Page 62 of Bewitching her Highland Savior

CHAPTERTWENTY-EIGHT

“How dare ye come into this room and threaten the daughter of the laird?” Hextilda shouted, much to Liam’s alarm and surprise. He glanced between her and Muriel, a confused frown on his face that matched Muriel’s own. “I caught him sneakin’ into Muriel’s chambers, Laird Macleod! He’s in disguise but I kent the moment I saw him open her door that he was up to nae good. I’m sure he came here to violate her virtue!”

“I did nae such thing,” Liam said; trying to keep his voice calm and even. He didn’t want to allow that woman to make him seem any worse to Laird McNeil than she already had. “Lady Hextilda was already here before me. I admit that I came for Muriel but nae to violate her virtue.”

“What for, then?” Laird McNeil asked, even though Liam was certain he already knew the answer.

Liam's silence revealed more of his guilt than he would have liked. He had no excuse for being in Muriel's chambers at such a late hour, especially since Laird McNeil had seen him leave with his own two eyes. He had no explanation for her mother's disappearance from Laird McNeil's care. He had no justification for the fire in the grain reserves.

Laird McNeil was a wise man, and it didn't take a wise man to figure out that Liam was behind all of this. If he couldn't bargain or fight his way out of there, the punishment would be nothing short of horrific.

“Faither, please!” Muriel said – taking a few tentative steps toward the man. “Liam… Liam didnae do anythin’. I was the one who asked him to help me escape. If ye must punish someone, punish me.”

“I dinnae think that’s true,” Laird McNeil said; glancing at Laird Macleod.

Between the two of them, Liam didn’t know who he loathed more.

“Laird McNeil, yer wife tried to kill Muriel,” Liam said. He'd had enough of people treating Muriel like an object, something to be bartered or discarded without hesitation. Even her own family, with the exception of her mother, seemed to regard her as nothing more than that, paying no attention to her well-being. “Nae just once. Several times. She was the one who sent the assassins after us.”

Laird McNeil’s eyes narrowed as he looked at Hextilda who was quick to deny it. “I would never!” she said. “The lad is lyin’ so he can save himself.”

“How can ye say that?” Muriel asked before Liam could say anything. “Ye told me yerself that ye’ve been tryin’ to kill me all this time! Ye told me this wouldnae have happened had I stayed in Edinburgh. Faither, ye must believe me! Why would I lie to ye about this?”

“To distract me from the real problem here,” Laird McNeil said and Liam saw Muriel’s face fall; whatever small hope and trust she still had left in her father dissipating. “The real problem is Liam McAlpine.”

"Russell McAlpine," Liam sighed, tired of correcting everyone, despite the fact that he was well aware that this was the least of his problems. “Punish me all ye want but if ye want yer daughter to live, I’d tell ye to take a good look at the kind of person yer wife is, me laird. If she tried to kill Muriel so many times, nothin’ will stop her from tryin’ again.”

That seemed to give the laird pause. It didn’t surprise Liam. For all he wanted to pin the crime on him, he didn’t want to lose his only heir just because his wife held a grudge against her.

“It’s true,” Muriel said. “She came to kill me herself tonight. She willnae stop. Look, I can prove it.”

As she spoke, Muriel showed her father and everyone else in the room the cut that Hextilda had given her. Blood had soaked her torn sleeve but the wound had long stopped bleeding, leaving Muriel with nothing more than a sting.

“How do we ken that it wasnae Liam McAlpine who did this?” Macleod asked. “How do we ken that she’s nae protectin’ him?”

"Why would I defend him if he was attempting to harm me?" Muriel asked; her voice almost hysterical. It was impossible to argue with them when no one listened to her and no one used common sense.

Laird McNeil pinched the bridge of his nose with a sigh; looking at the four of them as though he were trying to make up his mind. “I will get to the bottom of this and I’ll deal with Lady Hextilda,” he said. “But only once I have dealt with ye, Liam.”

“Faither—”

“Enough, Muriel,” Laird McNeil snapped; cutting her plea short. “Ye’ve done and said enough. I’ll do with Liam as I see fit.”

Liam had no doubt that Laird McNeil would do just that. His chance to leave unscathed had passed. Now all he could do was hope that the laird wouldn’t be too cruel to him – that he feared his clan too much to do anything rash.

“Laird McNeil, if I may,” Macleod said; catching the attention of everyone in the room. “I think it’s also up to me to decide a fittin’ punishment, since Muriel is to be me wife soon. Liam McAlpine hasnae only disgraced ye and Muriel. He’s disgraced me, too.”

“Ye have nae problem disgracin’ yerself, me laird,” Liam told Macleod now that he had no need or desire to be polite to him. “Ye can manage it all on yer own.”

Macleod gave him a bitter, mocking laugh – the kind of laugh that clearly told Liam it didn’t matter how much he insulted him because he had already won. Liam could say anything he wanted and none of it would make any difference to anyone in the room, except for Muriel.

“As I was sayin’,” Macleod continued, unperturbed by Liam’s comment, “I think I should get a say in what kind of punishment he receives.”

“Verra weel,” Laird McNeil said with no hesitation. Liam was eager to please Macleod, now that he and Muriel had enraged the man even more. Laird McNeil would go to any length to remain on his good side. “Name the punishment.”

“I want him to hang,” Macleod said.

Liam would be lying if he said he hadn’t expected it. He was well aware of Macleod’s hatred for him and Liam had made himself a target by falling in love with Muriel. It was only natural that Macleod would want him dead and now that he had his chance to kill him, he wouldn’t pass it up.