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Maura’s eyes stung with tears. She had been crying for days, and she didn’t know that she would ever stop. Kevan was beside her, a strong and reassuring presence as always. Moira was looking after John. He was coming into his own now, showing signs of the man he was going to become, and she was thankful that he had a tender heart. But even so, he didn’t really understand what was happening. In time, he would, though. Eventually, all boys had to learn about death.

Maura held her father’s hands in hers, feeling the limp coldness. His pallor was grey, and his lips were dry. He struggled to talk, and when he did, his voice was strained. His eyes were bloodshot, and sometimes he drifted off into meaningless ramblings. Maura wished there was something more she could do for him, but it was utterly hopeless. He turned to look at her, and he smiled.

“Maura,” he breathed.

“Aye, Da, it’s me. It’s wee girl,” she said, trying to prevent her voice from trembling with emotion.

“Ye are sae beautiful. I’m proud of ye,” he said. Suddenly the smile disappeared from his face, and his eyes opened wide.

“Ruairi,” he said. “I need ye tae find Ruairi.”

“Da… Ruairi is out at sea,” she said gently. Sometimes he was like this, losing his sense of time.

“Ye are his twin. Ye can find him. Bring him back tae me,” Niall urged, using all the strength of his body to put force into his voice. It drained him, and he sank back into the bed, falling into slumber. Maura turned her head and looked towards Niall with fear in her eyes.

“Are ye sure he was nae mistaken?” Kevan asked after they had left the room. They were in another room with Moira and John. Moira put on a smile for the sake of her grandchild, but Maura could tell that she was under a lot of emotional strain. It had been a tough time for them all. Her aunt Isobel had been to visit, but she could not stay because of her responsibilities elsewhere, and of course, Uncle Jamie had sadly been killed a number of years ago. This was the remnants of her family, with Ruairi out at sea somewhere, not knowing that his father was dying.

“He was nae mistaken. He wants Ruairi here,” Maura said.

“It is only right. Ruairi’s place is by his father’s bedside. They should talk before Niall passes on,” Moira said, wiping an errant tear from her eye as she broached the subject of Niall’s death. John remained quiet. Maura would have to speak with him later about the concept of death and what it meant. Everyone handled it in different ways, but there was no point in trying to shield it from him. This was happening to them all, and they should face it together.

“But he could be anywhere out there,” Kevan said, his words laced with frustration.

“Ye hae seen him most recently. Dae ye know how tae get a message tae him?” Moira asked.

Maura felt a little guilty. On his infrequent returns to Scotland, Ruairi had only ever visited her, rarely their father and mother, because of the tension that existed between them. “I’m afraid Ruairi rarely spoke about his home in Spain. He never stayed for very long,” Maura said.

“And who knows when he will return here again,” Moira said, looking despondent. Kevan paced around the room and tapped his finger against his lip thoughtfully.

“I think I might know a way,” he said. “Baird.”

“Thank ye for seeing us, Laird Baird,” Kevan said graciously as they were welcomed in his estate. The laird was a tall man with impeccable hair, styled in a European manner. He spoke well, and softened his accent. His room was adorned with paintings of exotic scenery.

“It is my pleasure tae help the Calbraiths,” he said. Maura got the sense that he could always sniff out an opportunity when it was presented to him. “What is it ye wish tae discuss?”

Kevan glanced at Maura. “There is a matter of great sensitivity,” she began. “My father is dying, and currently, my brother is out at sea, running a trade ship, the Redemption. I am hoping that a man with yer connections could get a message, either tae the ship or tae Spain itself, sae that Ruairi will know what is happening at home.”

“The Redemption,” Laird Baird said, leaning forward and clasping his hands, resting his elbows on his desk. “Aye, I hae heard of such a ship, but I haed no idea that a Calbraith was its captain. What an intriguing turn of events.”

Maura shared a glance with Kevan. She wasn’t sure that they could trust this man, but they had little choice. According to Kevan, Laird Baird had many dealings with Spain and had built most of his wealth from such trades. He was their best chance of getting a message to Ruairi, so they had to take it. She thought it odd that a man from the Highlands would have so many connections with a faraway country. Usually, Highlanders were an insular people, staying amongst themselves, but the world was changing and opening up. It was exciting, but also unsettling in a way.

“Can ye help us?” Maura asked, leaning forward slightly.

Laird Baird smiled and nodded. “Of course I can. Anything for a Calbraith,” he said. “And a McGrory.” He turned his head to Kevan. Maura got the impression that a man with so many exotic and expensive things around him rarely did anything for free. No doubt that they would end up paying for this at some point later in life, but she didn’t mind. Getting this message to Ruairi was worth anything. He might have left his home a decade ago, but his place was still here, and she worried that if he didn’t get to say goodbye to Niall, he would never forgive himself.

“As it happens,” Laird Baird said, “there is a happy turn of events because I’m sending my daughter to Spain to be wed. He’s a very wealthy man,” he boasted. He called out for his daughter, Kenna, to join them. She came into the room pleasantly and smiled politely at the guests. She clasped her hands together in front of her. Her long brown hair hung loosely over her shoulders, reaching the middle of her back and chest, while her bright brown eyes gazed out at the room inquisitively. Her lips were full and sensual, while her face was slender. She had the bloom of youth, and Maura thought that this wealthy Spaniard was a very lucky man indeed.

“Since I already hae a ship gaeing taewards Spain, I shall send my men an order to find yer brother and deliver the message. Since they are escorting my daughter, ye can be assured that they are my best men and they will nae fail. I am also assigning my trusted guard Cal tae watch over her, sae ye can be assured that the message will be received.” The laird barely paid attention to his daughter, and dismissed her as quickly as she had been summoned. The laird pulled out a quill and some parchment and began writing the letter, muttering to himself that it was a great honor to help two noble clans in this deed.

“And if ye ever need anything again, dinnae hesitate tae come tae me. I’m always happy tae help,” he said, flashing them a toothy grin. Maura was left with the unsettling impression that his help always came with a price, and she wondered how much they were going to have to pay for his generosity.

They left with great haste to return home, hoping that Niall would hold on for long enough to say goodbye to his son, and that this message would find its way to Ruairi’s hands. Maura prayed that night to the spirits, wishing that Ruairi would heed the call of home and return to the place of his birth. She had only seen him a few months ago, so she knew he wouldn’t be scheduled to return here for a long time. That last time there was something different about him, as though something weighed heavily on his mind. He spoke of death then and funerals because a member of his crew had suffered a tragic loss. Maura had hoped that would be a catalyst for his return, but even then, Ruairi could not bring himself to see his parents. He had left as he always did, swiftly and without regret, and Maura bitterly hated herself for not dragging him to see their parents. Now he was on the way back to Spain, unaware that Niall was dying, and she was afraid that he wouldn’t forgive her as much as he wouldn’t forgive himself.