It does, however, have a prologue and an epilogue now. This was done to fit the retrospective story into the timeline of the series. I'm including the prologue here in case anyone wants to read it without bothering about the new version of the book.
And yes, that's me coming though. I'm not Angus MacLeod, although there is a bit of my character in him, and this is an example. For longer than I care to remember I've celebrated New Year away from Scotland and this is how I tend to feel...
Prologue
New Year’s Eve and the night was cold, a frost threatening for the morning. But the sky was clear, which would be good news for the revellers down by the Thames where the fireworks display would be taking place.
Angus MacLeod wouldn’t be there. Nor would he be celebrating at the club he owned where a fun filled night had been arranged for the members of The Wild Side. He didn’t consider himself a maudlin man, but New Year’s Eve was always a funny time – the night when Scotsmen traditionally went wild and tears came to eyes with badly sung versions of ‘Auld Lang Syne’ washed down with too many nips of whisky. And MacLeod used to partake and get into the swing. He would go crazy at Hogmanay, along with the rest of his home city of Glasgow where it’s celebrated at its best. But since moving to London, try as he’d done for several years, it was never the same. Instead of celebrating and looking ahead, MacLeod always found himself looking back, although rarely with regret.
There was so much to look back on. People in his life, choices he had made, things that he’d done for good and bad – it was such a rich tapestry that made the man that Angus MacLeod was today. Under the stars of an English sky he allowed some memories to make a spark: the times in Scotland where he’d spent his youth; the journey he had taken before arriving in London; the accumulation of wealth and the forming of a business empire; the evolution of a man who became a legend in his field… the only true claimant to the title ‘Master of The Wild Side’. He had so much, including time, being easily on the right side of forty. But he’d give it all up, including some of those years, as long as he kept one single thing… the man that he knew was watching from the door that led to the garden where MacLeod was standing.
Angus MacLeod smiled – silently communing. They always knew when the other was present – a sixth sense that existed between them, so there was no need to verbally state the obvious. It must be nearing the time for Big Ben to strike and announce the dawning of another year. He would turn in a moment and return to the house, all smiles and joviality for the others who partied there. But for now he just wanted to remember. Some parts he knew from first-hand experience. The rest had been told and collated together. It made up the story that surpassed all others that had impacted MacLeod’s wonderfully rich life. The story of the making of a relationship, and the birth of an institution. A tale from the wild side that has no equal…
The Wild Side of Paddy McGuire.
Jack