Double Toil & Trouble: A Story of Macbeth's Nieces

Scotlands King Macbeth has been dead for a decade yet his legacy changes forever the lives of his twin nieces Jenna and Jessie macFindlaech. Viking raiders on a blood feud come to their home in the Cairngorm Mountains intending to kill all males of Macbeths line. Finding only female descendants in the clan-hold the Vikings declare they will seek out the older sister who has two sons. Knowing she must somehow warn Tessa Jenna escapes the marauders. To her horror the Vikings take Jessie with them as a hostage. The girls must learn to live without each other outside the world theyve always known. Its especially hard for kind-hearted Jessie whose lameness makes her doubt her own worth. Jennas anger keeps her going rage at the Vikings who ruined her peaceful life and she fears have killed her beloved twin. She refuses to believe any Northman has the tiniest spark of good: not the deformed vitki fortune teller called Aldis and definitely not Lukas the Tracker whose merest touch makes her feel weak in the knees. Jennas path takes her to France where she meets William of Normandy just before he leaves to conquer England. Jessie stays in Scotland pursued by Viking Bjorn Bear-Slayer and protected by a man who made a promise to a benevolent priest. As each sister copes in her own way love interferes with their intentions. In both cases its love that cannot be expressed love thats too irrational to ever be returned. Each girl struggles to put her emotions aside but their hearts dont know how. The attempt only leads to Double Toil and Trouble.