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Chapter Three
Elizabeth felt a little weak as a servant girl helped her to dress. Her head did not hurt, but a heavy layer of fatigue threaded through her body like she’d never felt before. Despite all that, she tried to stand tall and keep her mind focused on not letting anyone see just how much the wine had affected her.
She supposed that was why people of her father’s ill strongly discouraged young ladies to imbibe the drink, for now, not only was she feeling more tired than she’d ever felt before, but her tiredness was also laced with guilt. While the maid tied her stays, Elizabeth’s eyes were on her reflection, and she could see the frown on her face as if her own self disapproved of her actions and was trying to tell her so.
Never before had she felt so light and free like she did the previous evening. She felt that she could have said or done anything; she was so empowered. It was like wearing a costume, and she liked the woman she had become. If only one could become so strong and bold without the use of wine to do so. Besides, she would at least be able to remember more of the night. For the first time, her memory of her own actions was just a little spotty, and she furrowed her brow as she tried to clear the blurry images in her brain.
Then, in her mind, she heard the sound of a slap, given in anger, which reverberated through a dimly lit hallway. Elizabeth gasped and put a hand over her mouth at the image, which was becoming painfully clear. The young maid behind her ceased her pulling. “Have I hurt ye, Mistress?”
Elizabeth’s eyes shifted to the young girl’s face, and she suddenly felt a wave of pity. The girl looked like she was on the verge of tears, fearful she had done something wrong to the guest. “Oh, no. Not at all! Please forgive me. It was only something I thought about that has given me a fright.”
The maid nodded her head and continued on, her wide-eyed look gone. Soon, Elizabeth was dressed, and she tried to keep her cool as she said goodbye to the maid. As soon as the door was shut, Elizabeth threw up her arms and began to pace the room. “What could I have been thinking?” Never before had she acted in such a way. She had actually slapped a man. It was for his insolence, but Elizabeth still felt ashamed that she had allowed her anger to go so far.
Instead, she should have used the sharpness of her words to convey her disapproval of Liam’s actions. Her religious upbringing was sending a new wave of guilt through her, criticizing her for her use of violence against another person. She felt like the bold women in London she had always heard about, enticing men with their flirtatious ways, and then slapping them before things went too far.
She clenched her fists. Her father could never know about this. Thank God he was not there to reprimand her and force her to apologize.What will Charlotte say? Surely someone else would have heard the slap. The guest room is not far from the others. Oh, what will I tell her?Elizabeth was becoming more and more concerned that her behavior as a guest was inexcusable and that she had ruined the aftermath of a most wonderful wedding celebration.
She stood by the door to her room, knowing that she must exit it, yet she hesitated. She would be eating with the laird and his wife, and Charlotte and Angus as well. If they all knew about what had happened, she would melt under the table in a useless heap of embarrassment. She would just have to hope that they did not know, and if they did not, she did not yet have any plans of telling them. Taking a breath, she opened the door and made her way to the Great Hall to find a long table full of food and the four inhabitants sitting there.
She blushed, feeling like she had made them wait for her arrival. As she approached, the four of them looked at her smilingly. She said, “Good morning. Do forgive me if I am late.”
Charlotte laughed. “Not at all! You are not late, my friend. We are simply hungry.” Elizabeth nodded and found a seat next to her friend. She saw a beautiful dark-haired Julia sitting at one end of the table.
“Lady Elizabeth! We are so happy to have you here with us again. I am sorry I could not see you yesterday.” Julia tapped her stomach proudly, and Elizabeth nodded, grateful that the subject was not of last evening. It appeared they knew nothing at all.
“I am most happy to be back, Lady MacLean. Thank you for your hospitality. And congratulations!”
Julia beamed. Calum said, “It seems that Duart Castle will become overrun with Sassenachs, Lady Elizabeth.” Calum chuckled, and Julia shot him a dark look. For a moment, Elizabeth froze, feeling suddenly conscious of her presence there, and feared it was perhaps an unwelcome one.
Julia said, “Pay him no mind, Elizabeth. Sassenachs are Englishwomen. He is most grateful to have them around.” Elizabeth nodded in understanding. Julia smirked. “It is a good thing we have some people of sense to fill this castle.”
Calum laughed again, and so did the others. Charlotte squeezed Elizabeth’s arm. Calum said, “My dear wife is right, Lady Elizabeth. It is best tae nae pay the men of this Isle any mind. We are all fools at heart.”
Elizabeth nodded again, unsure of what to say. Her boldness from the last evening had left her, and she was returned to her quiet, slightly nervous self.
Julia asked, “Did you enjoy yourself last evening?”
Elizabeth tried to keep the tinge of red from her cheeks, and she hoped the subject would not long be discussed. “Yes, I did. I was very happy to be invited. I told Charlotte that at my aunt’s house it is not very exciting. So a trip back to Scotland was all that I needed to lift my spirits.”
There was a short silence, and Elizabeth feared for a moment that the state of her father was to be brought up. She could see Julia’s mouth begin to form a question, but Charlotte jumped in to rescue her. “Julia, I have asked Elizabeth to stay for as long as she can to assist me with the healing. You know that the work is hard, and I would be very pleased to have my friend here with us. Who knows when she can visit again? Would that be acceptable?” Charlotte looked between Julia and Calum.
Calum replied, “But of course! Ye are more than welcome, lass, and I hope ye will stay as long as it pleases ye.” He coughed before saying, “I am certain that England holds few charms anymore.”
Julia frowned, but no one said anything else about it. Elizabeth nodded and smiled. “I am very happy to have been asked. I shall try to learn as much as I can, but I am afraid that blood frightens me a little.”
Angus laughed. “Well, then that may be troublesome, but if it comforts ye, many of the stricken hae nae wounds but other illnesses.”
Charlotte nodded, touching Elizabeth’s arm again. “Do not worry. I will handle anything that is just a bit too gruesome, but Angus is right. Many other illnesses seem to plague this land that have nothing to do with blood. So, eat your fill, Elizabeth, and we will soon be on our way.”
Elizabeth began, feeling comforted that the moment of embarrassment had passed, and she could now focus her mind on spending the day with her friend. She didn’t want to think of anything else but the day ahead. She drank tea with comfort and began to make small chat with Julia, who sat closest to her. As the meal came to a close, Charlotte stood with a contented sigh.
“Come, Elizabeth. We have much to do. I shall get my medicine bag, and then we will be off. Liam will be coming with us today.” Elizabeth was in the middle of standing up to join her friend, but at the words, she froze, and her eyes widened with horror.
* * *
John Campbell, the newly appointed laird, was confused. He was sitting on the battlements of his castle, his brow furrowed, his gaze stuck on the gently moving ripples of the Sound in the far distance. He spent a lot of time being confused lately since he’d never expected to be made laird, but at the recent murder of his brother, he had been given the role, and he wasn’t quite sure if he approved of it.
It was difficult work, the running of a clan when the old ways of Scotland were slowly dying away, and they would one day be left only with English rule, but that was not what confused him. What puzzled him was the way his heart had fluttered, and his courage strengthened when he saw a beautiful blonde-haired Englishwoman with blue eyes as deep and icy as the color of the Sound enter Duart Castle.
