“If my maternal ancestors fought here they’d have been firing down on yours,” Albert replied and made the roaring sound like a cannon.
“Yeah, but your Garcia ancestors were getting their butts kicked by the Spanish conquistadors.”
“And so the one-upmanship continues,” Alice said, and gave them her teacher’s look.
At Mallaig they got aboard the Jacobite Steam Train (the train used in the Harry Potter movies) so they could have the experience of riding a kind of train that would not have been used since their grandparents’ time. Mary and Janet, sitting in the period carriage and seeing the old steam engine when the train rounded a curve, could imagine they were traveling to a school for wizards.
“If any of your families are from Scottish clans, this is where they would have lived,” Glen told them. No one responded to that but each one seemed to respond to the spectacular view of the Highlands. The trip was having the desired effect of taking them away from their cancer experiences.
As they got off the train at Fort William, Mary lagged back, holding the seat backs as she shuffled along. Although she enjoyed the trip, she was the one who struggled the most physically. Harry waited and helped her down the steps of the carriage. He had also been helping her with her luggage on the trip.