Page 28 of Bewitching her Highland Savior

CHAPTERTHIRTEEN

Muriel forgot about everything else when Liam kissed her. All that mattered were his lips on hers, the soft press of them, and his scent, which completely enveloped her. She never wanted it to end, but it did, as all good things do, when Liam pulled away from her as if he had been burned.

What followed wasn’t any better.

Muriel had repeatedly denied her attraction to Liam, telling herself it was nothing more than an infatuation until she couldn't ignore it any longer. But now that she'd given in – Liam had turned her down, all because of her father and his grand scheme to marry her off to Macleod.

Muriel had never cursed the mere existence of a man before.

As she stood there – staring at him – she was at a loss for words. There was nothing that she could say to change his mind; nothing to make him see that her father was in the wrong for forcing her to marry a stranger when all she wanted was to be with him in Argyll. Even if things didn't work out in the end, even if it was just a passing infatuation, as Muriel had suspected from the start, they both deserved the chance to discover what they could be.

But she couldn't deny the risk that came with making a deal with her father. Muriel was confident he would not harm her because she was his sole heir and the only one who could carry on his wealth and legacy through marriage. Liam and his family, on the other hand, would not be so fortunate. If he let her stay, her father would track him down and he wouldn't hesitate to harm those Liam cared about in order to get to him.

"I wish things were different," she said quietly, not sure if Liam heard her.

“Me too,” Liam said. “But ye’re nae mine to keep. I wish that ye could be. I wish that yer faither wouldnae get to dictate what ye do with yer life.”

Muriel could only nod in understanding. She could see now that nothing she could do would change her fate. Liam was right; he had to fulfil his duty and she had no choice but to help him do so. She could never let her father hurt him or the McAlpine clan just because of her.

With a sigh, she turned around and walked away from the training grounds, not daring to give Liam another look. She didn’t know what would happen if she did, whether she would run into his arms or let the tears spill from her eyes.

Nae. I willnae cry in front of him. I’ve already upset him enough.

Muriel could hardly see in front of her as she walked back into the castle – lips set in a thin, firm line. Her hands were curled into tight fists, nails digging into the skin of her palms and she bit the inside of her cheeks in an attempt to try to look composed as she walked to her room.

But once she was on the other side of the door and away from everyone else; she crumbled. She slid down the door, sat on the floor in front of it, and buried her face in her hands, shallow puffs of breath coming from her mouth.

Reality had finally dawned on her. Liam had gathered the majority of the men he would require for the journey. They'd be on their way to Lewis in a few days, and she'd be with Macleod a few days after that. Her time had run out without her even realizing it.

Muriel spent the rest of the day in her chambers, not even coming out to eat dinner with the rest of them. She wasn't in the mood to put on a happy face as if nothing was wrong, and she couldn't bring herself to look at Liam. She didn’t know how she would ever manage to look him in the eye again. The food Peigi brought her on a tray remained untouched the entire evening, and it was eventually returned to the kitchen in the same condition she had brought it.

Muriel didn't get any sleep that night. Tossing and turning in bed as she tried to get even a few hours of sleep before giving up for good had become a habit by then. She jumped out of bed in the middle of the night and hurriedly dressed, unconcerned about what others would think if they saw her. She walked through the castle and out into the courtyard, wrapping her coat tightly around her as the night breeze chilled her.

By the walls, there were more guards than she could count. Even in the middle of the night, the courtyard was full of life.

Liam must have reinforced the security around here. He’s afraid of an attack.

A part of her was relieved, but another part, the one that had been pleading with her to flee, was furious at him. Muriel struggled to draw in any air as the walls closed in on her, suffocating her.

She forced herself to take slow, in and out breaths until she was calm again. The cold air stung her lungs but the discomfort felt good; grounding. She made her way to the flower gardens, marvelling at the beauty of the buds under the moonlight as she sat on a bench – watching the dewdrops run down the leaves.

It was peaceful out there. No one bothered her, not even the guards who had undoubtedly noticed her presence, at least until she heard footsteps approaching a few moments later.

“Cannae sleep?” Amelia asked, sitting next to her.

Muriel believed that she would mind any sort of company – viewing it more as an intrusion – but Amelia had a gentle, comforting presence that made her feel welcome at any time. She took in a deep breath and shrugged; thinking it was better to pretend she was fine.

“Ever since that first assassin, I suppose I’ve never managed to sleep that weel,” she said.

“Nae?” Amelia asked. “Ye seemed to sleep fine the last few days.”

There was no bite to her words, but Muriel gave her a look that made it clear that the subject was not up for discussion. But she couldn't deny Amelia was correct.

“I ken that we’re leavin’ soon,” Muriel said. “Before I realize it, I’ll be in Lewis.”

“And that’s a bad thing?” Amelia asked. She sounded genuinely curious and truly cared to know.

“It seems like a bad thing,” Muriel said. “This was never somethin’ I wanted. Just somethin’ that me faither arranged.”