A Beautiful Lie (The Camaraes) by Stephanie Sterling Page A

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.
     
    There was a flicker of something in the other man ’ s eyes.  It wasn ’ t respect, but it might have been reluctant agreement.
     
    “ All right, MacRae, ” Ewan nodded.  “ But don ’ t think that means you ’ re safe. ”
     
    “ I wouldn ’ t dream of it, ” Lachlan grunted, turning back to find that Muira was now waiting beside the carriage.  “ Ready lass? ” he asked, not waiting for her to answer before offering his hand to help her up into the coach. 
     
    Lachlan followed after her, shutting the door on the Cameron clan with a sigh of relief.  Muira waved and shouted her goodbyes, until they were out of sight of the castle and the little party of people who had been there to see her off.  Once they had travelled through the castle gates she sank back onto her seat, her face downcast as she studiously studied her lap.
     
    “ Do you suppose we ’ ll ever come back? ” she asked, in a small voice.
     
    Lachlan thought that he could live the rest of his life quite happily never stepping foot inside Castle Cameron again, but he didn ’ t think that was the reply Muira wanted, and for some reason cheering her up a little was important to him.
     
    “ I should think so, ” he said carefully.  And he did, if he ’ d been having any doubts, then the instant smile that lit Muira ’ s face banished them.
     
    They rolled along in near silence after that.  Lachlan studied Muira as she gazed out of the window, watching the scenery of her childhood pass by as she helplessly left it behind.  Occasionally she would point something out to him, a particular spot by a brook where she and her brothers used to picnic when they were children, or a stretch of open field were her father had taught her to ride, but for the most part she was silent. 
     
    “ There is it, ” Muira said suddenly, when they were a few hours into their drive.
     
    Lachlan roused himself from his dozy state and glanced out of the window to see what his wife was pointing at this time.  It didn ’ t look like anything terribly significant, and then it hit Lachlan.
     
    “ The spot where I found you, ” he breathed quietly.  Muira nodded her head, and then she turned and shot him a sad