Friday morning, William woke early and left Elizabeth still asleep in their bed when he left early for work. He quickly penned her a note to let her know he would be back before noon and departed for work.
Elizabeth woke a few hours later, surprised to find William gone. Rolling toward his pillow, she found his note along with a rose he had gathered from the garden. Smiling, she read his words and began to slowly rise.
After showering and dressing, she fixed herself some breakfast and then returned to the bedroom to pack for their trip. The weather in Scotland was different from what she had experienced in America, and she realized that when they returned, she would need to go shopping for clothes better suited to this country. She had a few things she had purchased specifically for her trip, but there was much she still needed. Since she was unable to work at present, she was aware she would have to dip into her savings. The marriage contract they had signed did give her some funds, but she was reluctant to dip into those. It felt odd – for the first time in her adult life, she did not have a job or classes to go to. She was at loose ends, and although William had proposed a possible job for her, there was still much she needed to figure out.
Shaking off these thoughts, and knowing that William was already working on a list of the things they needed to figure out, she packed for their trip. Realizing she was probably overpacking, and since she did not know exactly where they were going, she packed for all temperatures and weather, or at least the best she could.
William arrived home just before eleven and packed his bags while Elizabeth prepared sandwiches for their lunch. They were on the road in just over an hour and headed south toward the Cairngorms National Park and the cabin he had rented for their weekend getaway. The drive to the cabin took a little over an hour, and Elizabeth and William began the familiar drive toward Inverness discussing Elizabeth's need to do some shopping in the next few weeks. William has some suggestions about where to shop in and around Inverness but had suggested she might enjoy shopping with Georgiana and his aunt soon, and William suggested a weekend trip into Edinburg, perhaps the following weekend before Georgiana returned home for the summer.
Soon, the landscape began to change as they approached the Cairngorms National Park. The rolling green hills gave way to rugged mountains. Despite the approaching summer, snow still dotted many of the peaks. Vibrant fields of heather gave way to dense forests of pines, larch, and birch trees, their boughs casting dappled shadows across the narrow, winding road. At times, the trees gave way to allow a peak at pristine lochs or towering rocky crags. Both grew quiet as they took in the scenery – Elizabeth for the first time and William viewing it all through Elizabeth's eyes. Before long, they reached the cabin William had rented, a cozy, secluded abode nestled in the mountainous terrain. It had a familiar feel to it, similar to their cabin in Gatlinburg, yet it was also distinctly different in all aspects. The couple couldn't wait to explore it together.
The cabin was built with timber sourced from the surrounding area, giving it an earthy appearance, and it would have blended in with the setting if not for the large windows that sparkled in the sunlight. Stone chimneys rose from the roof adding to its appeal. They unlocked the door with the code William had been given and the interior took their breath away. The front room was furnished with plush leather seating and opened to huge windows that offered sweeping vistas and breathtaking views of the surrounding landscape, including rugged peaks and a small loch in a valley. The cabin sat on a little hill, and they had to climb a few stairs to reach the entrance, but the view made it well worth the additional steps. Just outside the French doors, there was a porch and a hot tub sat to one side. Off the sitting room was a well-appointed kitchen and dining room, and a staircase led to a bedroom with a massive king-sized bed covered in a tartan blanket. Massive stone fireplaces sat in a corner of the sitting room, and the bedroom featured a second fireplace with a faux-skin rug lying in front of it. Both fireplaces had been converted to gas, which meant no hauling firewood, but they added much to the overall ambiance of the place.
Elizabeth and William spent a few minutes exploring the cabin, and William confirmed that the refrigerator was once again stocked with the items he had requested. With everything they needed already there, they could easily stay cocooned inside the cabin all weekend. However, while both would be content not leaving the cabin until Monday at noon, they did hope to spend at least a little of their time there exploring the outdoors as well. Despite that intention, when they ascended the steps into the bedroom, it was several hours later before they left that room to explore anything outside, feeling relaxed and sated.
It was late afternoon when they stepped out of their cabin and into the rugged terrain. This far north, twilight would linger for a long time, but they were still cautious not to go too far. They could hear the sound of a stream nearby and began to walk hand-in-hand in that direction. As they approached the source of the sound, they saw a narrow footpath along the bank of the stream and followed it as it forged a path up a hill and deeper into the woods. Both felt soothed by the sound of the water and they stopped to take a drink of the cool water.
As the path ascended, they moved into a grove of birch and pine trees, with light filtering through, casting dappled light on the ground. Eventually, the path opened into a small field of wildflowers, bluebells, primroses, and forget-me-nots, which lent a beautiful color to the greenery that surrounded them. Willam picked a few flowers and handed them to Elizabeth, which she treasured.
The path reached a steeper incline, and before long, they came to a rocky ledge, with a view of the valley below. They rested there for several minutes to catch their breath and take in the sight, feeling small in the vast expanse of the mountains. As it grew windier, William reached to wrap his arms around Elizabeth, pulling a small blanket from his pack to wrap around them both. "It is lovely, William," she said as they stood there. "Thank you so much for bringing me here."
"How would you like to make this our own little private getaway?" he asked. "The cabin belongs to a friend from university, and he mentioned he was thinking of selling it when I called to ask if we could borrow it. I thought about purchasing it for you as a wedding present, but decided that we should probably discuss it first."
She laughed. "It seems so strange that you would offer a cabin as a wedding gift, Will." She turned to kiss him. "It reminds me so much of our cabin in Gatlinburg, even though it is so vastly different, and I will admit that I love the idea of this place being ours. Our own private getaway and a place where we wouldn't bring anyone else, but it was for you and me alone."
He leaned down to kiss her. "So, is that a 'yes'?" he asked.
Elizabeth laughed again. "It is a yes, William. I think it is a perfect place for us."
"Remind me to call him on Monday," he whispered into her ear. "I do not intend to speak to anyone but you until we are forced to leave here, mo chridhe."
They kissed some more before the light began to fade. They made their way back to the cabin where they prepared a light meal, eating it in front of the fireplace downstairs. After they ate, they walked outside to the porch and Elizabeth settled into William's lap. They talked softly and shared kisses as they watched the sun slowly set behind the mountains. As the sky darkened, the stars began to twinkle above, and the night air grew cooler. Elizabeth quickly ran inside to grab a blanket, but they remained outside, wrapped in each other's arms, enjoying the peacefulness of the mountains, the beauty of the starry sky above, and the great job of being alone together.
It was late when they headed up the stairs, still engaged in deep, lingering kisses when they slowly removed each other's clothes and fell into bed together.
Throughout the weekend, Elizabeth and William settled into a comfortable routine at the cabin. They slept in each morning, snuggled together under the cozy blankets and savoring the peaceful quiet that enveloped them. Eventually, they would stir and make their way downstairs to the kitchen, brewing a pot of coffee and cooking up a simple breakfast of eggs, sausages, and fresh scones.
After breakfast, they would venture outside, exploring the surrounding area on foot. Sometimes they would follow the stream they had discovered on their first evening, wandering along its banks and listening to the sound of the rushing water. Other times they would climb higher up into the mountains, scrambling up steep rocky slopes and pausing to catch their breath and admire the stunning vistas that unfolded before them. William always carried a pack of supplies with them when they hiked, which included a blanket, and Elizabeth prepared sandwiches each morning so they could picnic among the trees. Unlike their cabin in Gatlinburg, this cabin was far more isolated, which allowed Elizabeth and William to take advantage of their privacy to engage in more amorous activities among the trees. Elizabeth blushed profusely the first time William had suggested it, but the following day she dressed in a way that make it far easier to take advantage of the privacy of their cabin.
Eventually, they returned to the cabin and prepared a light snack, eating it outside before moving into the hot tub, allowing it to soothe their tired muscles from their climb in the cool mountain air. Eventually, they retired to the bedroom for a rest, and spent a long, lazy afternoon in each other's arms, continuing to explore each other and growing the intimacy between them.
As evening approached, they emerged from the cocoon of their bedroom and sat outside on the porch once again, watching as the sun set behind the mountains and the sky turned from blue to pink to purple. They talked about everything and nothing, sharing hopes and dreams and fears for the future as they gazed up at the twinkling stars overhead. And when they grew tired, they would retreat back inside, curling up in front of the fire or climbing into bed, where they would fall asleep in each other's arms, exhausted and content.
This bubble burst on Monday as they began to repack their belongings for the return trip home. "Thank you again, Will," she said as he helped her into the car. "This has been a great weekend and I look forward to doing it again. Will you tell anyone about this cabin?"
"No," he replied immediately. "This is for you and I and no one else will be welcome. Perhaps when we have kids, we might let them join us, but even then, this is our retreat, Elizabeth. It is only for us, mo chridhe."
She smiled at him, caressing his cheek, before leaning to kiss him lightly. "I love you, Will," she told him.
He deepened the kiss. "And I love you, my dearest Elizabeth," he replied after a moment.
They continued to make plans for the next few weeks as they returned home. William called Georgiana to ask about her plans for returning home and he asked her to delay her return so they could spend a weekend shopping in Edinburgh first. They would fly down to Edinburgh on Friday afternoon and shop on Saturday and Sunday before driving back with Georgiana Sunday afternoon. Elizabeth would also shop a little on her own in Inverness throughout the week. However, before she could do that, William told her he needed to get her added to his personal accounts. That had been on his list of things that needed to be done, and William had made an appointment at his bank that afternoon to get that arranged.
Elizabeth felt a little concerned about this since she felt inadequate whenever money was discussed. She knew she brought little into the marriage, but did not anyone to think she was taking advantage of William's wealth. It was so easy for him to spend money – it was obvious after that weekend that he thought little of spending a few hundred thousand pounds on a cabin as a wedding gift. It had not even occurred to Elizabeth to ask about the price of the cabin and part of her did not want to know and was afraid to ask.
She blurted these thoughts out as they approached the bank. "Are you sure that you should do this, William?" she said suddenly.
"Do what?" he asked, uncertain of her meaning.
"Add me to your bank account?" she said hurriedly. "I mean, I have some money of my own, and this is yours, and, well, you just bought us a cabin, and I don't want people to think that I have married you for what you have or what you can give me. I have so little, and I am used to saving money or doing without, and well, sometimes I don't know what to think when you spend money as you do. I know you are used to it, but I am not, and I confess, it is a little intimidating at times."
He did not speak but pulled into the first car park he saw. "Slow down, Elizabeth," he said. "I know why you married me, and I want to give you everything. The solicitor has already set up accounts in your name, and, if you recall from the prenup you signed, you were legally entitled to certain things after we wed. We are married, and everything I have is yours, although legally, some things had to be separated out. What is really concerning you?"
"How much will the cabin cost?" she asked.
He shrugged. "We haven't discussed the price yet, but I am certain it will be reasonable. We will pay for it outright, which means I can negotiate a lower price than if we had to finance it."
"See, this is what I am talking about," she said, suddenly feeling defensive. "I have never even owned a home before and I am pretty sure you own several."
"We own several," he interjected, "and the cabin will be in your name alone."
She sighed. "You are far too generous."
"I am not," he said. "Yours or mine is wholly irrelevant unless we split up. As I do not intend for that to happen, and, as I recall, neither do you, it is all supposed to be ours. Remember the line, 'with all my worldly goods I thee endow' from our wedding vows? And I believe there may have been another line about 'for richer or for poorer'?"
Elizabeth sighed again. "It sounds crazy, but I think I could handle the 'poorer' part easier than I can the 'richer'. I feel so … I don't know, unworthy, undeserving, uncertain, pick the adjective. Not about you, just about your money." She laughed self-consciously.
He took her hands in his. "Please, mo chridhe, do not value yourself so lightly. You are worthy and deserving of all I have and I want to share everything with you, mo ghràdh. You own my heart and I want to share all that I am with you."
"You own my heart as well, William. I do love you so," she sighed. "It will just take some getting used to, I guess. Other than my granny, I have always been … well, on my own, I guess. Having someone to care for me sometimes still feels strange," she finished quietly.
William leaned across the console and kissed her, embracing her as best he could with the car in the way. "I know, mo ghràdh. I have always had Goergiana and my extended family, and I forget sometimes that you had so few people who have been in your life. We will figure everything out, and I will reassure you as often as is needed so you will be reminded constantly that you are no longer alone."
"I am sorry for being so silly, Will," she said, her voice slightly choked, as she leaned into him.
They remained this way for several minutes until his phone made a noise and startled them both. "We are running late for our appointment at the bank. He was asking if we were still coming. We could be there in a quarter hour, or we can put it off until another day," he said after reading the text.
"Let us go there now," Elizabeth replied. "We can get it over with and I can do a little shopping this week. Ease into spending your money." She grinned as she said the last, trying to overcome her fears.
"That is a great idea," William replied, feeling grateful that she had begun to tease him once again. "Will you drive yourself into town?"
She sighed. "Yes, that is another fear to overcome. I was reading online; it could take a while to get my license here, so the sooner I get used to it, the better off I will be."
"Yes," William agreed as he eased the car back onto the road and navigated it toward the center of Inverness where the bank was located. They spoke about how the rules for driving differed in Scotland and some of the steps that Elizabeth would have to take to get a license to drive there. She had a year under her American license, and it could take almost that long to get her provisional license here.
All too soon for Elizabeth, they arrived at the bank, and, after signing numerous papers, Elizabeth was added to William's personal accounts and was granted access to a bank account far more zeroes than anything she had ever known before.