Page 3 of Bewitching her Highland Savior

CHAPTERTWO

The job should be easy, easier than most that Liam had accepted in the past. Transporting a noble girl from one location to another was hardly a job fit for someone of his reputation and skill, but the pay was good.

It didn't take Liam long to locate the Edinburgh women's school where Angus MacNeil had sent his daughter. The building appeared unassuming from the outside, but it was clearly well-kept and maintained to the highest standard. Liam paused at the door for a moment. The dew from the night clung to the flowers surrounding the entrance, and the sky was still half-dark. However, it was preferable to leave as soon as possible. It made no sense to travel through the wilderness late at night.

The door swung open before Liam could even knock, and he was met by the stern gaze of a small, older woman. Liam had faced many enemies throughout his life, but those eyes of hers told him he didn't want to ever cross her.

“And who may ye be?” the woman asked.

“Liam Russell McAlpine,” Liam said hastily. “Angus MacNeil sent me to take his daughter to Lewis.”

The woman’s expression softened upon hearing those words, though not enough for Liam to feel at ease. She nodded for him to enter and then climbed the stairs. When Liam didn’t follow, she turned around and pinned him with that stern look once more.

“Weel?” she asked. “Do ye expect the lassie to bring her own things down here?”

Liam followed the woman, though not without a sigh. He disliked taking orders, especially when they were given by people with an attitude.

When the two of them reached the room, Liam could hear noises from the other side of the door. The sound brought a frown to his face and he wondered why it sounded as though there were many people in there.

The woman all but kicked the door down, revealing two very feminine but guilty faces staring at them. Liam couldn’t help the laugh that escaped him but it was cut short when the woman glared at him from the corner of her eye.

“Mrs. MacGillivray!” one of the girls said; shooting up to her feet from where she had been crouching down into a chest. The first thing that Liam noticed about her was how tall she was, taller than most of the women he had seen in his life. The second thing he noticed was her beauty.

Even in the dim light of the room, her reddish blonde hair dazzled him, and her blue eyes were so dark they appeared almost violet, sparkling at him from beneath her eyelashes.

She was a sight to behold, and Liam hoped she wasn’t the girl he had been sent to fetch. He would hate to hand her over to someone else.

“Miss MacNeil, what are ye doin’? Why are ye in there?” Mrs. MacGillivray asked; her hands on her hips as she stared down at the girls. “Have ye been . . . drinkin’? Out, Miss Caileanach! Go to yer chambers this instant!”

At Mrs. MacGillivray’s shout; the other girl rushed out of the room, scrambling to get as far away from the woman as possible. Liam hardly noticed her, though. His mind focused on one thing: the beautiful girl the woman had called… Miss MacNeil.

So, she is Muriel MacNeil. Ach, weel . . . there are other bonny lasses out there.

Liam shifted his attention away from the girl, reminding himself that he still had this task to do. Behind him, Mrs. MacGillivray had been joined by several other older women — teachers, Liam presumed — all of whom seemed to be very curious as to what had been going on in Miss MacNeil’s room, while his client was stepping out of the trunk and putting her personal belongings back inside.

Liam walked over to her and offered her a hand with a chuckle but Muriel refused it with an indignant huff. In that moment, Liam knew the trip to Lewis would be long. Nothing irked Liam more than spoiled noble girls, and now he realized that Muriel was one of them. Even her beauty couldn’t make up for it.

“Miss MacNeil, I’m Liam Russell McAlpine,” Liam told her. “Yer faither—”

“I ken who ye are,” Muriel said. “I was hopin’ that ye wouldnae come so soon, but I suppose it cannae be helped. Will we be leavin’ immediately?”

“Aye,” Liam said. “The sooner, the better. I dinnae suppose that ye wish to travel in the dark and the cold?”

“I’d much rather nae,” Muriel said. As she spoke, she moved to the bed, collapsing on it and covering her face with her arm. Liam looked at her, arms crossed over his chest, and knew precisely what the problem was.

The lassie is still drunk.

“How much did ye have to drink?” he asked her.

“I dinnae see how that concerns ye,” Muriel said.

“It concerns me because I’m the one who has to keep an eye on ye while we travel,” he told her. “What am I supposed to do if ye cannae even stand on yer feet?”

“Who said that I cannae?” Muriel said. “I am fine.”

“Is that so?” Liam asked; walking to the bed so he could stare down at her. “Pack yer things, then. Let’s go.”

Muriel peeked out from under her arm just long enough to glare at him, and Liam only smiled back, smugly. He had travelled on his caps and hungover enough times to know that the trip that awaited Muriel would be anything but enjoyable. Still, if propelled solely by willpower and tenacity, Muriel stood and finished packing her belongings into the trunk while Liam looked on.