A Beautiful Lie (The Camaraes) (88 page)

“
Do you think so?  Don
’
t you think people might start asking themselves if
you
were involved before worrying about me?
”
Lachlan asked innocently. 

“
You
’
ve already got your man locked up downstairs in the dungeons,
”
Tavish said confidently.

“
We have
a
man locked up downstairs in the dungeons, whether or not he
’
s the
right
man remains to be seen,
”
Lachlan argued lightly.

“
Is that so?
”
Tavish breathed, walking closer to where Lachlan was sitting. 
“
And what would make you think that you had the wrong man?
”

“
What would you say, Mr MacEantach,
”
Lachlan said briskly, suddenly jumping to his feet in an unexpected display of energy. 
“
If I told you that I had a witness who says that you were down in the kitchens during the earlier hours of this morning?
”

“
I
’
d say you were a liar,
”
Tavish gave an oily smile.

“
Would you?  That
’
s interesting.  I think my witness would disagree,
”
Lachlan remarked mildly.

“
There is no witness,
”
Tavish argued, so
convincingly that Lachlan might have believed him if he didn
’
t already know the truth. 
“
I didn
’
t leave me room all night.
”

“
No?  Not even for a glass of water?  A midnight snack?
”
Lachlan pressed calmly. 
“
So you wouldn
’
t have been in the little pantry on the left of the main kitchen at about 3 o
’
clock this morning?
”

“
No!
”
Tavish snarled, and Lachlan watched a revealing flicker of
something
spark in the other man
’
s eyes.

“
You
’
re quite sure?
”
he asked again with a smile.

“
I don
’
t know what you
’
re trying to prove-
”

“
That you tried to murder the Laird, and countless other members of this clan to start a war,
”
Lachlan said simply, calmly, as if he had remarked on nothing more remarkable than the weather.

Tavish
’
s greasy grin grew in this display of confidence. 
“
And who would believe you?
”
he smirked. 
“
I
’
ve just told you what everyone will think.  If it
’
s just your word they
’
ll think you
’
re trying to cover your own back.  They
’
ll kill you without blinking for plotting against their beloved Graem.
”

A muscle was ticking in Lachlan
’
s jaw, but he reigned in his temper. 
“
And you
’
d love that wouldn
’
t you, MacEantach?
”

“
It
’
s no less than what you deserve,
”
Tavish hissed, glaring hatefully at the other man.

“
Well I know that
’
s what you think, but what I
’
m trying to work out is if you actually have the nerve to do anything about it,
”
Lachlan growled in reply. 
“
You
’
re very good at throwing your weight around when the victim of your assault is too weak to fight back,
”
he snarled bitterly, thinking about all the times that Tavish had tried to harm Muria.  His fists clenched into two tight balls. 
“
You know, something as cowardly as indiscriminating poisoning half of the castle
does
sound just like something you
’
d do.
”

“
And you
’
re a man of honour are you?
”
Tavish barked. 
“
You stole my fianc
é
!
”

“
Good God man!  You tried to rape her!
”

“
She was mine!
”

“
Muira was never yours,
”
Lachlan spat, his temper fraying.  It took every ounce of self-control that he possessed to stop him from reaching forwards and snapping the other man
’
s neck. 

“
What about when you
’
re dead, MacRae?
”
Tavish whispered.  There was a truly manic glint in his eyes now, Lachlan couldn
’
t help but noticed it, and prayed that the other man was about to slip up and reveal something crucial. 

“
Dead?
”
he echoed slowly.

“
As I said before, once the rest of your clan have put the pieces of the puzzle together you won
’
t last long,
”
Tavish gloated. 
“
You
’
ll be execute along with your dear brother-in-law, the clans will go to war, no one here will want a Cameron woman to stay, and so no one will miss Muria when I take her back to Castle Cameron.
”

“
You did all this to get Muria?
”
Lachlan gaped, a cold trickle of dread slithering down his back.  He hadn
’
t considered that- he
’
d thought it was just the usual terrible clan rivalry and hated spurring Tavish on.  True, he had considered that Tavish had personal reasons for lashing out at him and Ewan
…
but he
’
d never thought he
’
d try and steal away Muira.

“
I
’
m going to make her pay for the humiliation she caused me!
”

“
Do you honestly think I
’
d let you?
”
Lachlan roared.

“
Do you honestly think that you can stop me?
”
Tavish smirked wickedly. 
“
I
’
m going to enjoy watching them hang you.  You should have known the second I stepped inside this castle that things between us weren
’
t over, but no, you were so smug, so secure.  It was ridiculously easy.  Setting you up.
”

Lachlan drew a deep breath and glanced over at the portrait that hung above the fireplace, and then his eyes flickered back towards Tavish. 
“
You sound very confident about all of that, MacEantach,
”
he drawled icily. 
“
Remarkably so, for a man still being held in my castle.
”

“
You can
’
t tell anyone the truth.  They
’
d never believe you.
”

“
I
’
m not so sure about that,
”
hissed a new voice. 

Lachlan smiled grimly.  He turned his head a fraction, just far enough to see that Ross and Donaid had emerged from the secret passage that ran around the periphery of the stateroom
…

Lachlan had instructed Ross to take Donaid, and for them to listen to whatever exchange took place between himself and Tavish.  The Captain looked ready to kill Tavish on the spot.  Donaid looked pale, betrayed, but there was grave, if hollow, look in his eyes that told Lachlan he believed every word that he had just heard.  He had probably been having difficulty reconciling himself with the fact that his cousin had been accused of being the would-be assassin anyway.

When Lachlan turned back to Tavish he saw that the man bore the look of a snared animal- wild, and trapped, and ready to lash out recklessly, which was exactly what Tavish did.