Chapter 29

Jake poked his flashlight into the door opening and illuminated a large room that had been hacked into the mountain’s stone. The room was mostly ringed with sturdy wooden shelves filled with books, journals, and what looked like family mementos. The air in the room was surprisingly dry and fresh as it blew gently to the group at the door. On the wall opposite the door, a tunnel entrance was carved into the limestone. In the center of the room was a large rough hewn desk with an equally large high-backed chair in front of it. On the desk, as if recently used, were a thick vellum paper book or journal and an oiled animal-skin parcel. Wordlessly, Jake went to the desk and retrieved the two prominent items, the journal and parcel. Then all four of them departed. They all seemed to instinctively know that retrieving the two items was their mission. Exploring the room and tunnel could wait. Jake pulled the wall closed by an iron ring set in the mortar. It closed seamlessly to the wall and locked into place.

No one spoke until they reached Rory’s truck then all three women started talking at once. Jake held up his hand and they fell silent. He pointed to Helen.

“You first.”

“I can’t believe we all knew exactly what to do. I did not have a clue about this place yet I knew exactly where that room was,” she said.

Mary nodded in agreement. “It was like a chapter from a gothic novel. If I had not been there, I would never believe this had really happened.”

“I’ve been coming here since I was a child and never knew that room existed until today,” added Corinne.

Jake drove them back to Corinne’s house then took the Land Rover back to Rory. When he arrived back at Corinne’s house, he had to smile at the three women waiting for him at the dining room table. The journal and oil-skin packet sat on the table, unopened. As curious as they were they would not have dreamed of opening anything until he was with them. Jake nodded to Corinne and she delicately opened the journal.

“It’s written in a combination of Gaelic and English and appears to be the diary of our grandfather Aidan Carrig (Hugh the Rock) Buckley,” she said.

“You can translate it for us later,” Jake said. “Now let’s open this other thing.”

Corinne carefully unwrapped the heavily oiled deer-skin packet. Inside was another equally thick skin that was folded in on itself four times. Corinne unfolded the inner skin and gently smoothed it on the table top. The thick skin was about two feet square and was covered in Latin script. A map of the Keelmira valley was exactingly drawn in the center. Corrine studied the writing, her brow furrowed in concentration. The other three waited breathlessly as she pored over the document. Finally, Corinne looked up at them, her eyes wide with wonder.

“This is the written decree of King Cormac formally recognizing the O’Buckley as Chief of Name and ceding the Keelmira Valley and Croagh Patrick to him,” Corinne said in a voice filled with awe. “By the laws of the Republic, this document establishes Jacob’s ownership to the land and the title. Both are inheritances according to the Irish Constitution.”

Corinne then explained what she meant.

“When Ireland finally threw off the yoke of English domination and formed itself into a Republic, all forms of nobility were abolished. Titles and coats of arms are recognized as property only, like the land this decree cedes you. We now have proof that the O’Buckley was granted status of Chief of Clan. There are only twenty other people in Ireland that can say that.

“If this document is proven authentic, we will file it with the Chief of Irish Heraldry and the county government in Castlebar. Then, what we residents of the valley have always known will be legally binding again. The clan and the rightfully ownership of the valley and Croagh Patrick will be reestablished. We will break the thirty year limbo we have suffered through. Jacob, you have to call a clan council immediately and make this public. The news is going to make for a happy night at the pub when word gets out.”

“As soon as you do what needs to be done, I want these things back where they came from. I almost felt like a grave robber leaving with them,” Jake said.

The three women agreed with him on that. Mary and Corinne sat at the table talking while Jake walked Helen back to her cottage. Helen held on to his arm as they walked. Helen was as beautiful as Jake had ever seen her. She stood out in such contrast to the other two women because of her raven black hair and height but she was clearly one of them. Jake often wondered why she missed getting red hair like the rest of them because the gene was so dominant. He knew that there was a reason for it and knew that it was somehow linked to the DeDananns’ complex machinations to insure the clan survived. Helen tightened her grip on his arm and seductively pressed her breast against him.

“Will you make love to me soon, Jacob? I want you so badly, my Chieftain,” she half teased.

“I insist on it, woman,” Jake replied. “I will need compensation for all the tough decisions I’ll have to make as Chieftain.”

Helen laughed and pinched him.

“The toughest decision you have to make is which willing wench you bed next.”

“Ouch, now you are in for it, my impertinent lass,” Jake said mock-menacingly.

Helen laughed again and held him even tighter. She was very aroused by what had happened today and by Jacob’s nearness. For Helen, the whole clan revelation answered many questions she had had about her heritage and her feelings. Her only real question had been why her father had never told her about any of it. She would receive the answer to that question while she slept that night. At the door of the cottage Jake kissed her and said he would be coming for her soon so they could spend some time together alone. She stood in the doorway and watched him for a minute as he strode purposely back to Corinne’s. He truly is a man of destiny she thought.

Jake arrived back at Corinne’s to find the two women still sitting at the table discussing the morning’s excitement. The sight of them as they looked up suddenly made his blood boil. It was time to test his status as the O’Buckley. Without saying a word, he took their hands and pulled them up from the table. Wide-eyed but unresisting, they followed him to Corinne’s bedroom. Jake was conscious of everything he was doing, but he also felt as if he were following the script of an ancient play. In the bedroom, he stopped and began by removing his shirt. As he looked firmly at each of his companions, they immediately began to strip as well. Three naked bodies slipped into the bed. Jake’s nostrils flared as the aroma of aroused women reached his nose. His hands confirmed there were indeed two very wet and willing wenches about to be well roiled.

An hour and a half later, they lay sated in Corinne’s bed. Jake had a satisfied redhead on each shoulder. The O’Buckley rod had stirred the nooks and crannies of all available openings. It had also been a marvelous awakening for both Mary and Corinne who had twice found themselves in a duet within the trio.

“What have you done to me, Jacob? Until a couple of hours ago, I had never had a thought about a woman in my life. Now I can’t imagine why I never tried something so wonderful,” Corinne said.

Jake smiled at her fondly and kissed her. She smelled and tasted like Mary’s fragrant emissions. Then Jake explained his theory.

“Here is what I have figured out about the relationship between the Buckley men and Buckley women. I think that the DeDanann somehow programmed certain traits into our family that were designed to insure the bloodline’s survival. Corinne, you said that our family originated with Brigit, the daughter of the last DeDanann king. I am certain that all we are now is exactly as she wanted us to be. There were never a lot of DeDanann in the first place, so when the Miloseans were in the midst of conquering the island, they knew they were going to be assimilated fairly quickly. I believe the DeDanann found a way to make Brigit’s genes dominant in her descendants. I would bet money that you two look almost exactly the way Brigit did over three thousand years ago.

I don’t know how the DeDanann accomplished any of this but the results speak for themselves. I also don’t know if it’s adaptation or more legacy, but it appears that the majority of Buckley women are bisexual. I think that’s because their men were absent so much of the time. Rather than turn to a strange man to meet their needs, they turned to each other. It’s funny that the O’Buckley is the titular head of the clan but in reality the clan survives because of its women.

“Then there is sexual attraction between us. That has to be part of the plan as well. I swear every Buckley woman I’ve met has set me on fire. And, to a woman, you all have a strong sex drive. That Brigit must have been something else, if you all are modeled on her as I suspect.

“The last thing about us is the most delicate to me. It deals with the relationship between us once we get together. After I make love to a Buckley, she becomes my woman and I’m the only man she is interested in. Somehow, I can release her from that and I have with everyone except you two and the younger Nina. I think you both see why you are important to me based on this morning’s excitement. Nina has a vulnerability that will get her hurt if she’s not with me. Mary, your relationship with Sean is so strong, releasing you won’t make much of a difference in your life. But, you, Corinne, are a different story. If I keep you bonded to me, it would be selfish and unfair of me because I won’t be here to take care of you. I will not do that to you.”

Corinne put her fingers to his lips to silence him.

“Jacob, whether you release me or not, I’m never going to be with another man. That’s just the way I am. I never wanted a man until I met you and I cannot see that changing. Like my mother before me, I have my cottage and my child. But unlike my mother I actually have your and the rest of the family’s visits to look forward to. Then there is the added bonus of the relics in the manor basement. I believe that I’ll find what I need to write our family’s history, now.”

Jake saw the validity of her argument. He told her that he would like her to pursue the history angle as a priority. She said she would begin translating her grandfather’s journal immediately.

Jake dropped by to visit Rory after he left Corinne’s. Mary and Corinne went to retrieve Corinne’s son from the elder Nina. Jake asked Rory to call for a clan meeting for two evenings later and spread the word as far as he could. Jake wanted anyone with Buckley blood at the meeting along with all the townspeople. Rory got right on it. Rory knew Jake was the O’Buckley even though he did not know about the document Jake found.

Jake told Melissa about his discovery that night. She was thrilled for him, of course, but nothing he told her made much of an impression on her. She listened to him as she lay on her side with her big belly propped up on him and her head resting on his chest.

“So the valley has a Lord of the Manor now, good for them. But listen, Hubby, you are already the King of the Universe to me, so this is small potatoes. I think that Princess Brigit looked into the future and did all this work just to get you to me. If you got out of this bed and walked across the deepest part of Clew Bay I would not bat an eye, that’s how much faith I have in you. If you asked me to sign over everything we own to you tomorrow I wouldn’t hesitate for a second, that is how much I trust you.”

Wow, Jake thought, how do you respond to something like that? Jake kissed her forehead then turned over so she could lie against him. He let her wiggle her stomach onto the small of his back until she was comfortable and stayed awake until her breathing became shallow and regular. Nothing that happened on that eventful day brought him half the contentment that this quiet moment did. A good woman could make bad times tolerable and good times great, he reflected.

Jake drifted off to sleep and immediately joined Elliott in the basement room of the manor.

“Thanks for showing us this room, Elliott, although I have to admit it was eerie feeling your presence while I was awake.”

Elliot laughed and sat on the edge of the desk.

“That wasn’t me, Jacob. My purpose in all this was to guide you to this valley and help you discover your heritage. Today was the doings of your collective ancestors deciding that you deserved to be the next O’Buckley. To my knowledge, you are the first that did not have the title bestowed on him by the reigning Chieftain. Can you imagine, over a hundred generations of clan chiefs went before us, each one adding to the strength of our family.

“I have to admit that I misrepresented myself to you by letting you think I was here accidentally. Now that the clan order has been reestablished, I no longer have a purpose for being here. So, this is my final visit to you, unless I am sent back for some other reason.”

“I will miss you, Elliott. Knowing you were around has been a comfort to me,” Jake said.

“You’ll do fine, Jacob, and you will be a credit to our family, I see that in you. You are the man that can finally realize the full potential of our DeDanann heritage. In addition, you have fathered children who will insure a continuation of the clan and even the family name. I see extraordinary futures for your offspring. The O’Buckley that succeeds you will be truly gifted.

“I am most pleased with your desire to chronicle our family history. In this room is a complete listing of all the O’Buckleys with their diaries, which cover hundreds of years of that history. It was no accident that Corinne prepared herself for this undertaking, just as it was no accident that your cousin Sean is an extremely gifted writer. Get the two of them together and encourage Sean to write some epic tales using our history as a guide.

“Jacob, in the course that time took in your first life, the Buckley clan all but died out. In this march, the clan will push humanity towards the DeDanann ideals of true equality, brotherhood, and living as one with nature. You will find that a surprising number of people yearn for that. Look at your Hawaiian friends for example. Kane’s philosophy is as close to that of the DeDanann as it is possible to be. Progress is only a good thing if it benefits everyone. Sadly, in these times, it does not. You can start the movement that corrects that. It is a daunting task but one you are well equipped to handle. Your children will be even better equipped to continue what you start.”

Jake’s mind reeled at the implications of Elliott’s words. Jake’s goal had always been to shift the future away from the nastiness of the late twentieth and early twenty-first century. That had been a goal ambitious beyond reason, now Elliott was suggesting a plan ambitious beyond belief. Elliott saw his stricken look and smiled.

“You don’t think that all the effort to get you here was just so you could have your way with women, did you?” Elliott asked rhetorically.

Then Elliott’s smile faded and he became serious again.

“One last thing, Jacob. The man in Chicago - I’ve mentioned him before - wants exactly the opposite of what you desire. He is very capable of getting his way. He has mastered the ability to come back in time and has done it twice so far. If you simply eliminate him from this timeline, this existence will continue to move forward as you make it. But he will make whatever timeline he jumps into a pure hell for the people there. But if you let him continue to exist here unfettered, he will become increasingly stronger and try to thwart any changes to the future he knows. He will do that because his power over the timeline depends so much on his knowledge of the future. Somehow, you will have to deal with this evil in a way that results in containment. Okay, Lad, I think I’ve given you enough to do for one lifetime. I would as lief stay with you, but it is not to be. So goodbye, and take care, Son.”

Jake shook hands with Elliott and then hugged him. After the rocky start to their relationship, Jake had grown to really love his grandfather. He was going to miss him.

Jake woke up the next morning a little sad about Elliott and more than a little humbled by the faith Elliott expressed in him. Jake was also confused about the apparent power that the DeDanann possessed. How did a small race of people isolated on an island develop the ability to manipulate genetics? Jake knew that the genetic map for humans would not even be completed until early in the twenty-first century. Yet, over three thousand years ago an Iron Age race launched his clan with some amazing adaptations. When gene mapping became available, he was definitely having this looked into.

Jake was also curious about what Elliott said about the collective of past chieftains making him the O’Buckley. Was that another artifice of the DeDanann? Jake was definitely going to insure that Corinne gleaned every bit of information possible from the material in the manor’s basement. There were a million questions that needed to be answered.

Jake lay in bed a couple of minutes longer playing with Melissa’s hair and thinking. His wife woke up and smiled at him as he was petting her hair.

“Good morning, Baby. I love waking up like this,” she said.

“So do I, Muffy. The only thing better would be if we could make love,” he said.

“You should have thought of that before you knocked me up. You are the one keeping me barefoot and pregnant,” she teased.

“Well, I can’t help it if I think you look cute with a bun in the oven and a baby on your hip.”

“You would, you chauvinist pig. Lucky for you, my mouth still works,” Melissa said as she reached for his morning woody.

Melissa sent him out that morning wearing a big smile. He headed towards Sean and Nina’s cottage to talk to Sean Patrick. He was going to talk to each of his relatives before the clan meeting Rory had scheduled for the next evening. Jake had been thinking about what Elliott had said about Sean. His felt that his almost reclusive cousin might like the idea of staying in Ireland for a while. Nina, Jake knew, would not care if they were on the dark side of the moon, as long as she and Sean were there together.

Jake laid the whole story out for Sean and Nina. He included a little about the attraction between Buckley men and women but did not dwell on it. As he had guessed, Sean was excited and intrigued about the cache of family history at the Manor. Jake suggested that he take a sabbatical and move to Keelmira to research and write a novel or two based on their ancestors. Sean liked the idea but said he and Nina would need to discuss it. For her part, Nina liked the idea as well. Jake told them that he wanted to start some sort of cooperative bank, basically a savings and loan for the clan in the valley. Nina could run it for them part time and still be with her children. Sean and Nina could move into the manor as soon as it was inhabitable. Jake left their cottage almost certain that they would accept his proposal.

Jake went to the inn next to brief Claudia and his sisters. He found them in the pub dressed up to go on a shopping excursion. It was market day in Castlebar. Rory had hired a small motor coach to take everyone who wanted to go shopping. Almost all the female guests had signed up. Jake’s dad and the elder Sean Murphy were already out on the bay fishing. For once, the weather was sunny and warm so they would be out until dark.

Jake took the ladies up to Angie’s room and laid out the whole story. He held nothing back from them. They all insisted that Jake show them the manor. They were amazed at the family’s history and wanted to explore it themselves. They were also fascinated about the relationship among themselves, Jake, and other women. Jake saw the look that passed between Debbie and Claudia and knew right away that they had already been exploring their Buckleyness with each other. Jake decided they were another tandem that he would not mind trying. As they got up to leave, Angie asked him to stay for a minute with her, she had a private matter to discuss. He turned to her after the others had left and she moved into his arms.

“Jake, do the women have any say in who gets bonded to the O’Buckley?”

“They do with me. I don’t yet know how strong the attachment is so I usually let the women decide.”

“Nina told me that even though it was all she wanted, you did not ask her.”

“Nina is a special case, Princess. She is very submissive and that could get her hurt. I figured she was better off with me. When she a little more self-confident, I’ll let her make her choice.”

“What if I wanted to be your woman but only part-time? What if I wanted to be on my own but have you as the only man in my life? Could we make that work?”

“I think so, if Melissa agrees. After all you’ll be a lover to both of us. What brought this on? I thought you liked dating and playing the field.”

“I’m fine with you and Melissa, Jake, I’ve told you that already. As for the other thing, I want an MBA and a career more than I want an attachment. Can I ask Melissa about this when we get back?”

Jake agreed then kissed her and walked her back down stairs. The bus to the Castlebar market was just starting to load up when they got to the pub. Most everyone got on the bus, including all the young children. Jake waved goodbye to everyone and watched the bus pull away before he headed towards his cottage. He had noticed that Trish and Leslie were on the bus with his son in tow so he figured he would have some alone time with wifey.

Melissa was working on some business thing when he arrived at the cottage. Her briefcase was open and papers covered the kitchen table. Jake fixed himself a cup of coffee and sat at the table with her. They yakked about this and that as she went through the documents. From what he could see, she was reviewing the performance of each of TnT Holding’s subsidiaries. TnT’s fiscal year ended September thirtieth so these must be end of year reports.