Page 70 of Bewitching her Highland Savior

“I’d do anythin’ for her,” Liam said. “Anythin’.”

“What will happen noo?” Ailis asked. “Will ye marry and go back to yer home?”

Muriel hadn’t considered that. In fact, there were plenty of things that had slipped her mind in all the chaos of the past several weeks,and it was only now that she realized she would be leaving Barra again soon. She had wanted to stay in Argyll before, when she thought she had no choice, but now she didn’t know if she could bear being away from her mother again.

“Aye, and ye’re welcome to come if ye’d like,” Liam said as if reading Muriel’s mind. “There isnae much for ye here, right? It’s yer home but ye’ll always have a home in Argyll, too.”

“Liam…” Muriel started but didn’t know how to finish that sentence. She didn’t know how to thank him.

Her mother appeared as surprised as she was by the invitation, but she quickly smiled gratefully at him. “Barra was never me home. Without Muriel here, I dinnae see why I would stay. If I can be with her, then that’s what I want.”

“Then it’s settled,” Liam said. “We will be leavin’ soon, so take what ye need and I will come get ye once we are ready.”

“Come noo,” Muriel said; eager to get Liam the care he needed now that she knew for certain that her mother was alive and well. “Let’s get ye to the healer.”

“Don’t worry about me injury; neither I nor Macleod was hurt.”

“Weel, we certainly dinnae care about Macleod!” Ailis said; placing her hands on her hips. “Come, come… I’ll take care of yer wound for ye. That healer doesnae ken what he’s doin’ – when I was a lassie, everyone in me village came to me for these things.”

Liam glanced at Muriel dubiously, but she urged him into the house, making him sit on one of the wooden chairs. Her mother’s home was nothing like the keep, small and humble, with wooden walls and herbs strung around the room to dry. It felt more like home than anywhere Muriel had been for the past few years.

Ailis worked quickly on Liam's arm, applying salve and wrapping a dressing around the wound. Muriel was half-asleep where she sat at the table by the time her mother finished, exhausted by all the excitement and sleepless nights.

“We should find ye some clothes,” she told Liam as he stood; thanking her mother. “Ye cannae go home lookin’ like this.”

“This? This is nothin’,” Liam said. “I’ve gone home lookin’ much worse.”

Muriel, despite his laughter, had no doubt that it was true. As much as she wanted him to look presentable, she didn’t know where she would find a change of clothes for him.

“Will ye say goodbye to yer faither?” Ailis asked and Muriel froze in place. She didn’t know if she wanted to even look at him again after everything that had happened. However, she supposed that perhaps there would come a day when she would regret not having said goodbye to him. It was better to get it out of the way than to wonder for the rest of her life if she should have seen him one last time.

“It’s only right, isnae it?” she asked; glancing at Liam. “I should probably say goodbye.”

“It’s up to ye, lass,” Liam said with a shrug. “If ye want to see him then ye should go. But if ye dinnae, nae one of us will blame ye for it.”

Muriel nodded, taking her final decision with a sigh. “I will see him,” she said – standing up. “We will be back soon, maither.”

“Aye, Muriel,” Ailis said. “Be careful.”

Muriel exited the house, Liam close behind, after taking one last look at her mother. They climbed the hill again, and Liam went to look for Ron, giving her some alone time with her father. Muriel walked through those corridors for the last time in her life, making her way to her father's study and knocked on his door.

“Come in,” he said. Muriel entered the room, glad to find him alone.

Laird McNeil seemed surprised to see her there. He put down the pen he was holding and folded his hands in front of him on the desk. “Muriel… what is it?”

“I came to say goodbye,” Muriel said in one breath; thinking that if she hesitated for even a moment, she would never get the words out. “I’m leavin’ with Liam. I will be livin’ in Argyll from noo on.”

“I figured,” Laird McNeil said with a short sigh. Muriel waited for him to say something more but he never did.

She had no idea what to expect. A part of her wished to hear him apologize, to admit that he had made a mistake, but she knew that would be too much for her father. He wasn't the type of man to apologize or admit he was wrong.

“Is that all?” her father asked.

“Is that all?” Muriel repeated with a scoff; the dam inside her crumbling down and letting out all her feelings at once. “Is that all ye have to say? I am tellin’ ye that I am leavin’ forever and all ye have to ask is if that is all?”

Laird McNeil scratched his chin, as if Muriel's question had been perplexing.

“I dinnae ken what else ye want me to say at this point.”