Page 80 of Cottage in the Mist
“Ah, but then what would you know of honesty?”
The two men raised their weapons.
“Stop it. Both of you.” Again, heedless of her own safety, Lily pushed her horse between them.
“If you won’t listen to her,” the blond man said, “perhaps you’ll listen to me.”
“I dinna know you from Adam,” Bram growled. “Why would I care what you have to say?”
“Because I have no horse in this race.”
Bram frowned, shaking his head. “I dinna ken what you’re speaking of.”
“Right.” He lowered his voice so that it wouldn’t carry. “Because I’m not of your world. And neither is Lily. And there’s no plot against you. At least not from this quarter.”
“Jeff,” Iain hailed as he and Ranald rode up beside Bram. “What in God’s name are you doing here? With him?”
“Happenstance. Well, at least winding up with Comyn. We started out looking for you. At Lily’s behest. Fergus and William are over there.” The man called Jeff turned his attention to Bram. “You don’t know me, but Iain does. And Ranald.” He nodded toward his cousins, who pulled their horses up on either side. “And I’m telling you that there’s more to the story than you know.”
“You cannot believe any of them,” Frazier said, his horse sidling as he jerked on the reins to pull the animal to a stop. “I don’t care who this man is. He’s riding with the Comyn. There is nothing he can say that will negate the fact.” Clutching his claymore, he made to move forward.
“Hold,” Iain ordered. And with a furious frown, Frazier stopped. “I’d trust Jeff with my life. And if he says there’s more to hear, then I believe him.”
“Aye,” Ranald agreed. “He’s no’ going to betray us.”
“No’ going to betrayyou—you mean. Why should I believe he gives a damn about me and mine?” Bram’s gaze met his cousin’s.
“Because you are my kin and for Jeff family is everything. He would never betray you.”
“And neither would Lily,” Jeff added, his gaze shooting in her direction. “She came here for you, man. After you deserted her, I might add. And to be totally honest, at the moment I’m not sure that I understand why she came.”
“Nor I,” Alec spat. “A Macgillivray. I canna even stomach the idea.” He moved again, his stance threatening.
Bram responded in kind, fingers tightening on his claymore. “’Tis a far sight better than being a bloody, thievin’ Comyn, I’ll wager.”
Ranald and Iain drew their weapons again as well.
“Stop it. All of you.” Lily held up a hand, and despite the fact that she was only a woman, everyone froze, their attention shifting to her. “This is getting us nowhere. Bram, if you won’t believe me or Jeff, then perhaps you’ll believe your own kinsman. We found him in the woods. Near to death. But, thanks to Alec’s man, he lives and when he’s conscious asks for you.”
“What trick is this?” His gut clenched at the thought of his slaughtered clan. “You know my kinsman are all dead. All but Frazier. He saw the rest of them die.”
She shot a speculative look at the older man. “Then he must have made a mistake, because your man lives as surely as I do.”
“How could you possibly know who he is?”
“Because he keeps asking for you.” Her green eyes were flashing with anger now. “And because you told me about him. Robby. Robby Corley.”
“Is dead,” Frazier said. “I saw it myself. The bitch lies.”
“Mind your tongue,” Bram barked, surprising himself with the depth of his ire. His instinct to protect Lily had apparently not died with her betrayal. “Is this true?” He turned his attention to Jeff St. Claire and to Fergus, who had ridden over to join them.
“Aye, that it is,” Fergus said, his grizzled gaze on Iain. “I dinna know what games any o’ these folk are playing, but I cantell you with certainty that the lad is who he says he is. He’s too far gone to be capable o’ a lie. As it is, he can barely talk.”
“Did he tell you what happened to him?” Frazier asked. And again Bram waved a hand to silence him.
“No.” Lily shook her head. “Like Fergus said, he can barely talk. For the most part all he’s done is ask for Bram.”
“Will he live?” Bram asked Alec, the words coming despite himself.
