Chapter 6

"Good morning, mo chridhe," William said when he woke with Elizabeth in his arms that morning. Pressing a light kiss to her lips, they snuggled in bed for a few minutes before forcing themselves to rise and prepare to leave.

Soon enough, they headed for the airport and arrived with plenty of time for their flight. As they waited, William purchased coffee and pastries for them for breakfast.

"It is fortunate that we are walking as much as we are, given how I have eaten since I arrived in Scotland," Elizabeth laughed when he showed her his purchases.

William laughed as well. "I do not normally eat like this, but I cannot say I have not enjoyed it. Normally, I eat much healthier, but I do walk quite a bit around the distillery since it is so spread out. Of course, there are days I barely leave the office, but most days I try to get out of the office frequently."

"You do not look like you do just from walking," she told him, eyeing him carefully. "Remember, I have seen you without a shirt on." She laughed when he blushed at her comment.

"There is a small gym in the office for employees to use, and I have been known to use it occasionally," he admitted. "I also have some equipment at home."

She smiled. "I bet you have a full gym at home, don't you?" she asked him.

"Maybe," was his non-committal reply.

Their flight was soon announced, and they made the trip back to Inverness without any complications. It was a short flight, and 45 minutes later they were back on the ground and in a car taking them to Elizabeth's rented flat.

"Do you need to go into work today, William?" Elizabeth asked when they were in the car.

"Do I need to? Probably. But whatever it is can wait until tomorrow. I want us to talk and make some plans if you do not mind." William replied, a big grin on his face.

In her flat, they sat on the couch together, coffees in hand, Elizabeth sitting with her legs curled under her facing him. "Elizabeth, what do you still need to do and when do you have to leave Scotland?" he asked.

"I have an interview set up with that professor at the University of Edinburgh next Tuesday, and then I need to do some writing to finish up my paper. The following week, I will need to return to Tennessee so I can finish things up there," she told him, feeling somewhat sad about the idea of leaving him for any length of time.

"If you do not object, I would like to go to Edinburgh with you next week; I could take you to meet my sister and my cousin while we are there, and we can tell them our plans, whatever they end up being. Then, I would like to accompany you to Tennessee to see where you are from. I could stay a week or two, perhaps, and then we could return together. Or I could return after a week or two, and you could return later. I do not want to rush you; I want you to have the time that you require," he said, a little more uncertain as he reached the end. "If we want to marry in Scotland, we will have to wait 30 days after we file our intention at the registry office. I had asked my attorney to research visas and the legalities of marrying a foreigner. Of course, he told me we could marry nearly immediately in Tennessee, in a little town in the mountains called Gatlinburg that I believe is not far from Knoxville."

She laughed when he mentioned that idea. "Seriously?" she asked laughing.

"Which part?" he asked in return, uncertain which part she was amused by.

"We could marry in Gatlinburg while we are there? Granny grew up near there, and I used to visit all the time. It's a little down on the outskirts of the Great Smoky Mountain National Park, a part of the Appalachian Mountain range, and it's a cute little town, if a little touristy now. My friends and I used to joke about eloping there," she replied.

"You like that idea?" he asked. "We could get married two or three weeks sooner that way, and then we can file the necessary paperwork for your visa as my spouse."

"It isn't a bad idea," she said. "I don't have a lot of friends or family left to attend, so we could do a quick little wedding without much fuss. We would be just as married as if we had a large ceremony."

He thought about it for a minute. "My only concern is what will Georgiana think if I run away to American to marry, but I doubt she would mind too much. We could have a reception here once we return to share our news with everyone."

"I assume with all of your family holdings, we will need a prenup in place," she said quietly.

He took a deep breath. "My attorney has definitely recommended it as soon as I started asking questions about marriage and visas and the like. Frankly, if not for the fact that there are some family holdings that are rather complicated, I would not bother. However, what I was thinking was more along the lines of the old-fashioned marriage settlement that outlines what you are entitled to should I pass away before you and ensures there are no arguments about who inherits what in the family business. I imagine it would need to be updated when we have children …" he trailed off and appeared lost in thought for a second.

"William?" she asked after a moment.

"Do you want bairns, Elizabeth?" he blurted, his accent thicker, which she noted he tended to do when affected by emotions of some sort. "I suddenly pictured you pregnant and with a bairn on your hip and … it made me wonder if you imagine the same someday."

"I grew up with one sister and often wished for more," Elizabeth said. "We were close in age, but not at all close in spirit and I always wanted that. I also craved a family – a mother and a father – who loved me." She stopped, blinking back tears. "So, yes, I would love to have several children – more than two I think, but less than four maybe? What do you think?"

"Three or four then," he agreed grinning. "I think that sounds ideal. Georgiana was so much younger than me and I know my parents had hoped for more as well. I have an aunt who likes to say that any worthwhile endeavor necessitates frequent practice, so I anticipate lots of practice in this area."

Elizabeth looked at him, mouth agape for a moment before she burst out laughing. "In parenting, William? Or were you referring to something else?" she asked archly.

His only reply was a wink and Elizabeth continued to just watch him. He was still grinning slightly, but the distant expression on his face made her wonder exactly what he was thinking.

However, a sudden thought occurred to Elizabeth. "What if we have a second ceremony in Scotland when we return from Tennessee for your friends and family. Two weeks should be plenty of time for me to finish what is necessary and to make arrangements to move my things – I really do not have all that much and a lot of the furniture and stuff was purchased second-hand anyway. There are only a few things that I would want to bring over with me," she said.

They continued this conversation about moving Elizabeth's things over for a few more minute. "Soon, I need to take you to my place so you can take a look at it. You may want to redecorate some; you are, of course, welcome to do anything you like to the house."

"I look froward to seeing it, but unless there is a need to redecorate, I can't imagine doing it just because," she told him. "Are there particular rooms you feel need to be redone?"

"No, I like the house as it is, but you can make changes as you see fit. It is probably rather masculine and functional," he said, shrugging.

"We can make some decisions about after my things arrive. I had mostly functional furniture and did my best to brighten things up by adding things like pillows and house plants and the like. Surely you have noticed that I tend to have pretty simple tastes," she replied.

"I have noticed, and it something we share," William replied. "Now, may we return to travel plans? We have spoken of my joining you when you travel back home, but are you okay with that plan? And my traveling with you to Edinburgh?"

"Oh, yes, William, I would be very happy to have you come with me to both places," she happily replied. "I was rather dreading the idea of traveling to Edinburgh on my own and had been uncertain about the best way to get there or where to go once I arrived. I would gladly allow you to handle that. We can stay at my apartment in Knoxville, but it is rather small."

"We can drive into Edinburgh, if you would like, or fly, or even take the train," William offered.

"Would you mind driving? If we drive, we can stop to visit some of the places along the way, that is, if you can take the time to do so," Elizabeth asked. "Although, since I do not have to pack everything into this trip, I could delay some of the stops I had been considering."

William grinned broadly. "Yes, you will have the rest of your life to explore Scotland now, mo chridhe. When we return, we will need to teach you to drive on the left, and then you can take some day trips on your own, although I do hope we can explore quite frequently together as well."

She smiled at him. "I find that I am looking forward to all the things you will teach me." She blushed when he grinned lasciviously.

"I look forward to learning many things together with you, Elizabeth," he said heatedly, before leaning in for a passionate kiss.

When they parted, breathless, they again discussed their plans, and William jotted down some dates and other information so he could share it with Mrs. Reynolds in the morning so she could help make the necessary arrangements for the couple, including notifying the registry office of their intention to wed.

It was late when William headed toward his home, and nearly as soon as he left, he found he already missed Elizabeth. Having been in her exclusive company for the last several days had made him feel more content and happier than ever before.

At the flat, Elizabeth was also contemplating how empty the flat felt after William left. Only moments after he had left, she was already missing his presence after spending so much time with him. He had made her feel happy and loved, a feeling she relished since it was one she had rarely felt before in her life. For so much of her life she had felt alone and unwanted; being with William was a dream come true. However, given her history, a small part of her wondered if it would last.

Shaking the feeling off, she knew she wanted to build a life with William. She would just have to trust him and trust when he said he would not leave her. If things went as planned, it was possible she could be married to him in just a few weeks, in a simple ceremony in Gatlinburg, of all places, and then a second, more formal ceremony here in Scotland for his friends and family. She felt excited and nervous, but mostly, she just missed him.