A Beautiful Lie (The Camaraes) (16 page)

“
Come in?
”
she called.  Muira watched the door, as it swung open, and then smiled a little when Cait stepped into the room.

“
I made sure that I waited until he was gone,
”
Cait said with a small smile of her own.

“
Who?
”
Muira blurted dumbly.

Cait raised an eyebrow. 
“
Your
husband
of course.  Bessie told me what she saw when she brought your breakfast up,
”
she teased. 
“
I was really worried about you, but-
”
she giggled, and her eyes were shining with curiosity. 
“
Was it amazing?
”
she asked, feigning a swoon as she sank down onto one of the fireside chairs.

Muira shifted uncomfortably, a blush creeping into her cheeks. 
“
I don
’
t know that I
’
d-
”

“
Did it feel any different to what happened before you were married?
”
Cait asked eagerly, ignoring her friend
’
s hesitance. 
“
Was this time special?  Was he gentle, because I heard some of the kitchen girls talking, and they definitely mentioned blood?
”

“
Blood?
”
Muira repeated, her eyes widening.

Cait gave her head a vigorous little nod. 
“
They said it hurts it at first, but only for a moment, and they it feels-
”
Cait gave another giggle, and Muira wondered if they were even talking about the same thing.  She knew what the kitchen girls could be like with their stories though.

“
It didn
’
t hurt at all,
”
she said, in a voice of great authority.  Cait looked a little relieved, but also a little let down, to be informed of her mistake. 
“
It was
…
nice,
”
Muira said slowly, thinking that she should portray the night in a positive light, while really she was rather confused about the whole affair, could one really fall pregnant from what she and Lachlan had done?  Something important seemed to be missing.

“
Just nice?
”
Cait sounded disappointed. 
“
Well, maybe it
’
s something that you get better at with practice?
”
she wondered brightly. 
“
Anyhow, you can tell me the details while we get you dressed,
”
she grinned slyly. 
“
I told your maid I
’
d help you today.
”
  Cait
’
s smile finally faltered. 
“
I suppose it
’
s true, you really are leaving this morning?
”
she asked sadly.  Muira nodded unhappily. 
“
I
’
m- I
’
m sure it won
’
t be so bad,
”
Cait said, trying her hardest to sound positive.

“
You don
’
t think so?
”
Muira asked glumly. 
“
I won
’
t know anyone.  Everyone there will hate me.  I-
”

“
Why would they hate you?
”
Cait frowned.  Muira bit her lip, cursing herself for letting her tongue run away with her, but luckily she was saved from giving the true answer to her friend
’
s question. 
“
Because you
’
re a Cameron?
”
Cait sighed. 
“
I wish there wasn
’
t all this hatred between the clans,
”
she said, shaking her head as she went about fetching Muira
’
s undergarments and clothes. 
“
Maybe, in time, your marriage might help to heal things though?
”
she said thoughtfully.

“
Do you think so?
”
Muira wrinkled her nose doubtfully, and set about washing her face and hands with the warm water that Cait had brought for the purpose.

“
Well, your children will be half-Cameron and half-MacRae,
”
Cait pointed out practically. 
“
They
’
ll belong to both clans.
”

“
Or neither clan,
”
Muira muttered, but not so that Cait could hear.  Her friend was clearly trying her hardest to stay positive. 
“
I wanted to wear my blue dress for the coach ride.  It
’
s the warmest one I have,
”
she sighed wearily, wanting to talk about something uncomplicated and mundane. 

Muira didn
’
t really pay very much attention to what was happening as Cait helped her to dress.  She didn
’
t even glance at the reflection in the mirror while her friend brushed, plaited and fixed her hair.  She was staring instead at the heavy gold ring that now adorned the forth finger of her left hand, playing with it nervously, and then tensing when the bedroom door opened.   The tread of heavy boots announced her husband
’
s return.

“
Everything
’
s ready to go, Muira,
”
Lachlan
’
s said from across the other side of the room. 

Cait squeezed Muira
’
s shoulder tight and dropped a kiss onto her cheek. 
“
It
’
s going to all right,
”
she whispered. 
“
You
’
re going to be fine.
”
  And then before Muira had a chance to respond, she turned away, curtsied to Lachlan MacRae and slipped out of the bedroom.

“
We
’
re really going then,
”
Muira sighed, more to herself than to her Lachlan, but he heard and nodded. 

“
We
’
re really going.
”

..ooOOoo..

Watching Muira say her goodbyes was surprisingly difficult.  Growing up surrounded by women, Lachlan had seen how vitally important friends and family were to them, and here he was ripping her away from everyone that she knew and loved.

No!
  A voice argued vehemently. 
He
was not the one doing the ripping, this was all Muira
’
s doing.  It felt harder to blame her now though, now that he understood her reasons a little better.  He still didn
’
t believe that she had been right to act as she had done, but he was beginning to understand what had pushed her into it. 

Of course, that wasn
’
t going to help him greatly when he turned up at Eilean Donan Castle with a Cameron bride.  Lachlan tried to ignore that problem for just a little longer.  He turned to see Muira clinging to the woman he
’
d found in her room half an hour beforehand.  She moved onto her brothers and father afterwards, hugging each of them fiercely before saying a few parting words of thanks to her uncle, the laird.  At least he
’
d married well, Lachlan through dryly, bracing himself for one final lecture as Ewan walked over to him.

“
You lay another finger on-
”

“
This is getting repetitive and boring, Ewan,
”
Lachlan growled.  He watched the other man
’
s lip twist in a sneer.

“
Muira is
still
my sister, MacRae.
”

“
But now she
’
s also my wife,
”
Lachlan breathed harshly. 
“
Which means she
’
s now my concern, and not yours.
”
  He paused and then gambled. 
“
If you really thought I was going to hurt her then you wouldn
’
t have let me marry her, you would have finished it that day, when you came to see me in the castle dungeons,
”
he argued roughly, watching Ewan Cameron
’
s face for his reaction.