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“Aye, I will do just that, Sir.” John’s mind was filling with ideas. Finlay would be happy to come, and he could invite a few others, but he wouldn’t want the party to be just men. He might call upon his aunt and female cousins, who would be most happy to be given an excuse to accept an invitation for an English party.
The food arrived, and they all tucked in, silent as they ate. John couldn’t help but keep his eyes from Elizabeth, hoping he would get a chance to ask for a private moment. Surely the General wouldn’t see any harm in that? They made pleasant conversation about the weather, the life back in England, and how Duart had progressed. John did not want to say too much about how his clan secretly hoped to gain more footing with the English, leaving other clans behind in the dust, even if he wasn’t sure that was the right way to go anymore. He hoped that one day he could help to cure them of this notion.
General leaned back once he was finished and sighed loudly with contentment. “Now, I say, since we have finished, you both should go for a long walk.”
Elizabeth’s eyes opened wide, and her mouth opened to make a retort, but the General continued. “Do not worry about its propriety. There are eyes everywhere, and soldiers can tell me if anything untoward goes one.” He winked at John.
“But, I am too old to partake in delights such as a walk with two such vigorous young people. Now, go. As a general, I command you! The day is too lovely to leave behind.”
John stood. “Thank ye, Sir. I would be most obliged tae accompany Lady Elizabeth.” He looked in her direction, hoping for a bit of encouragement from her end.
She gathered her cape around her, tying it again around her neck. She was looking at General Andrews and not him. “Yes, Sir. You are correct. The day is quite lovely, and the meal has strengthened me for another walk.”
Another walk? Where could she have gone? Suddenly, John found himself overwhelmingly suspicious of her words. What walk? Had she walked on Mull before coming here? Surely not, for it was way too early. Or had she walked here around Fort William before entering the building? Again, that did not seem likely. The walk from the shoreline to the Fort could hardly be considered exercise, and so, he found himself utterly curious about what she meant. He would ask her as soon as they were alone.
“Enjoy yourselves, my young ones. Now, Elizabeth, I do hope you shall stay the evening. Since Charlotte has gone, I have not enough people to play whist, so I dearly miss it. Will you stay to play with the other soldiers who deign to do so and me?”
John replied a little too eagerly. “I could also stay tae join the game, Sir if ye will allow me.”
General Andrew’s mouth opened in a wide grin. “But of course! You shall also stay. We can discuss the party plans further. I am too excited that I shall speak to the cook as soon as you are gone to warn her of our future endeavors! Go now, go!”
John nodded and offered his arm to Elizabeth, who took it without looking at him, sliding her hand timidly through his arm. They walked on silently for a few moments as they left the earshot of the soldiers outside the fort and headed towards the shoreline. “Is there someplace ye most wish tae walk, Elizabeth?”
“I do enjoy the shoreline. Let us go there if it pleases ye.”
He leaned just a little bit closer to her. “What pleases ye, pleases me, lass. And, if ye dinnae mind me asking, are ye all right? Are ye feeling well? I dinnae mean tae presume, but I feel that ye are nae yerself this morning.”
He could not resist asking. His mind was going mad with all the questions he had about her. Was this what love was? An illness? He thought it was most polite to ask in general about her welfare. She sighed loudly in response. “I am sorry, John. I do not wish to be rude or tiresome. I think I am simply feeling unwell. There is a lot on my mind of late, and I think that it is showing too much in my expression. Do forgive me.”
He was heartened by the tightening of her arm on his. “Ye have given me such relief. I feared I had done something or said something tae displease ye.”
Elizabeth shook her head, but he felt that she was avoiding his eyes. “No, certainly not.”
“Where did ye walk this morning, lass?” The question came out more abruptly than he’d wanted it to. He winced as he waited for her reply, chiding himself with his boyish haste. When had he ever acted this way before?
She spoke quickly, her eyes moving from side to side. “Well, I walked from the boat to the Fort.”
He nodded, hoping to make her feel more comfortable, but instead, feeling deep down that she kept something from him. “Och, I see. I thought only that perhaps ye had walked on Mull afore ye came to the Fort, and that was why ye mentioned it tae the General.” Damn it. He was blathering on like a jealous fool. What did it matter what the lass did with her time? She was not his. She was not under his control or jurisdiction, not that she ever would be, but at least if they were married, he would have cause to ask such questions.
He found himself in an unknown land, trying to navigate strange waters. A woman had never made him feel so weak and vulnerable. He felt open to attack from any side, and he wanted to protect himself as best he could. It was the way of a Highlander. He was trained to fight and trained to defend himself. And now, a woman who had come from a strange land was making him feel like all his training had been done for naught.
He decided to change the subject. “Are you any more certain of how long ye will stay in the area?”
They walked on along the water, and Elizabeth often kept her eyes out across the Sound. Was she desirous of returning there? Desirous for Liam? He couldn’t help but feel jealousy roil in his stomach at the thought. Had she already given her heart or even more to the man? He clenched his fist at the thought of Liam touching her when he knew that Liam could never commit to any woman for a lifetime.
Elizabeth shrugged, but then she seemed to gain back a little of her old brightness and energy. Perhaps the walk was doing her body and mind good. “Let us walk nearer to the woods, John. I think it will be nice to take in both settings when the sun is at such a beautiful spot in the sky.”
Smiling, he nodded and pulled her arm so that her body faced the woods. He decided to forget the fact that she did not answer his question with words. Perhaps it was too painful for her to discuss. Instead, he said, “I am yer servant, lass. Ye may bid me tae do just as ye please.”
“Is that so, John?” John almost sighed with relief. Her teasing voice was back. So he had not done anything wrong after all. Perhaps it was just a brief moment of having much on her mind, as she said.
They walked a few moments towards the woods, each commenting on the loveliness of the space. Elizabeth told him how much she loved Scotland for its beauty, and it gave his heart hope for the future. “Would ye consider staying forever in the area if ye could?”
Her eyes went a little dreamy. “I would like to still visit England, of course. There are still distant relatives and old friends, and I confess I would miss London if I had left it forever. But it is not a home for me. To me, Scotland has begun to feel like a true home, and so if it was under my power, I would consider staying.”
Her words made his heart soar with glee. His future could be sealed, and Elizabeth Darling would make him the happiest man in the world. He would give anything to make Scotland and the Campbell castle home for her. He was certain the clan would love her in time. But what could be holding her back? Why was it not within her power? Was it only because she did not have a man who wished to claim her as his own?
He wanted to speak, to spew his river of feelings and ideas forth, but as soon as they stepped inside the border of trees, and he glanced down at her golden hair in the lovely sunlight, he felt that perhaps actions were better than words at that moment. Elizabeth freed her arm from his and turned to face him, looking up at him with curiosity.
Before he could stop himself with thoughts of fear or hesitation, he leaned down and placed his lips upon hers. With the feel of her mouth and the lovely, fresh scent of her, he was suddenly plunged into a heavenly dream. But neither of them noticed the pair of eyes not far away, watching them with a smirk.
