A Beautiful Lie (The Camaraes) (83 page)

“
Oh!
”
Muira couldn
’
t help but gasp, nor could she help from beaming like a simpleton. 
“
I- well- good,
”
she mumbled foolishly, feeling the chuckles that rippled through Lachlan
’
s powerful body at her reaction.

“
You
’
re such a treasure,
”
he murmured thickly, but couldn
’
t hold back another yawn.  Muira popped a kiss against his throat and snuggled down to sleep. 
He was quite a treasure himself
…

Muira slept soundly, or at least she did until the very early hours of the morning, when her rumbling stomach woke her up.  She tried to ignore her hunger, wriggling closer to husband as she tried to snuggle back down to sleep.  However, she had missed supper the night before, and now she was absolutely starving.

Muira carefully disentangled herself from her husband
’
s slumbering body, being very careful not to disturb him.  If she could just creep down to the kitchens, she was sure that no one would mind if she helped herself to a hunk of bread and chunk of cheese, just to tide her over until morning.  She didn
’
t want to cause a fuss and wake any of the servants.

So, Muira dressed quickly, in a simply, plain dress that she could don herself and then made for the door.  She cast a loving look over her shoulder at her husband before slipping out into the hall.  The bright moonlight bathed his naked limbs in a watery glow, urging Muira to linger.  He was such a very exquisite specimen of a man.

Muira was almost induced to creep back to be and rouse him
…
but then her stomach gave another embarrassing gurgle, and so she grabbed a candle and darted quickly from the room.  The corridors were deserted, just as Muira had expected, and hoped.  She didn
’
t fancy meeting anyone lurking around the castle at such an hour.  She didn
’
t imagine that they could be up to any good
…

“
Oh rubbish,
”
she scolded herself quietly.  Cait had got her reading too many books!  She was clearly letting her imagination run away with her.  After all,
she
was out and about wandering the castle, and she certainly wasn
’
t up to anything sinister!

Feeling a little of her silly, childish, uneasy lessen, Muira continued on her way to the castle kitchen.  She had never been there before, so it took a little longer to reach her destination than she had expected.  Muira just hoped Lachlan wouldn
’
t wake and find her gone.  Lord knows what he
’
d think!

She looked around the large castle kitchen, quickly finding a little side pantry where they was some bread and cheese, and half a cold chicken.  Muira took as much as she thought she could dare without the food being missed.  She piled a plate, stealing a few quick bites of food, before intending to carry her spoils back up to her bedroom
…
except Muira suddenly heard footsteps.

She wasn
’
t sure what induced her to do it
–
she wasn
’
t doing anything wrong after all, but Muira quickly snuffed her candle, grabbed her plate and hid herself inside a large cupboard where the castle pewter appeared to be kept.

The footsteps drew nearer
…
not the light tread of a maid send to fetch something for their master or mistress, but the heavy tread of a man.  Muira shrank back against the shelves, as the sound grew louder, she couldn
’
t see out into the pantry, but that seemed to be where the man was now. 

Muira
’
s heart was beating so loudly that she feared it might give her away!  She listened as he shuffled around, praying that he wouldn
’
t come to the cupboard, and then she gasped
–
a sound clearly audible
–
when she heard the man curse in a terrifyingly familiar voice.

It was Tavish!

And she was certain that he must have heard her!  Muira clapped a hand over her mouth and felt an icy trickle of fear run down her spine.  She held her breath, not even daring to breath, as Tavish went very quiet on the other side of the door.  He was clearly now moving without trying to make a sound.  Muira could just picture him, bending low to look under the table, looking behind the large kitchen door, drawing ever closer to her hiding place
…

Muira was shaking, almost certain that Tavish was so close on the other side of the thin cupboard door that she could smell the heavy masculine scent of his skin, and then
…
there was the sound of scurrying as something was overturned and Tavish began cursing again.

“
A rat!  A damn filthy rat!  Stinking MacRaes!
”
  Tavish continued muttering darkly, but Muira hardly heard the rest of what he said.  She sagged with relief and just prayed that Tavish would leave soon! 

He didn
’
t.  He lingered for what felt like hours.  Muira
’
s muscles began to spasm and cramp in protest of the strange position in which she had contorted herself.  She hoped that Lachlan might come and find her, she didn
’
t care if he was angry; she was still simply terrified of being discovered by Tavish!

And what was he
doing
down in the kitchens anyway?  Muira was convinced that whatever it was, it couldn
’
t be anything innocent!  She wished she
’
d hidden somewhere where she might have been able to see what he was up to
…

Eventually, just as a clock somewhere began to chime four, Tavish finished whatever it was that he had been doing and left the pantry and castle kitchens.  Muira almost wept with reveal
–
she was all right
–
her baby
was all right!  Still, she waited several long minutes before creeping slowly from her hiding place.  She tiptoed out of the kitchen, expecting large, cruel hands to grip her at any moment and subject her to Tavish
’
s depraved will.

When nothing happened, Muira began to move more quickly, so that by the time she reached the chambers that she shared with her husband she was running at a full sprint.

Lachlan instantly jerked awake at the sound of his wife barrelling through the door, and grunted something sleepily and puzzled that she couldn
’
t understand, then yawned, and murmured:
“
hungry?
”

Muira blinked, she hadn
’
t even realised that she was still carrying the plate of food in one hand, and her extinguished candle in the other. 

“
Lachlan, I
’
ve just been down to the kitchens!
”
she blurted, putting the plate and candlestick down impatiently.

“
So I can I see,
”
Lachlan yawned again, grinning slightly.

“
No, no, you don
’
t!
”
she said, panicked. 
“
Tavish was there!
”
she cried.

“
What?!
”
he roared, leaping out of bed.  It Lachlan had been half-asleep before then he was wide-awake now. 
“
What did he do to you?
”
he demanded, looking stricken.

“
Nothing-
”

“
Muira!
”

“
I- I hid in a cupboard,
”
she confessed, feeling a little embarrassed.  The way that Lachlan
’
s whole body instantly sagged was deeply touching however.  He dragged her into his arms and crushed her against his naked body.

“
Thank God,
”
he groaned, and then pulled back slightly. 
“
What the hell were you doing alone down in the kitchens at this time of night anyway?!
”
he bellowed.

“
I was hungry,
”
Muira winced, and then said quickly, before Lachlan could shout again:
“
the point is, what was Tavish doing down there?
”

Lachlan frowned. 
“
The same as you I would imagine.  Finding himself a midnight snack?
”
he shrugged, and then grimaced. 
“
Probably after despoiling a maid or two on his way- damn him!  I
’
ll-
”

“
No!
”
Muira interrupted urgently. 
“
He was up to something, Lachlan!
”
she pressed desperately, but to her dismay her husband didn
’
t look entirely convinced.

“
Up to what?
”
he asked. 
“
What did you see him do?
”
he demanded.