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loneliness, the pointlessness of his demands and the uselessness of money to him. Why did he want it? What was it for?
    â€˜I’m making provision,’ he said. ‘It’s nae for me. I’m making provision for the wife and bairns.’
    And he swatted so violently at the midges around his head that he almost decapitated himself with his sword – which would have solved our problems nicely if he had.
    Peggy looked at me and she looked at Gemma; she looked sad, and old. She didn’t look frightened at all, just ever so weary.
    â€˜Wife and bairns?’ she said.
    â€˜That’s right,’ Angus said. ‘It’s not for me. It’s the wife and bairns.’
    And then Peggy asked him a question, though I’m sure she already knew the answer, just as I did, and Gemma maybe did too.
    â€˜And where are they? The wife and – the bairns?’
    â€˜They’re right there looking at you!’ the giant said. ‘Do you not have the eyes to see? That’s Colin there, and that’s Nancy, and that’s Fiona herself, taking care of them.’
    I was kind of afraid to look. But really, I’d already seen. My eyes followed his raised hand and his pointing finger. And I saw – just as I knew I would – the three heaps of stones, the three little cairns, the mounds of pebbles and rocks.
    â€˜That’s them right there,’ he said. ‘They’d come over and talk, but they’re busy. But they’re relying, see. They’re relying on me to provide. They’ll be wanting to go to school one day and get an education. There’s none to be had round here. City Island, see. That’s where they’ll be going, soon as they’re the right age. So I’m saving up – for books and such, and uniforms and all that. So there’s no choice about it. You have to pay the toll.’
    And instead of protesting or getting angry or feisty or sarcastic like she could be, Peggy just looked really sad, and she reached out to him and she said, ‘We’d love to give something to help the children, Angus. We’d love to do that.’
    And he just looked at her, just looked, and the big, rusty claymore fell from his hands with a clatter, and Peggy took a step forward and she took his great, huge hand in hers. His hand made two of hers, easily.
    â€˜You poor man,’ she said. ‘You poor man.’
    And the great giant of an Angus didn’t say a word; he just let Peggy hold his hand in hers, and a large tear, the size of a raindrop, rolled from his eye and down along his cheek and disappeared into his bushy red beard.
    â€˜Will you take payment in kind?’ Peggy said.
    â€˜What kind?’ he said gruffly.
    â€˜Martin,’ Peggy said. ‘Go to the boat and fetch one of the bottles that Ben Harley gave me.’
    â€˜You mean the private stash?’ I said. ‘But I thought you said it was lethal. I thought you said you should never –’
    â€˜Just get it,’ she said. ‘And stop asking questions for once.’
    â€˜But I thought you said asking questions was good, and that when we get to City Island we have to ask nothing but questions, as if you don’t ask questions you never learn, and then –’
    â€˜Another time, Martin. Just bring a bottle of Ben Harley’s private stash.’
    â€˜All right.’
    â€˜And hurry up too, Martin.’
    â€˜All right, Gemma. Since when were you in charge –?’
    I went to get what Peggy wanted from the boat.
    â€˜Kids, eh?’ I heard Angus say behind me. ‘Brother and sister, often arguing. Mine are the same. But they love each other underneath. Mine are the same,’ he repeated. ‘Just the same –’
    I found one of Ben Harley’s bottles of private stash and returned to the jetty.
    â€˜Open it and give it to Mr Angus,’ Peggy said.
    I pulled the stopper out of the bottle neck. That familiar