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Shortly before dinner, Moira sat in the study with piles of work on the desk. A movement announced Lachlan. She had requested Murray to send him here as soon as he arrived from the cottage rebuilding.
Her head lifted to him, and a torrent of maleness attacked her retinas. It made what she must do all the more difficult.
“You wanted to see me?” he asked.
He had been toiling the whole day, his clothes ended up dusty and wrinkled. A stubble broke from his strong jaw, his hair waved dishevelled, but she had never seen a more handsome man in her life. And would never do. For her, he would eternally be the most attractive man on this planet.
“Yes,” she answered and stood. It would not do to bend her head to face him. “I need you to leave the Darrochs forthwith.” She made an utter effort for this to come cold and final.
Inside, she cringed at her demand. The whole afternoon she had been pondering on the best way to solve this nuisance. Once gossip started, it did not matter if it was true or not. As a woman it fell heavily on her.
His brows crumpled at the suddenness of it. “What happened?”
Her feet rounded the desk as she paced to the centre of the room. “Nothing of consequence, but you must go back to your clan,” she said, unwilling to place one more burden on his shoulders by telling him the cause for this.
The notion she would have him around for a while more had brought her warmth and contentment. His presence made her life so…so…happy, so worth living. She would be forever grateful for these past week
s. It tore her insides to tell him what she just did.
Legs braced, his fists rested on his hips, his scrutiny taking every detail of her. “It cannot be unimportant for you to ask it.”
Her back turned to him, she could not afford to weaken her resolve. A full intake of breath and she returned to face him. “Do not question me on this, Lachlan.” Her determination shone through her voice.
His expression went stone hard. “Either you tell me or I’ll go ask the servants. They will surely know something.”
Moira crossed her arms, irritation starting to win over her distress. “I am the current leader of this clan and I do not give you permission to act.”
Damn him! Why did he have to make it so difficult?
Something must have shown on her face because he neared her and took her shoulders with tenderness. “What is it, Moira?” the concern in his tone undid her.
A sigh of defeat expelled from her as wide eyes lifted to him. “They’re saying we’re living in…in sin,” she said vexed. “It started after we…well…after you spent the night in my room.” Crimson flooded her face at the remembrance, especially of what had transpired in the morning.
Put this way, the clan’s gossip would take a whole new wave of defamation.
The information had him pacing the study, raking his hand through his already mussed hair. A very ugly imprecation aired under his breath.
Next second he was pouncing to the door and hollering for Murray. As the butler rushed there, he commanded. “Have all the servants gather here.”
“What are you doing?” she asked when they were alone again.
“You’ll see,” he said, pure wrath pouring from his coffee eyes.
In a line, the servants came inside, Mrs. Murray and her husband the last of them. There were not that many, two maids, two footmen, a cook and the Murrays. Still, they counted more than before Moira started this charade.
Lachlan posted himself by Moira’s side. “When we selected you to work here, we made it clear that we valued our privacy,” he said as if a general to his regiment. “One of you broke your word.” The hard look he cast at each of them left no doubt as to his doggedness in finding the culprit.
“My laird, I can take this in hand,” Murray offered. As the butler, he would be in charge of such infringements.
“Thank you, Murray, but we’ll clarify this now,” his command brokered no discussion. And to the others, “You can tell me, or I can terminate everyone’s position. More loyal servants will come along.”
The uniformed men and women blanched in varied degrees as they slipped covert glances to one another.
While Lachlan spoke, Moira had the chance to inspect every reaction from those present. The maid, Mary, acquired a positively greenish hue.
“Murray,” Moira interjected. “Please, take everyone to the hall and talk to them,” she said.
As they turned to leave, she added, “Mary, stay, will you?” The girl froze, her skirts reverberating her shaking.
