. "And just what have I done?"
"Obviously," Jillian explained, "you aren't too careful about who's in the room when you're watching your crime dramas."
Seamus stopped glowering at his bowl to laugh at his father. Ewan cocked a brow and nodded. Montgomery scooped up his spoon and dug into his oatmeal without further argument, no doubt to set a good example for his wee tormentors.
Uncle Wickham has been the only one, thus far, to notice that Ewan always seems to know where his brother is and what's he's doing, even when Seumas is outside and out of sight. The picture below is of Ewan and Emmie who have been sent off to fetch Seamus from Morna's barn--on the far side of the Ross/Mackay Burn...
Obviously, their lives won't get seriously complicated for a long while yet...