Thomas spit on him and returned to Ethne’s side, Malcolm close behind him.
“I hope she was worth it,” Aidan said in a speculative tone before moving closer to Ethne, lifting her head, and wiping her tears. “Ah, but I’m sure ye are.”
The way the man searched her… If there was ever a time in his life that Lachlann needed to force himself to stand against anything, it was now. No woman was in more need of his protection than she was. And at this very moment. He jerked himself away from the men to stand on his own feet, a wide stance making it slightly easier to hold himself upright, but only slightly.
“So ye belittle her still?” Lachlann asked, but expected no answer. “She deserves a champion, not yer insults.”
“And ye are in no position to judge us,” Malcolm shouted back, but Aidan merely raised a finger to silence him.
Aidan turned his steady gaze back to Lachlann. “So have ye taken what ye came for?”
“I’ve found more than what I came for,” Lachlann said, turning his gaze on Ethne in the hope she would understand his words of love.
“Ethne said it was silver they came for,” Malcolm said to Aidan.
Her expression revealed her regret at revealing the truth, but Lachlann didn’t need to witness it to know her confession had come under duress. Mayhap even inhisdefense.
“We’ve come from the priory.” His jaw clamped tight, but then he thought better of keeping silent. “’Twas the silver they wanted us to retrieve for them.”
“So deflowering virgins was an added benefit?” Aidan questioned him as if he’d come into their tribe with the sole purpose of doing just that. “Ah, but ye’ve promised to take her to wife. Is that not what ye promised her?”
It had not been that way at all. The man was making Lachlann sound lecherous, but he refused to bare his soul to Aidan. Instead, Lachlann asked, “Think ye she would choose to stay with ye? And yer belittling?”
“Unless ye can pay us for the life of the one ye murdered, ye can go nowhere until we deal with the loss. Just compensation must be made.”
Lachlann’s gut squeezed. He had no such funds, and he was fairly certain Aidan knew that.
“I am the one who killed him.” Ethne’s declaration made Lachlann cringe. The others in the group began murmuring, and Aidan had new eyes for the lass beside him.
“Is that so?” he asked, amazingly unperturbed by the revelation.
Lachlann spoke up, gasping with pain as he did. “She lies. She’s trying to protect me.”
Aidan did not even glance his way, but held his hand up to silence the others. “Well, ye wish to claim the murder was at yer hand?”
“Not murder. An accident,” she said.
With a slow sweep of his tongue, Aidan wetted his lips as if he were about to eat his favorite meal. “Go on, little Ethne. Tell me what ye did.”
“Uradech came to the cave and found me undressed.”
“Were ye with Lachlann?” Aidan’s question was an accusation.
“Nay!” Lachlann and Ethne answered at the same time.
“But did Lachlann not stay behind with ye? Did he not try to get betwixt yer legs?” Aidan’s guttural laugh brought a smile to those around him. “How long have ye been laying with him?”
“’Twas not like that!" She sounded defensive. “He was outside with Finn. I was taking a bath”
“A bath?” Thomas barked a laugh. “After he took yer maidenhead?”
“We had not yet—nay!” She wiped at her face, but Lachlann could think of nothing to stop this terrible confession. “Uradech insisted he would take me to wife, that he had yer blessing, and he was there to force himself on me if I didna take him willingly to my bed.”
“Ye understood he had my blessing then?” Aidan asked.
The air stilled in Lachlann’s chest. He prayed she would not respond.
“Aye, butIdidna consent. He chased me, and when he would have ripped my clothing away, he fell back on the stool and it crashed beneath him. ’Twas the leg of the stool that pierced him, killing him.”
