Yes, he could, she thought bitterly to herself. She could believe that of him.
Reginald never included her in his dealings; she had no knowledge of what he did or didn’t do. But her instincts about him made her quite nervous that he was, in fact, involved.
“I am sorry to hear of that, Sir Kieran, but I doubt he had anything to do with it. He is a man of strong moral principles. I can’t see that he would do such a thing.”
Vivien had to protect Reginald, even if it turned out that she was a liar.
“Is there any proof to your claims?” she asked mildly.
“Nae, I cannae find anything in the forest, but my gut says he has knowledge o’ it. If he does not, I will owe him an apology he will never receive. Not with the way I have been treated today.” There was an unmistakable undercurrent of anger in his tone.
“I do apologize again; Lord Stone is not here, as I said,” Vivien repeated herself, her exasperation at Kieran’s stiffness towards her was wearing her down.
“Aye, ye said as much. If it had only been the attack on my men that had happened, I would not suspect yer Lord Stone. But all o’ my fields o’ wheat were razed tae the ground last night. One incident can be ignored; two is just too much o’ a coincidence. He must ken something,” Kieran shrugged.
“I will speak with him, but I do doubt he knows nothing of it.”
“Ye will have tae excuse me if I dinnae believe that for a second, my lady. My best friend nearly died in that attack – my sister was wounded as well. A priceless, precious family heirloom was stolen from my sister. A necklace our Mam left tae her. Our family crest is on it. If ye happen tae see it – you’ll know just who your husband really is,” Kieran said, his arms crossed over his chest, a look of complete conviction written in the lines of his frown.
“I am sorry to hear that; I really am. I hope that it is found and that your friend heals fully. I just don’t see what Lord Stone would want with such an item; never mind why he would attack your clan with no reason to. But I will speak to him, as I promised.”
“Ye ken, I don’t believe that for a second. I think yer covering for him – ye ken full well he did this, an’ ye won’t admit it.”
Vivien stiffened her spine, the insult not unnoticed.
“I am doing no such thing. I know nothing of my husband’s dealings; I am not involved in the politics of his business. All I can do is speak with him,” she retorted, her voice ice cold with her own fury at the way that Kieran was treating her. He had no right to speak to her in such a manner.
“I dinnae believe ye, something tells me ye have no problem lying tae me,” he all but growled at her, anger radiating off him like fire, “I think yer playing games, lass, an’ I dinnae care for it. I don’t ken what ye think yer gaining by lying abou’ who ye are, an’ hiding the truth o’ yer husband’s ill-dealings on my land. But I dinnae buy it, an’ I don’t appreciate it one bit.”
Kieran had slowly been walking towards Vivien without her really paying attention to it. But now, he was close enough that she could reach out her arm and pull him into an embrace.
She would not do that. She would not allow herself to. She already had an unstable husband; she did not need Kieran adding to that aspect of her life.
“Be that as it may, Sir Kieran, it matters not if you do or don’t believe me. The truth is still the truth. I am not lying to you.”
“Yer playing a dangerous game if ye are, Lady Stone,” Kieran said, no trace of his flirtatious attitude to be found in his tone.
“I am not playing games, I assure you of that, Laird Kieran.” Vivien refused to let Kieran rattle her. She might not have been able to hold her own against Reginald, but Kieran did not scare her, regardless of how upset he might be.
Kieran took a step closer to her, fire blazing in his eyes. His face was mere inches from hers as he slowly wrapped his hand around her throat. His grip was neither rough nor gentle, but it spoke volumes as to what Vivien saw in his eyes.
Desire.
Vivien knew she should have been afraid of Kieran at that moment; he could easily cut off her air supply and leave her there for dead. But she felt no fear, no anxiety. Only the rampant heat coursing through her veins.
His breath tickled the hair that had brushed into her face. Kieran gently pushed the hair behind her ear with his other hand. Vivien knew that if she only leaned forward slightly and touched her lips to his, that Kieran would not deny her.
The lust between them burned stronger than pitch on fire.
A new sensation began to course through Vivien.
Anger.
She was suddenly, inexplicably, angry. She was angry at her situation; being married to Reginald had brought her nothing but pain. She despised herself for wanting another man when she had no right to. She was mad at Kieran for what he did to her, unwittingly or not.
Something in her face must have changed, she thought. Before she knew it, Kieran’s hand disappeared from her throat, leaving her bewildered and confused.
And more disturbingly, bereft.
