Chapter 5

The next morning, both woke early as they prepared to leave the Islands to return to Inverness. William had barely slept after his conversation with Elizabeth. He knew they had many things to talk about and spent a bit of time on his mobile searching things like visas and citizenship, along with the rules about marriages between citizens of different countries. Not wanting to get himself too bogged down in the process, at some point in the middle of the night, he shot off an email to his lawyer asking him to investigate. He had emphasized that while he wasn't exactly in a rush for the information, he did want to be aware of what hoops there might be to jump through before they could marry.

William nearly laughed out loud at the direction of his thoughts. His email had been a picture of understatement. He already knew what he wanted – he wanted Elizabeth by his side for the rest of their lives. The only thing that held him back, other than the fact that the ring he wanted to give her was back at Pemberley – the estate, not the distillery – was that he was not completely certain she wanted it as well. Something was holding her back; he could feel it. Based on her confession last night, he wondered if she was afraid. Her mother hadn't wanted her; her father had left her; her grandmother had died. Elizabeth had mentioned a sister once or twice, but he wasn't sure where she was now. Was she another person who had left Elizabeth? Was that part of her reason for holding back? These questions were still circling through his mind as he attempted to get ready that morning.

After William deposited her into her bed, Elizabeth had woken. She had missed him, but knew he would not stay, not after their talk. She desperately wanted him to but had not wanted to lead him on or test his patience any further. Not that she was worried about him taking advantage of her or anything, but she realized that after their talk, they both needed some time.

William had been entirely open and had considered things she had not, like visas and citizenship. Perhaps it because he was a businessman and considered such things regularly, but the wasn't something she had even thought about before he mentioned them. She knew she could stay in Scotland for up to six months on her current visa, but beyond that, she wasn't certain.

She had admitted to herself in the middle of the night that she was utterly terrified of what would happen if she did decide to stay and, like everyone else in her life, he left. It would be much worse if she were in a totally different country and their marriage fell apart. What if he chose to leave? What if, like her father, he left her with a child or two. He was wealthy and Scottish; would she able to return to the United States if he left her, especially if he left her after they had kids. The kids would be Scottish, could she take them from the country legally? There was so much uncertainty, which there was in any marriage, she guessed, but it seemed so much scarier when they lived in different countries.

Her mind had struggled to slow down, and she slept little after that, and when she saw the sun rise in her window, she decided to stop attempting to sleep and just get up.

Because it was so early, she was surprised to find him up, looking nearly as haggard as she felt. "Are you well?" he asked when she came into the kitchen where he had started a pot of coffee for them both.

"I woke up after you carried me to bed – thanks for that by the way – and struggled to fall back to sleep. Last night, we spoke of many things, some I not shared with anyone before. Typically, when I tell a guy I am dating that I won't sleep with him until he's proposed at least, he takes off," Elizabeth said. "I have to admit … part of me keeps waiting for you to do the same. When we get back to Inverness, will I hear from you again? That thought kept me up last night."

William stared at Elizabeth; his eyes boring into hers as he watched them fill up with tears. The flash of anger he felt at the assumption that he would leave immediately disappeared when he saw the fear and anxiety in her eyes. Immediately, he pulled her into his arms. "Never, Elizabeth, I do not want to leave. When I said I love you, I meant it completely. There will never be anyone else for me. Elizabeth, mo ghràdh, last night, we said we have several things to work through, but I want to work through them."

She buried her face in his chest. "I'm terrified, Will. Everyone in my life has left me at some point. My parents didn't want me; my sister, well, the less said about her the better. I have a few friends in my life, but I have always been terrified of letting anyone get too close. I did not intend to find you here in Scotland and I certainly did not intend to let you in, but you have. I fell in love with you before I knew it, and now, I am terrified of losing you of you choosing to walk away one day." With the last, she burst into tears and sobbed into his chest.

He picked her up and carried her to the sofa, pulling her into his lap as he sat and gathered her to his chest. "Mo ghràdh, my love," he repeated over and over until she calmed.

When the tears stopped, he continued to hold her to him as she relaxed against him. Looking down, he laughed silently as he realized she had fallen asleep in his arms. Adjusting their position, he pulled the blanket from the back of the couch and wrapped it around her. Carefully pulling out his mobile, he sent the necessary messages to rearrange their flight and to extend their stay at the cottage for another night. He doubted they would stay that long but wanted to ensure they could take their time before they needed to leave. Soon, he drifted off to sleep, still holding her in his arms, and permanently lodged in his heart.

Elizabeth woke several hours later, feeling rested and more comfortable than she ever had in her life. When she realized she was once again in his arms, she felt a supreme sense of peace. Her slight movement woke him, and he started, nearly dropping her off his lap, causing them both to laugh. She stood gingerly and he followed, both stretching out the kinks and the tingly feeling from sleeping as they had.

"Good morning again, mo ghràdh," William said after a moment. Looking down at his watch, he spoke again. "Or good afternoon, it would seem; we slept quite a while."

"I slept remarkably well, which is surprising given our relative positions," she said. "Did we miss our flight back to Inverness?"

William shook his head. "I asked Mrs. Reynolds to rearrange things so we could take a later flight, or even stay another night, if you wished. I'll need to check my mobile to see what arrangements she was able to come up with." So said, he looked down at his phone, immediately spotting a message from his attorney and opened it first. The soonest they could marry would be thirty days after filing with the registry office, and then Elizabeth could apply for a Spouse Visa, which would be the first step toward eventual citizenship or permanent residence status.

Shaking his head slightly, he closed that email and opened the one from Mrs. Reynolds. She had booked him two flight options, one for that evening and another for in the morning, just in case. He laughed, bemused at how well his assistant knew him. Of course, she should, given that he had known her when he was still in short pants. Quickly, he filled Elizabeth in on the arrangements.

"Well, mo ghràdh, we can leave tonight or in the morning, it is up to you," he said, still chuckling slightly. "Mrs. Reynolds booked both flights so they could decide which they wanted to take. We have the cottage booked another night so either option can work; it is up to you."

"If you do night mind, I would like to stay one more night. We can run into Kirkwall and get food, and then we can come back here and start working through some of those other issues we need to figure out," she told him.

He grinned broadly at her statement. "I like that idea," he said. "Are you ready to run into town now?"

"Yes," said she. "I am starving."

Soon, they were back in Kirkwall at a café they had spotted on one of their walks. They grabbed some sandwiches and drinks and returned to the Bay of Skaill, purchasing a blanket as they walked back to their car for their impromptu picnic. They found a spot along the beach and laid down their blanket, sitting beside each other as they looked out over the bay and enjoyed the time together. There, sitting in the sand and watching the waves, they discussed Elizabeth's family and the wounds she carried. She shared more about her sister, and how she had left their home as fast as she could, leaving Elizabeth to deal with their mother alone until she was able to go off to college. She told about her mother's passing, and how Jane still had not returned, not until the very end, and how she had only stayed long enough to see what she could get from the "estate." She had left Elizabeth to sort out everything when she learned there was nothing to inherit except debts.

At 20, Elizabeth had put everything else on hold as she navigated through all the legalities and took care of their mother while her health declined, and for Jane to show up as she had was difficult. Jane had not helped with any of it, and had left it all to Elizabeth, although she still expected to benefit had their mother left anything worthwhile. Elizabeth told William more about herself than she had anyone before and at the end of it, she felt oddly peaceful, although the experience had exhausted her.

When her tale was over, he spoke a little about his own family and the loss of first his mother and then later his father. He had weeks left before he finished at the University of Edinburgh when he got the call that his father had been killed in a car accident. Georgiana had been at their aunt's and, fortunately, was not with him, but they were both devasted by the loss. Georgiana had been just 12, and suddenly, William became guardian to his sister and majority owner of the distillery. He obtained leave from the university to attend the funeral and make arrangements for his sister for the next weeks.

After just a week at home, he had returned to Edinburgh to finish his exams, and then immediately returned home instead of traveling as he had intended. Georgiana had been left to his and his cousin's guardianship, and the two bachelors had frequently struggled through her teen years, yet they had been reluctant to send her to boarding school, instead choosing to keep her closer to home and attending a local school at first, until eventually she choose to go to boarding school in Year 10 and then to later university. It had been six years since the day he lost his father, and some days he felt like was still attempting to figure it all out, although he was not as lost as he had been at the start. A competent staff who had been there for had been his saving grace more than once.

"Will, I am so sorry about your parents," Elizabeth said when he had stopped to take a breath. "Where is your sister now?"

"She is in London at the Royal Music Academy," he told her. "She is a brilliant pianist and plays other instruments nearly as well. She wanted to pursue a career in music, and I have encouraged her as much as I can. Technically, she owns half of the distillery, but she does not want to participate in the day-to-day running. I was fortunate that I spent time at the distillery growing up, learning from my father and grandfather, as that definitely aided me when I ran the estate."

They conversation moved to lighter topics before it grew cool enough to drive them back to their car and then to the cottage, with a brief stop for some take away for dinner. After dinner, William started a fire in the fireplace, and the two sat snuggled together in front of it.

"Elizabeth," William began after they had sat there quietly for several minutes, "do you think you would you want to return here, to Scotland, with me? I know that you need to return to Tennessee to finish your schooling, but that will not be for very long, will it?"

"I graduate in May, if all goes well," she said quietly. "I have been sending my professor updates frequently and I still need to go to Edinburgh next week to meet with that professor, and then I should have enough to finish my research. When I return, I will meet with my team and I will have to defend it, and once that is done, then, I will have my degree. I've crammed what should have been six years of school in to four and a half, and then I have no idea what I will do after that. Seriously though, what does one do with a master's degree in history?"

He laughed. "I imagine there are many things," he began, then continued in a teasing voice. "A teacher, a researcher, maybe even do some research on the history of whisky making in the Highlands." He paused, then began again, clearing his throat before he could speak. "Elizabeth, you did not answer my question about moving to Scotland. Would you … would you consider moving to Scotland … permanently … with me?"

She moved slightly away from where she was leaning on his chest to look up at him. "I love you, William. I have enjoyed being in Scotland so much, and you have been a big part of that. I … I think I would love to move here with you. But are you certain? Are you absolutely certain that is what you want?"

"I want to marry you, mo chridhe," he whispered. "There is a ring at the estate, at the original Pemberley that I wanted to retrieve for you before I asked in earnest, but Elizabeth, I know what I want. I want you." With that, he wrapped his arms around her again and kissed her deeply.

"Yes," she said breathlessly after several moments.

He felt exultant at her positive reply but needed to be certain. "Yes, to what, mo leannan?" he inquired.

"To the only question you have asked," she replied archly, her eyebrow lifted in the way that he loved.

He pulled back and just looked at her for a moment. "Moving to Scotland?" he asked her.

"That's the one," she teased, tapping him on the nose.

"Hmm," he murmured. "I was certain there was another one in there somewhere, but perhaps it was implied, rather than stated?"

"As I recall, you only asked me to move to Scotland," she told him, grinning broadly.

He looked at her for a moment. "Wait right here," he said, standing abruptly. He rushed off into his room and returned in a few minutes, holding a medium sized black box.

"This isn't exactly what I intended, but perhaps it is a starting point," he moved to kneel in front of her. "Elizabeth, mo chridhe, I love you so very much. While I know we have not known each other long, I feel that I know you enough to know that I want to spend the rest of my life with you. This is not the ring that I want to give you, and soon I will give it to you, but for now, will you accept this as my token, my promise that I will love you for the rest of my life. Will you be my wife, Elizabeth? Will you stay with me in Scotland and be my partner in all things, live with me for the rest of our days, and, with luck, one day bear our children? I promise you; I will never leave you willingly, mo chridhe."

"As much as the idea still terrifies me, William, yes, I will stay in Scotland with you; I will marry you," Elizabeth cried. "Please know that I do not need these jewels or this special ring that you have at Pemberley, but that you are what I want."

"I know, Elizabeth," William said before he kissed her again. "I know, mo chridhe."

That night, they fell asleep in each other's arms again, finding peace and solace there. It would be at least a month before they could wed in Scotland, although Elizabeth would need to return to the United States soon. They would figure out those details later, and William was already thinking about traveling with her when he returned.

Author's Note: Have things happened too quickly? Unless they rush off to another country, they cannot marry in the UK for 30 days after they have filed at the registry office, which means Elizabeth will have to travel back to the US first. They could marry there, but I really want them to marry in Scotland. What do you think?