Page 10 of Bewitching her Highland Savior

CHAPTERFIVE

Muriel didn't fall asleep even though she let her eyes close. It was partly the pain in her leg, which flared up with the slightest movement, and partly the fact that Liam had been kind to her. But the most pressing issue on her mind, even more than the strangeness of Liam's sudden kindness, was her failed escape attempt.

Frustration clawed at her; bringing angry tears to her eyes. She had had her chance. She had taken it. She should have managed to escape.

If only I hadna fallen in that ravine. If only I had found the road.

There was no point in wishing for something different. What had happened was already in the past, and Muriel could only do one thing—move forward. She didn't have to give up because of one setback. There would be other opportunities to flee, and she would take them.

She only hoped for her leg to heal soon – before Liam could take her too far.

I wish he wasnae so insistent on takin’ me to Lewis!

At least he had shown a different face to her that night. Travelling with someone willing to take care of her wouldn’t be so bad. The woods were treacherous, after all, not only because she had no idea how to navigate through them but also because those parts were full of brigands waiting for their next victim. She didn’t want to be all alone if someone attacked her, and judging by Liam’s impressive physique suggested that he could easily handle any danger that came their way.

He may nae be as bad as I thought.

With a soft sigh, Muriel sat up, wrapping her arms around her knees as she glanced over her shoulder at Liam’s sleeping form. She liked him better when he was asleep and couldn’t be rude to her, but she had to admit that he had done a good job caring for her wounds. She was curious if he had studied medicine, but that didn't seem like something a man like him would do.

What would a man like him do? I dinnae ken him at all.

All she had were assumptions she had formed shortly after meeting him and decided she didn't like him at all. And in just a few moments, Liam had managed to prove most of them wrong. Muriel had no idea what to think of him anymore, and if she were honest, she had to admit that it bothered her. It was easy to despise him when he was the one who was taking her away from her life, away from her mother and her beloved home. It was much more difficult to admit that he could actually be a good man.

She remained so, staring at the remnants of the fire, until the first crack of dawn. In the end, she didn’t manage to get any sleep; her jumbled thoughts bothering her as much as the pain in her leg. By the time she heard Liam stir behind her; her eyes stung after being awake for so many hours.

When Liam came to sit next to her by the dying fire; he took one look at her and said, “Did ye nae get any sleep last night, lass?”

Muriel considered lying for a moment. She knew that Liam would probably scold her for it and she was in no mood to hear any of it. But she could hardly hide how tired she was and how — despite her exhaustion — sleep had evaded her all night.

“I couldnae sleep,” she said with a small shrug. “Me leg was botherin’ me.”

It was only a half-lie so Liam didn’t question her. “We'll get some willow bark for the pain when we reach the next town,” he said. “Find a healer, too.”

“I’m fine,” Muriel assured him. Throughout the night, her leg had hurt less and less and despite it being tender still, she doubted she would be in need of further medical attention. “I dinnae need to see a healer.”

“Fine,” Liam said. “Allow me to take another look, at least.”

Muriel didn’t consider it necessary but she let Liam pull her leg closer anyway. When his warm hand wrapped around her calf; she felt her skin heating up making the cold she’d felt throughout the night fade. Muriel's cheeks flushed from his gentle touch, and she averted her gaze, hoping he wouldn't notice.

She hated how her body betrayed her like that. What was it about Liam that suddenly made embarrassment coil deep inside her? And more importantly, what could she do to stop it?

His examination of her leg was careful and gentle, but Muriel snatched it back when he hit a particularly tender spot. She didn't get very far before Liam tightened his grip and patted her on the knee with his free hand.

“Forgive me,” he said. “I didnae mean to hurt ye.”

Once again, Muriel could hardly bear to face him. She didn’t want him to see just how much a simple touch affected her so she prayed for him to finish his inspection soon so she wouldn't have to put up with it any longer.

When Liam let go of her, she pulled the hem of her dress as low as it would go, grimacing at how filthy and torn it was. She hadn’t realised just how much damage the twigs and thorns had caused the previous night.

“Ye may wish to change,” Liam said, rather unhelpfully. “Ye must have other dresses with ye, do ye nae?”

“I do,” Muriel said. “But I would like to bathe first. There is nae reason in changin’ noo if my dress becomes dirty anyway.”

“Verra weel. We will leave after breakfast and we’ll stop when we come across a town,” Liam said. “There are plenty on our way.”

Muriel hadn’t thought much about breakfast or where they would find it, but she was ravenous. The sooner they arrived at an inn, the sooner she would be able to stop her stomach from rumbling.

And perhaps he’ll even be distracted long enough for me to slip away.