Niall’s expression went from shocked, as if unable to comprehend Sean’s words, to horrified that what he’d heard him say was actually true, to disbelief that it might actually be true. He doubled over as he laughed uncontrollably. For quite a while. The sound wore on Thomasina’s nerves. Sean looked absolutely livid but didn’t speak at first.
Glancing at Thomasina with narrowed eyes, he seemed to be assessing how she took her brother’s behavior. She expected no less from him at such a statement since he was so protective.
“Is this yer brother? Are ye certain, Thomasina? The one ye came to for help?”
That received an immediate reaction. Niall stood up, a scowl on his face now. “What are ye asking?”
“Ye’re acting like an arse.” Lachlann spoke up from where he stood with his hip perched against the boulder, still wiping at his lip. “Ye’re acting like her being betrothed is an absurd idea. We all knew it was just a matter of time with her beauty.”
Lachlann smiled toward her then grimaced at the pain from his split lip. He was a sweetheart and the only friend of Niall’s that she would not feel ashamed of having been seen naked in front of.
“Thank ye, Lachlann.”
Sean glanced between the two of them. “Is he laughing because he thinks no one would want ye? Is he daft?”
Thomasina’s face heated. Her brother was her biggest supporter. Their sire was just as cruel to Niall but knew where to draw the line with him. He needed Niall.
Niall pushed out his chest and moved in closer to Sean. “Let me just say I dunna think the only daughter of the MacDonnell Clan would marry someone from across the sea.”
Thomasina shoved her hair over her shoulder and began pacing. “’Tis not like that, Niall.” She turned toward Sean and continued, “And I dunna think ’tis exactly as he said it.”
Sean frowned and crossed his arms, even puckering his lips for effect, and made as if he tried to remember something. His expression dropped with his arms and he nodded. “Nae. ’Tis exactly as I said it. Ye’re my betrothed.”
“Why? Because ye gave my father money for me?”
“Tommy! Nae!” Niall said.
His sympathetic tone started the tears. “It was awful, Niall. He came here and started saying terrible things about me.”
Her brother took her in his strong embrace. She turned her face into his shoulder and let the tears take over.
“Shhh”
“It was the O’Reilly he betrothed me to.”
Niall pulled away at that. “Not that whoreson. That man’s been after ye since ye were just a girl. I saw the attention he gave ye and even at two and ten, I ken it was wrong. When I told father about it, he could not clear his mind enough to understand me.” He shook his head and turned toward his kinsmen. “I was afeared for her.”
“Aye, ye did. We made a vow to never leave her alone with the man,” Aldred said. His stern expression spoke of the seriousness of the offense.
Thomasina shivered, relieved to have no memory of the events.
“That’s why I decided to go back to Uncle Garnait.” He glanced at Sean. “He took over as clan leader when our father fell into a drunken stupor. We were nearly all murdered in our sleep when an enemy snuck in under his nose.”
Thomasina saw no acknowledgement from Sean, just silence.
“I canna believe the old man would do this to ye,” Niall said.
Niall’s pained expression pulled at Thomasina. Her brother had been through a lot trying to look out for them when they were shunned.
“He lost everything,” she said. “He had nothing else to offer him.”
Niall gave her his full attention. “And he doesna have ye. He canna just give ye away like ye’re something to barter. Just because he’s lost all that is rightfully his doesna mean yer nothing but some goods he can trade out.”
Thomasina sniffled and wiped at her nose. “But he did. First he gave the man Daisy. And when that was not enough, he gave him me.”
Niall looked heavenward, closed his eyes, and shook his head as if asking for strength. He faced her again. “Apologies for not being there for ye. I’m here now. What would ye have me do?”
Sean chose that moment to move in closer. “I dunna ken exactly what ye’re speaking of but I meant what I said. I’m taking the lass to wife.”
Niall’s jaw dropped at the same time as her own. Sean’s stoic expression revealed nothing. No feelings of tenderness. No feelings of deep longing. No feelings of anything. Thomasina recovered first.
“Nae, Sean. Ye dunna have to do that. Niall will see to things.”
Sean seemed to still, even his chest stopped rising. He looked at her as if he were seeing her anew. Searching her face, he lifted his hand toward her but dropped it before he touched her. He glanced down, then walked out of the cave.
“I dunna think that was the best way to handle this, Tom.” Lachlann pushed away from the boulder and followed the man. He indicated for Aldred to come as well.
“What should I have said?” Thomasina asked Niall.
The horse snorting outside the cave had Niall and Thomasina following as well. Sean now sat fully clothed on the horse, his sword strapped to the saddle. Her heart leapt into her throat.
Without so much as a glance her way, he said. “I’ve seen ye to yer brother. I’ll be on my way now.”
“Wait!” Thomasina couldn’t breathe. “What are ye doing on Daisy?”
Sean took a deep breath and sighed, bent his knee in his saddle to rest his elbow there. He faced Niall.
“I’ve been trying to explain to yer sister that I paid for the use of this horse during my time here. My time has come to an end. I will be returning the horse and getting back what I put up for collateral. Nothing about that has changed.”
He still didn’t look at her but returned to straddling the horse. Kneeing the animal, Sean urged it to the path that wound down the side of the mountain.
“Ye’re just leaving?” Thomasina started after him but Niall pulled her back.
“Let him go, Tommy.”
It was hard for her to catch her breath. “Nae! He canna just leave me.”
“Why not?” Lachlann’s eyes pierced hers.
“Well, he—he has my horse.”
Lachlann stroked her hair. “We’ll get the horse back.”
She watched until he was out of sight then strained for any sound. She listened to hear him leaving her. Sean was gone. Going back to Eire and… she never learned what it was he went back for. He’d given away his wealth to save her and now he was gone.
“Oh, Niall. I’ve done something terrible.”
Niall and Lachlann exchanged glances but neither spoke.
“I canna just stand here and have him… leave.”
Lachlann urged her back into the cave with an arm around her shoulder. “Why not, Tommy? He said he’d done as ye’d asked.”
She halted inside. “Nae. Ye dunna understand. There was more. He...”
Thomasina closed her eyes and took a calming breath. How much did they need to know? Lachlann had witnessed their intimacy so at least he knew that much. Sean had given up much for her. That was what they needed to know. She opened her eyes to find both men watching her. Her lips twitched into a smile but her stomach felt like a rock had been deposited there.
“Let’s sit,” she said.
Niall shook his head. No one budged. “Ye need to tell me what ye’re trying to not tell me.”
“I’m not trying to not tell ye anything.”
“Oh yea ye are and I ken it, Tommy. That’s the look ye get when ye’re preparing for prevarication.”
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 a good man,” Niall said. “He’s just not the right man.”
“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.
“I thought he cared for me.” Thomasina whispered this time.
Someone came up behind her and she brushed a tear from her cheek. Lachlann put a comforting arm around her, pulling her close to his side. “I’m thinking ye may be sweet on the man.”
She shook her head but the tears kept sliding down her face.
“Tom, dunna try to lie to me. I saw ye with him. Ye were lost in his arms.” He spoke in a quiet voice and stressed the words that tugged at her heart. “Ye were impassioned.” He turned her to face him. “Ye were ready to have him love ye. The deed would be done now if I had not interrupted.”
“Oh, I did. I wanted him to love me.” She whispered the words like a shared secret. “I’ve never felt anything so strong as that before.”
He brushed her hair away from her face. “Are ye certain it was the man and not that… maybe ye’re just ready to be a wife?”
“I never cared about being a wife. I never even thought about it. But being wrapped in arms so strong I felt… like a boat safe in a harbor. Like I’d found my home. Never before. Not until Sean touched me.”
“Do ye think that was what he might have been after all along?” His words were so quiet, as if afraid to hurt her with any accusations.
“Oh Lachlann. Nae. He’s not like that.” She shook her head, pleading with her voice for him to understand. “He’s a good man. He is strong, a warrior, but he was kind with me.”
She looked down at herself then continued. “I was dressed like this, like a boy.” She smiled at him. “I’m not very well endowed so it was simple enough but he saw through my disguise and protected me.”
Lachlann frowned. “Then why are ye still disguised?”
“Well, he didn’t admit he knew I was a girl. He let me keep acting… like… a boy. What?”
Lachlann’s full brow dipped into an angry frown. “Oh he did? And did ye end up in any unexpected situation with him? Like a bed? Or a swim in a loch?”
“Nae!”
“He dinna see you soaked to the bone and yer bonny body all revealed?”
“Why would ye even think that?”
Lachlann’s brows raised and his eyes opened wide as if caught saying too much. He turned a bright shade of red.
“Did ye have a… situation like that?”
“Well, not intentional—Never mind me!” His embarrassment was making him sharp with her.
She smiled. “Nae. He made suggestions about how I could be more like a lad.”
“Such as?” That hint of accusation was still there.
“I should not be squeamish… and defensive. And I should definitely want to learn swear words—”
“Enough!” Lachlann lifted his hand. “Did he take advantage of ye as a lad since he knew ye were a lass?”
She shook her head. “Never. He protected me. He protected me at the inn when the serving wench figured out I was a girl. He protected me when I walked in on the Norman soldiers raping her. He protected me when—” Sobs tightened her throat. “—when they were slaughtering the soldiers.”
Thomasina had no idea why she sobbed uncontrollably but was relieved Lachlann took her in his arms, his hand caressing her back in a soothing motion. He seemed to understand.
“I’d say ye have it bad.”
She pressed her face into his chest and decided she didn’t know, and didn’t want to know, what he was talking about. She just wanted it to be gone.
“And when father was here and tried to take me away, Sean gave him his coins. All of them.”
Lachlann stilled his movements.
“He told our father he was my betrothed now… that I was a bonny lass he’d not be leaving.”
“So?” Niall came up behind them without a sound.
Lachlann kept his arms around her but she struggled to get herself under control.
“I think we have to get the man back,” Lachlann said.
“Nae! ’Tis not to be done this way.”
She started to pull away and face her brother but Lachlann held her fast.
“Dunna be an arse. Look at her! She’s heartbroken.”
“Dunna ye understand? There’s to be an arrangement with the clan further north. She’s to marry one of their sons.”
“That’s not what her heart is telling her.”
Thomasina stilled at his words. Had she really said that? Lachlann relaxed his arms when she tried to pull away this time.
“What are ye saying, Lachlann? I only told ye Sean was a good man.” She wiped her nose and turned to face her brother. “I’ll not be losing yer only chance to get back into the clan, Niall. I promise ye.”
Niall glanced over her head to look at Lachlann before looking at the ground. He kicked at the dirt but neither of them spoke.
“When father came, he was dragging me away and telling me I’d better still be a virgin or O’Reilly would not be accepting me anymore.” Her voice grew quiet. “Sean threw his bag of coins at him. He ordered him to leave and not come back.”
Niall kept his eyes on her as she spoke, a dark expression on his face. He heaved a big sigh then looked at Lachlann.
“I’d say we ken what we’re to do then.” Lachlann was the first to break the silence. “Dunna ye agree, Niall?”
“Yea, yer judgment is sound. Let’s see if we can track the man down.”
“Sean?” Thomasina’s fluttering started again, like a butterfly set free to visit the flowers. “He’s going to the village. That’s where he’s gone.”
Niall cupped her face with a gentle hand then smiled. “Ye’re a wonderful lass, Thomasina, we willna be giving ye up to anyone who doesna realize that. Ye ken?”
She closed her eyes but didn’t speak. He was giving his blessing and she felt she’d been given another chance at life. Finally, she looked at him. “Ye can judge for yerself. I’ll not gainsay ye.”
Lachlann put a hand on each of their shoulders. “Then I’d say we’ve some riding to do.”