With an unexpected amount of impetus, Aldred stood. His shoulders back, his face a mask of fury, he said, “And what will ye do then, Lachlann?”
Lachlann drew back at the outburst and frowned. “As I said, I will see to them.” He kept his voice steady despite his friend’s accusatory tone.
“How far is it ye will go to ‘see to them’? Shall we be honest? Ye will see toher.”
Lachlann struggled to hide his irritation. “They’ve both suffered.”
“Had a shock?” Aldred laughed, his face turning heavenward before glaring back at Lachlann. “Finn had a shock. He saw a dead man. A man he knew. A man he may or may not have cared for.” He scrunched his face in disgust. “Shehad no shock.Shecommitted murder.”
“Murder?” Lachlann glanced toward them, but neither showed any sign of having heard Aldred’s angry outburst. “’Twas an accident. The stool leg pierced his body when he fell on it. Ye saw how he treated her. He was waiting for a chance to get to her. I left her unprotected, and he found his chance. I dinna know how far he was able to get.”
“Stop!”
If his friend had suddenly punched him in the face, Lachlann would have been able to make more sense of the man than he could right now.
Aldred tipped his head. “She is not Thomasina. Ye know that, do ye not?”
“I dinna underst—”
“Ye do! I’m afeared for ye. Ye’ve fallen hard for a lass we know little about, yet ye’re willing to defend her, to make excuses for everything she does. As if she is a lass deserving yer protection.”
“Shedoesdeserve my protection. Not only mine. Ours! She deservesourprotection.” It had been a night of revelations, and this side of Aldred was pushing Lachlann further than he wanted to go. “Ye’ve seen the way she’s treated just as I have.”
“We’ve come to locate the silver, not to come charging in to save anyone.”
“How can I not?” Lachlann took a slow breath, steadying his desire to feel the fat of Aldred’s cheek against his hard fist. “Ye and I are not alike. Ye dinna feel about things as I do. I try to respect that. I ask that ye do the same for me. Will ye do as I ask?”
Aldred’s lips tightened into a flat line before he answered. “Do I tell Domelch that her beloved brother is dead at Ethne’s hand?”
Clenching his teeth, Lachlann was glad for the darkness so his friend would not see the intense anger in his expression, churning up from the more intense anger deep in his chest. “Tell them there has been an accident and ye’re not sure what happened, but they need to come back as soon as possible. I dinna want ye to lie.”
“That is a lie.”
Lachlann squared his shoulders. Counted to five. Nothing worked. He yanked at Aldred’s tunic, pulling him up close to his face. He spoke through clenched teeth. “Ye are being an arse. Now, do as I told ye and dinna stray from what I’ve said.”
The whites of Aldred’s eyes gleamed in the darkness. He was livid and didn’t speak until Lachlann allowed his feet to again flatten on the ground. Even then he pulled at his chest, readjusting his crumbled tunic before he finally spoke. “I’m afeared ye’ll take the blame, Lachlann.”
Lachlann said nothing. He hadn’t considered that. He hadn’t thought that far ahead. He hadn’t thought of how to proceed at all, he’d only been reacting.
“There’ll be no help for ye if ye do.” Aldred all but bristled. “We’ve nothing of value to give them for the man’s life. If they take ye as a hostage, we’ll have to travel back and beg Niall’s uncle for mercy and his help. And that man is a selfish whoreson who’ll probably reject us outright.”
Aldred was jumping ahead, and that wasn’t helping. Lachlann needed to focus on the battle at hand and said nothing. He noticed Ethne standing behind them, the babe asleep in her arms and Finn beside her.
“I hope she is worth it.” Aldred stomped off, avoiding Ethne’s questioning glance.
“Lachlann?” Her eyes rounded in confusion. Even she could see the man’s anger. “Where is Aldred going?”
“Let us sit.” Lachlann waited until she was settled to answer her.
“He’s gone to tell yer brother and Aidan. They will want to know what happened.” Lachlann let go of his breath and asked, “Can ye tellmewhat happened?”
She turned a surprised look at him. “But I told ye.”
“Specifics, Ethne. I need to know exactly.”
There was the flash of a frown right before she started. “I was getting out of the tub, changing into my filthyléineso my underdress could dry.” She faced him, her eyes glazed as if she were no longer seeing him but reliving the events. “Uradech came toward me, tried to pull the gown out of my hands, but I fought him. He stumbled back and…fell.”
“And his purpose was to force himself on ye?” Lachlann studied her hand where it clenched his knee, her nails ripped and broken. “Ye didna want him to touch ye?
