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Chapter Twenty-Four
Elizabeth spent the next few days in bed. The legal matters were settled, and the bank was in the process of organizing her inheritance. It was now all hers. Upon return from the solicitor, Aunt Mildred bid the servants move Elizabeth into the main bedroom, and Elizabeth had been too fatigued and in shock to argue.
She was so overwhelmed with what she had heard that she felt ill. Headaches, nausea, and cold sweats were produced, and she could only take tea and toast in her room and keep out the sunlight. Her stomach was in a constant state of knots. She did not want to return to Scotland, and she couldn’t decide if it was because she did not wish to see John’s happy face that she had returned to be his wife, or if it was because she couldn’t bear to see his disappointment when she told him that she could not marry him.
Some days, her mind would prompt her to ask herself, why should she not marry John? Surely, he was kind, and Liam was lost to her anyway. But the more she would think of it, she knew it would not be right to marry a man she did not love and who loved her so deeply. Especially because she now had no need for marriage after learning of her great inheritance.
Mildred had done her best to comfort her niece, but Elizabeth could tell her aunt was at an entire loss to understand her need to stay in bed after the news of the will. She thought that Elizabeth would be overjoyed to have been given such a sum, but instead, she had pulled away and would barely speak. It was more than grief. Something else had overtaken Elizabeth, and Mildred could not work it out. Therefore, she left her to herself.
In Elizabeth’s dreams, she would see the rolling hills of Mull and Liam’s laughing face. Sometimes the images and scenes even felt so real, she could smell the salty sea air and feel the caress of the sweet island breeze across her cheeks and hair.
But she would wake and find herself back in the room of the London house, wondering what on earth she was going to do. After a few days in this state, after a night of fevered dreams, a servant roused her by knocking softly on the door. Elizabeth allowed them entry, and they came to hand her a letter along with a tray of tea.
Once the servant left, Elizabeth took it in hand, thinking it as most likely something to do with preparations for her father’s funeral, which was to occur that evening. She had allowed Mildred to make the arrangements.
But the paper was different, and to her delight, she saw that it was Charlotte’s handwriting that graced the page.At last! A bright spot of light in this darkness.
Unfolding it, she read:
Dear Elizabeth,
Both Julia and I were deeply saddened by your impending loss as well as your quick departure. We hope that you will feel well enough to return home to us soon and to your new life. However, I do believe there is some information that you should be apprised of. I have taken it upon myself to write this letter on Liam’s behalf.
Elizabeth bristled, but she did not put the letter down.
I will not attempt to persuade you into any change of behavior, but I thought it would be best to make you aware of the truth, my friend. The letter you received that night to meet Liam was not from Liam. Instead, it was from Brea, whom I believe you know well.
She orchestrated the meeting, and at the time when you would be there, she kissed Liam so that you would see it.
“He did not recoil from the kiss! What explanation is there of that?” Elizabeth said aloud, and she could feel tears behind her eyes.
Also, you must know what Brea went there to tell him. She had heard of your kiss with John in the woods and told him of it. She also told him that you have feelings for John and not him. Liam is heartbroken, and I fear he does not know what to think, now that you have become engaged to John. He has not said it, but Liam loves you very dearly. I have never seen him in such a state.
And I know the state of your own heart, as you revealed it to us a day or so before you left. There is time. You are not yet married to John. Whatever you choose, Elizabeth, I only hope that it will be the choice that makes you happy. Think of no one else but yourself and make your decision.
My prayers are with you and your family as you grieve your father’s loss. Do write to me when you have a moment to spare.
Love,
Charlotte
Elizabeth let the letter sail to the floor as it slipped from her open fingers. She blinked in surprise as the words registered in her mind. It was not all a cruel joke? Liam did not lure her there to tell her of his lack of commitment? It was all Brea. Brea had been at them from the start, desperate to tear them apart.
What had she done? The weight of her hasty choice weighed even more heavily on her breast. While the man she truly loved was still unattached, how could she now even consider for a moment marrying John or not returning to Scotland? She was angry at Liam, for certain, for he had been a great fool. She still did not understand why he hadn’t recoiled from Brea’s kiss, but then she thought, she had not recoiled from John’s.
Perhaps they were both at fault. She leaned back onto the soft pillows of her bed, all other plans forgotten and her thoughts filled with Liam. She wasn’t sure whether to laugh or cry. She lifted her hand to look at her mother’s ring. There was still a chance? There was still hope?
After what seemed an age of consideration, Elizabeth glanced at the window of her room and saw that the afternoon sun was beginning to mellow into evening. The funeral procession would be soon, and she would need to hurry.
With more energy than she’d had in days, Elizabeth jumped from her bed and called for the lady’s maid to help her bathe and dress. Blood was pumping anew through her veins, and she could feel her life being restored. She tried to keep her breathing calm as the lady’s maid entered, rushing to get to work.
There was hope. There was a new life waiting for her if only she knew exactly what to say and what to do. John would certainly be disappointed, but she need not fear any sort of revenge on his part. He loved her, and he would treat her kindly. That she knew. But what was she going to say to Liam?
* * *
The days of waiting were agony. As soon as Charlotte’s letter had been dispatched, she came to tell him of it, a smile of hope on her face. “I think that all will be well, Liam. You must trust.”
But he could not. After the party at the Fort, Liam busied himself, helping Angus and the men build the house for him and Charlotte. The project was nearly complete. During the workdays, Angus often tried to pull him into a conversation.
