Her heart lurched. Sean had said she prevaricated, too. She turned back to the woods he’d disappeared in. She felt empty.
“I told ye I found her in a compromising situation.”
She spun around at that. Lachlann watched her even as he spoke to Niall.
“Ye started to say—”
“Nae! Dunna discuss me as if I’m not right here. Nothing happened that I dinna want to have happen.”
Niall’s eyes widened, his expression seemed frozen with fear. “Tell me what ye’ve done, Tommy.”
Fear fluttered in her stomach at the look. “’Tis not what ye think.”
“What is it I think?”
“That he made love to me.” Thomasina’s eyes closed as her mind remembered how close they’d come. Yes, she had wanted him to make love to her, to hold her in his strong arms, and show her all that… pleasure.
She opened her eyes to find Niall almost nose to nose with her.
“Stop trying to lie to me!”
Lachlann drew Niall back. When he finally stopped glaring at her and turned to him, Lachlann gave a little shake of his head. Giving his full attention to Thomasina now, Lachlann gave her his best attentive expression. Stepping a bit closer, the small line between his eyes deepened. “So tell us what we dunna ken.”
“Thank ye. When father came here—”He caught me in Sean’s arms.No, better not to say that. “He demanded to ken if I was still a virgin.”
Niall scowled. “Why would he think ye were not?”
Oh did she need to tell him? No!
“Ye ken how father is. He always thinks the worst of me.”
“That’s true enough. I’m sorry, Tom.” Niall stroked her cheek.
The memory of Sean’s hand on her cheek made her heart clench.
“So tell me what ye said to him.”
“Well… Sean punched him in the face.”
Niall, Lachlann and Aldred stood stock still, as if shocked speechless, then started laughing. Loud, uncontainable laughter.
Thomasina gave a little laugh as well. “It was sort of funny, to see him knocked on his arse.”
“He’s done it to me enough,” Niall said as he struggled to catch his breath. “Ah, that Sean has balls of steel.”
“He does! And a fist to match,” Lachlann added, grabbing his jaw where the man had punched him.
They started laughing again. It took them a long moment to realize she wasn’t joining this time.
“Sean is a good man.”
They sobered and exchanged concerned looks again.
“We dinna say he was not. He may indeed be agoodman,” Niall said. “He’s just not therightman.”
“How do ye ken?” Thomasina whirled around and left them in the cave.
She gazed off the way Sean had gone. He wouldn’t be back. They had dismissed him and he’d done nothing to defend himself. He’d done nothing to change their mind. He’d done nothing like profess his deepest desire was to marry her.
