A Beautiful Lie (The Camaraes) (11 page)

“
But the disgrace,
”
Muira blurted, and Lachlan fell momentarily silent, and then stared at her with those piercing eyes that seemed to see straight into her soul.

“
Well, what makes you think you
’
ll be any better off with me?
”

It was a question, but also a challenge, and Muira didn
’
t know how to answer.  She wasn
’
t sure that she even
knew
the answer.  Why had she chosen him over Tavish - because he
’
d saved her, and she felt
something
for him that she couldn
’
t explain, or simply because he was her only other option?

“
I don
’
t know,
”
she whispered honestly.  She shook her head. 
“
Everything seemed to just
…
spiral out of control so quickly,
”
she frowned sadly, and then slumped when Lachlan let go of her arms. 

“
Aye, lass, it did that,
”
he sighed heavily, stepping away from the bed and wandering back to the window. 

I
’
m sorry,
was on the tip of Muira
’
s tongue, but for some reason she couldn
’
t push the words out passed her teeth.  She watched Lachlan silently instead, watched the way he braced one arm against the wall as he looked out over the castle grounds, the way his other hand was dragged distractedly through his dark, wavy hair
–
they were unfamiliar little gestures, but they were very strangely comforting. 

Every move that Lachlan made hinted at the power coiled in his muscles, just waiting to be released, and yet at the same time there was an air of great control about him, of an underlying gentleness that intrigued Muira to no end.  She rubbed her sore arms however.  It was probably wiser
not
to get carried away with that wistful fancy.

“
Are we really going back to Eilean Donan?
”
she asked quietly.

Lachlan didn
’
t turn, but he did answer. 
“
Of course,
”
he murmured. 
“
You do know that we have to, Muira?
”
he asked firmly, watching her reflection in the glass.

She nodded. 
“
I know, I just-
”
she broke off.  She couldn
’
t complain.  She didn
’
t have a
right
to complain. 
“
I suppose I should start packing then.
”

Lachlan gave a stern, silent nod. 
“
Call for one of the kitchen lads as well,
”
he instructed. 
“
I
’
d like to take a bath.
”

..ooOOoo..

Lachlan gave a loud groan of relief as he sank his bruised and aching muscles into the hot, steaming water of the tin bath.  Fortunately, Muira
’
s bedroom had a separate adjoining room, a small space that housed a washstand and commode, and which afforded Lachlan some privacy.  Muira had started to mutter something about usually bathing in front of the fire where it was warm, when he had directed the kitchen boy to move and fill the tub in there, but a single glance from him had been enough to colour cheeks and glue her tongue to the roof of her mouth. 

He was still finding it difficult to believe that this was all real- that he was a married man.

Lachlan picked up a sliver of soap that he
’
d found in the washstand and began to lather it between his hands.  Maybe he
’
d feel more human if only he could feel clean again?  He washed himself distractedly though, dragging his hands over his body while his mind stayed firmly in the other room with his
…
wife.

Muira wasn
’
t vindictive.  He didn
’
t believe that she was deliberately manipulative by nature.  She
’
d been trapped and scared, and, unfortunately for him, she had seen him as her only means of escape.  Lachlan sighed heavily, wondering what exactly he was meant to do now. 

He
’
d always known he would take a wife, but it had been the in the same sort of way that he knew he
’
d one day have children- there had been a distance attached to the knowledge.  He hadn
’
t imagined marrying for love, but he
had
thought they would be a level of mutual attraction and understanding. 

Well, Muira
was
attractive, he considered, but she was also a Cameron, and besides a woman who
’
d been raped and abused was hardly going to make him a willing bedfellow.

It was all such a mess! 

Lachlan pulled himself out of the tub, winced, and reached for a towel to drape around his waist, sighing with some irritation when he realised that his clothes had been taken away for washing.

“
Muira?
”
he called wearily. 
Why did
everything
have to be
so
complicated?
 
“
You wouldn
’
t happened to have some clean clothes for me, would you?
”
Lachlan sighed, not really expecting for one second the answer to be yes. 

He was expecting
some
answer though, so when he was met with nothing but silence he pushed open the door that led into the bedroom.

There was no one there.  Lachlan couldn
’
t account for the way his heart lurched.  His first fear was that Muira had run away again, just as she had been doing the day that they
’
d met- but she had her prize, she had him now, there was nothing for her to run from.  Lachlan
’
s second thought was even worse than the first.  Tavish.  Could the other man have snatched Muira from the room while he was bathing?

Lachlan was just scouring the room for something more substantial than the towel that was wrapped around his waist, to cover himself with if he planned to go and find her, when the door from the corridor opened and Muira wandered into the bedroom.  She was pushing a trunk and had an assortment of mans clothing tossed over one of her arms.  She was looking down, manoeuvring the chest, so she didn
’
t immediately see him. 

“
Where the hell have you been?
”
Lachlan barked, more harshly than he
’
d intended, still baffled as to why he
’
d been worried in the first place, and rather unsettled by the indisputable rush of relief that he felt on finding that she was safe.

“
I was just-
”
Muira began, but then she looked up, and froze, her eyes nearly popping out of her head.

Lachlan felt a throb pulse to life in his groin.  He couldn
’
t remember ever being in this position before- when he was naked in front of a woman, then she was always naked too!

He felt exposed, he
was
exposed, save the towel wrapped around his waist, but there was something thrilling in Muira
’
s gaze as it flickered over his body.  She didn
’
t seem able to look away, and Lachlan couldn
’
t help but feel a swell of satisfaction as her eyes remained transfixed on his body.

“
I was just-
”
Muira stammered again. 

She sounded breathless, which Lachlan initially took to be a good sign, or his pride did at any rate.  He wasn
’
t ready to take Muira into his bed, not after what she
’
d done, not after what she
’
d been through either, but he would need to one day if he was to father a child, and he didn
’
t see that it had to be an unpleasant experience. 

But then he wondered if he was misreading her reaction.

Despite what Tavish had done to her, it didn
’
t necessarily stand to reason that she
’
d ever seen a naked man before (to be fair, she wasn
’
t seeing one now, but Lachlan was feeling inexplicably generous all of a sudden) and if she had then the sight couldn
’
t possibly be connected with any pleasant memories. 

He glanced pointedly at the clothes she was carrying and Muira finally seemed to pull herself together.

“
I went to get you these,
”
she said in a rush thrusting the garments in his direction, her eyes growing ever wider as he walked closer to take them from her.