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“I suppose so. Does that bother you?”
Liam sat up, his eyebrow lifted. “Nae at all, but I do have a couple of questions.”
Elizabeth licked her lips, unsure of why her head was so fuzzy or why her heart had calmed into a lovely, steady rhythm as she stared into his green eyes. She took another drink. “I suppose the drink will help me prepare for this. What are your questions?”
Liam looked as though he was thinking. His lips were pursed, and his eyes searched around as he pondered which questions to ask. “I would like tae know if ye are happy, lass? Once ye leave here, what do ye plan tae do next?”
Elizabeth blinked in surprise at him. She was speechless. Never before had a man asked her a question like that. Charlotte had asked her, but no one else. Her family had only deigned to inform her of her next steps, and she had never had time to think about what she really wanted. What did she want to do/?
If she took a moment to think about, without the promise to her mother and father, with her father’s illness pressuring her into action, what did she truly desire?
“I honestly do not know that I can say. But as of right now, I desire to be happy and to be free, with no one telling me what I must say, do, or how I should act.”
Liam smiled. “Ye certainly have been making yer needs known, lass.”
Elizabeth blushed a little again, but she no longer felt embarrassed. That same feeling of rebellion, that fire of doing something different, was still alight in her, and she would not let it fade out, but she remembered what she wanted to do.
“I hope so. Liam, I am sorry, but I must be going. I have plans this evening.”
She drank the rest of her mug and stood. Liam replied, “Och yes, ye must return tae the Fort in order tae visit with General Andrews. Are ye certain he kens yer arrival? ‘Tis late.”
Elizabeth nodded a little lamely. She could see the suspicion in Liam’s eyes, and her mind wanted to tell him the truth. It really did. Instead, she changed tack. “You are right. I could not possibly bother him now. I will visit in the morning, and I will ask the innkeeper for a room to stay in tonight.”
“Good idea. Ye sit then. I will do that for ye.” Elizabeth nodded, feeling warm and courageous all over again. It was like the wedding once more, where she felt like she could do anything. Perhaps she did not need the women of the house to help advise her. Perhaps she should follow her own instincts and take the chance when it came to her. She watched Liam’s strong back as he leaned over the bar speaking to the innkeeper.
She wanted him. The need suddenly flared up in her like a leaping and hungry flame devouring a dry stick. She finally dared to admit it. She wanted Liam MacLean, and she hoped that he would want her. Perhaps tonight was her night to experience a man she had chosen for herself for the first and last time. Charlotte had encouraged her to experience things so that she could make informed decisions. It suddenly seemed like the most logical thing in the world.
Liam turned around with a smile, dangling a key in his hand. “For ye, lass. I hope ye rest well. I shall accompany ye –”
Elizabeth didn’t give him a chance to continue. She leaned forward, grabbed his strong, rough hand in her own delicate one, and with a slight grin on her lips, pulled him towards the stairwell.
