A Beautiful Lie (The Camaraes) (52 page)

“
No!  Of course not!
”
Muira said quickly, an anxious little frown clouded her previously happy face.  She stood up too. 
“
I didn
’
t mean-
”

“
I know,
”
Lachlan cut her off.  She missed them- that was all.  She had been torn from her family and friends, and everything that was safe and familiar, he should be able to understand and appreciate that.  Lachlan just wished that he were enough to keep her happy
…
 

“
When do you think they
’
ll come?
”
Muira asked quietly.  She seemed hesitant to pursue the subject, but equally unable to let it drop.

Lachlan shrugged his shoulders. 
“
A few weeks perhaps.  Graem will want to finish-
”
he stopped talking abruptly.  He wasn
’
t at liberty to disclose the Laird
’
s plans, just telling Muira that they planned to invite the Camerons for talks was risky enough.  His wife was looking at him expectantly however. 
“
I can
’
t say lass, but you
’
ll find out soon enough.
”

“
Oh-
”
Muira looked hurt, but she didn
’
t try and press him for an explanation.  Her eyes darted suspiciously in the direction of the study however. 
“
Of course, I understand,
”
she muttered. 
“
I suppose we have to go down to supper?
”
she asked, changing the subject suddenly.

“
Looking like this?
”
Lachlan grinned.  His eyes roamed greedily over his wife
’
s dishevelled figure.  Muira
’
s cheeks reddened again.

“
Liane could-
”

“
-Bring something up for us?
”
he said, grinning cheekily.
“
Quite right, just what I was thinking.
”

“
I
wasn
’
t
thinking that!
”
Muira giggled.

“
Well I missed you today, and don
’
t feel much like sharing you over supper,
”
Lachlan confessed, keeping his tone light enough for Muira to think that he was merely teasing.

“
Lachlan!
”
she gasped, as he pulled her back into his arms.  He tilted his hips and let her feel that he was already impossibly hard.

“
A man has to work up an appetite,
”
he purred, eyes glinting wickedly.

“
I think your appetite
’
s just fine!
”
Muira squealed, just before her lips were captured again.

..ooOOoo..

Time wore on, and a day turned into a week, a week into a fortnight, and before Muira even realised it, she had been married for nearly a month.  She was finding it difficult to come to terms with that fact.  It was so hard to feel comfortable at Eilean Donan.  Muira had hoped, that by the time she had been living at her new home for this long, she would have started to feel settled, but if anything the reverse was true.

The glares and whispers hadn
’
t stopped.  The resentment hadn
’
t lessened.  When it became clear to the MacRae clan that Lachlan wasn
’
t going to sacrifice his wife to regain their good opinion their dislike of Muira only increased.  Muira thought she would have been able to cope with that
…
if only her husband hadn
’
t also become so distant!

He was working hard on something with Laird MacRae- something he refused to discuss with Muira.  He stayed held up in his study for
hours
at a time, rarely even emerging to eat, and snarling at Muira if she dared interrupt his solitude by taking him a plate of food.  The only time that she did still see him seemed to be in bed.  Lachlan
’
s hunger for her body hadn
’
t lessened, but it was somehow different to before, even then he was distracted.

Muira was thoroughly miserable.  There was no one she could turn to- Liane was a dear, and Bridghe still visited her frequently, but Muira didn
’
t feel that she could confide in either of them.  She lived in hope being told when the Camerons were going to visit.  She wanted desperately to see her brothers, but Lachlan hadn
’
t mentioned it again, and she didn
’
t dare bring it up.

She was sat on their bed one evening, clad in her nightdress and shawl, trying to read as Lachlan worked away in his study as usual, when her unhappiness became to great to contain.  The words on the pages blurred in front of her eyes, and great fat tears began to roll down her cheeks.  Muira choked back a sob, afraid at first of begin heard, but the harder she tried to fight back her tears the more desperately they struggled to break free.  She crumpled onto the mattress in a little pile, clutching a pillow to try and muffle the sounds of her crying.

Muira wasn
’
t sure how long she had been lying there weeping when she felt the light pressure of a hand touch her back.  She gasped and tensed, trying to turn away from the touch, but she was gently held in place.

“
Muira?
”
Lachlan
’
s voice was ragged with concern. 
“
Lass, what
’
s wrong?
”

“
N-nothing,
”
she stammered, curling in on herself and resisting her husband
’
s attempts to lift her into his arms.  Her efforts were in vain however, and she soon found herself bundled against his chest.

“
Tell me?
”
Lachlan begged, sweeping her damp hair out of her eyes. 
“
What
’
s happened?
”

“
It doesn
’
t matter,
”
Muira murmured. 
How could he not
know
?
”
 
She wondered miserably. 

“
Muira!
”
Lachlan pressed, until she was forced to give some kind of an answer.

“
Why don
’
t you talk to me anymore?
”
she asked quietly, wiping the tears from her eyes and looking at her husband steadily.  Lachlan seemed not to know what to make of the question.  He stared at her blankly for a full minute.

“
I
do
talk to you!
”
he argued, but Muira shook her head.

“
No, you don
’
t, and you
’
re never here- and don
’
t try and tell me that you
are
here Lachlan MacRae!
”
  Muira scowled when her husband opened his mouth as if to disagree with this charge. 
“
Locking yourself in that study does not constitute
‘
being here!
’”
she snapped, pointing an accusing finger towards the study door.

“
Muira,
”
Lachlan growled, and this time when he spoke her name there was a definite note of warning in his voice. 
“
That
’
s enough,
”
he said sternly. 
“
You know that my duties as the clan
’
s tanist-
”

“
And what about your duties as my husband?
”
Muira snapped. 

Lachlan
’
s eyes almost bulged out of his head. 
“
Are you saying that I
’
m
not
tending to those duties to your satisfaction?
”
he choked.

Muira sighed in frustration. 
“
I
’
m saying I need more from you than- than just
that
,
”
she tried to explain, but Lachlan wasn
’
t listening any more.  He lifted her off his lap, placing her roughly back on the bed, before standing up and heading out of the room. 
“
Lachlan?
”
Muira cried, watching in disbelief as he strolled away from her towards the door. 
“
Where are you going?
”
she gaped, jumping off the bed and following him to the door.