Chapter 20
CHAPTER TWENTY
Anna still felt shaky as they made their way to the stables. She may have known that the meeting would be difficult, but she hadn't anticipated that. These men were almost like the ladies who teased Anna back in England, latching onto the most obvious sensitivity and pressing it until she squirmed.
She was grateful that Hugh and Marcus had stepped in to defend her, but she was ashamed of the way she'd frozen.
Eilidh's urging to be more confident echoed insistently in her mind, yet when she was faced with a moment that demanded self-assurance, Anna had failed.
In that instant, she had not behaved as Lady McDonald.
"Daenae let them get to ye," Hugh said, offering her his arm as they traversed the rocky walkway to the stables. "They're nae takin' the transition between Lairds well."
"They've had two years, Hugh," Marcus cut in. "They've had their time. They just daenae ken how to work with someone that's nae a pushover."
Hugh huffed, an almost bitter sound. He said, "Aye, ye're right. But I've nae got the time to deal with the process of changin' out the members. Perhaps once I've gotten the castle taken care of, I can think about replacin' them with men who ken their place."
Even though Anna agreed, she kept quiet. She didn't know anything about the intricacies of the council or the process of choosing new members. Additionally, she was fairly certain that if this were anything like England, a woman's opinions would not matter.
"I willnae let them get onto ye any longer," Hugh said as they approached the stable boy. "Ye daenae need to be the subject of any of their meetings any longer."
"I just should have been able to handle myself," she said, letting a bit of her dislike for her own reactions bleed through. "As soon as they started asking questions, I froze. If I could have—"
"There's nae a thing ye could have done about it," Marcus said as they came to a stop. "They daenae like me either. Any chance they get, they get onto me as well. They daenae like it when people go against their old traditions. I'm sure they'll be easier on ye since ye're Lady McDonald."
"They will, or they'll regret it," Hugh said before turning to the servant. "Prepare two horses for us, will ye?"
"Oh, I can ride on my own," Anna said, too late to stop the groom from going after what Hugh requested. "Hugh, when he gets back, you can send him to get me a horse."
Hugh turned to her and looked her over as if the information came as a surprise. Instead of giving her what she wanted, though, he said, "Ye'll ride with me. It's nae a problem."
The thought of being pressed so close to Hugh wasn't unappealing, but part of her wanted to dig her heels in and push for her own steed. Perhaps if the meeting had gone better, she wouldn't feel so strongly about having her own horse.
"Ye and I will go ridin' soon," Hugh said as if he sensed the direction her mind was going. "Headin' to town with two horses instead of three will just be easier."
"All right," she sighed after a moment, unable to find a reason to argue. "I suppose that I'll just look forward to that when we return, then."
Marcus gagged dramatically, saying, "Ach, keep yer happiness away from me. I cannae take it."
"Daenae be a child," Hugh said, the corner of his mouth lifting.
Anna watched as Marcus's expression cycled through several different emotions in less than a second. Finally, he was left looking aghast. "Ye're just tryin' to get under me skin."
"Aye, and it's workin', is it nae?" Hugh said, his inflection giving no hint of how much he enjoyed riling his brother up.
Anna couldn't stop herself from giggling at the way Marcus opened and closed his mouth. It seemed as though Hugh knew exactly how to set his brother off. Their relationship was like the sibling relationships that she'd read about but had never experienced firsthand.
"Go get on yer horse," Hugh said, slapping Marcus's back. "Let's get out on the road."
Marcus did as he was told, though it was obvious from the way he held his hands in loose fists at his sides that he wasn't happy with the command. If she had to guess, he didn't have a proper retort. She had to bite her tongue to keep from giggling again.
Before approaching the steed the groom had prepared, Hugh took a final look around the area. It was a kind of surveying that Anna realized must be necessary for the Laird. Part of his job was keeping the castle safe, and that included always being alert, even when he was preparing to leave.
Anna was sure that it was simply a reflex, sure that he wouldn't spot anything. She watched him, admiring the way the sun fell over the masculine planes of his face. When he suddenly went still, his gaze locking on something in the distance, her blood ran cold.
"Ye've got to be kiddin' me," Hugh said under his breath, turning away from Anna.
Hugh didn't bother hiding his impatience when he saw Callum trotting after them. There was a tightness in Callum's eyes that Hugh had come to learn meant trouble. However, with Callum, trouble had a broad definition.
"There better be a good reason ye're tryin' to delay us," Hugh said as he took a step forward, putting himself between Callum and Anna. "We're losin' daylight. I'd like to get back to the castle before dark."
"Aye," Callum agreed, his voice sounding grave. "We cannae let ye leave without guards. It will take us a few moments to get them gathered."
"We daenae have the time for that," Hugh said, motioning for Anna to go to their horse. "If we want to get to all of our stops and get back before dark, we need to leave now."
"If ye have guards with ye, nay one will dare approach ye if ye return after dark," Callum said. "The council insists—"
"Wouldn't having so many guards with us send the wrong message to the villagers?" Anna said, now at Hugh's elbow.
"She's nae wrong," Hugh said as Callum opened his mouth. "Many of them have already met her. We daenae have anythin' more than our two horses. If we come to them again with so many men, they'll ask questions. It'll cause panic."
Callum sighed, a long-suffering sound. "Ye think I daenae ken? It's the rest of the council that wants ye to be protected on the ride."
Hugh scoffed and said, "They daenae want us protected, they want us to be monitored."
"Bein' monitored is the same thing as bein' protected," Callum replied, seeming to get antsier with each push against the council's wishes.
He stepped in, dropping his voice just low enough for Hugh to hear.
"Ye ken I told ye I cannae cover yer arse if ye daenae listen to their advice.
Ye must let some sort of guard go with ye. Even if it's just one or two."
"Nay, Callum," Hugh said, towering over the other man. "We daenae have the time for this. We're leavin'. Now. Our horses are ready. Ye're the only thing delayin' us."
"It could be as simple as me comin' along," Callum offered. "I could catch up with ye, bring me sword along. Then I could watch out for ye, and ye daenae have to worry about bein' flanked by a mess of guards."
"I said nay, Callum," Hugh practically spat, no longer having the patience for this kind of behavior. "We will be quite fine on our own. And ye can tell the rest of the council that as well."
When Hugh had taken over as Laird, Callum's guidance had been appreciated.
The man had grown up in the castle and made himself invaluable to the Laird before Hugh.
His focused concern had made his transition so easy.
Now, though, it felt suffocating. Hugh no longer needed to be watched over by Callum.
He could make his own decisions and handle whatever chastising he got for stepping out of line without Callum's intervention.
"Ye can go now," Hugh said, definitively dismissing the other man.
Callum hovered for another moment, the proper mask dropping just long enough for Hugh to glimpse the frustration beneath.
It felt almost paternal, if Hugh had to guess.
Callum wasn't much older than him, but he seemed to take his role in looking out for Hugh seriously.
Still, that look wasn't enough to wash away Hugh's irritation at Callum's constant meddling.
Finally, Callum turned away, but not before saying, "I do hope ye're careful, Hugh. Ye've been gettin' sloppy and reckless with yer behavior. I wouldnae want the council gettin' upset with me if I were ye."
Hugh stayed where he was, his eyes tracking the path Callum took back to the castle. He wasn't going to move until he was sure the three of them wouldn't be followed unknowingly. Something about the interaction sat wrong on Hugh's shoulders.
There was something about the council that Callum wasn't telling him.
For whatever reason, they were demanding supervision.
Even though he understood their reaction to his marriage to Anna, they continued to push further.
Their reasons for this must run much deeper than the marriage; Hugh was almost positive about that.
I'll have to investigate when we return.
"Ach, what the hell is his problem?" Marcus asked as he climbed onto his horse's saddle. "Why would the council think ye needed guards? Nae only are ye ridin', I'm comin' along as well. Even if they daenae like me, they ken I'm capable of—"
"There's nay point in tryin' to figure out what they're doin'," Hugh said. "Nae right now, at least. We'll get to the village today, and when we get back, I'll look into it."
Marcus laughed, reaching forward to stroke his stallion's neck. "Ye must be insane if ye think I'm nae goin' to help ye."
That drew a chuckle that resonated in Hugh's chest. Even though his little brother was clearly angry with him, he was still fiercely loyal. It made Hugh feel a bit foolish for entertaining Callum's suggestion.
I still havenae gotten a report of what happened when I was away. That's another thing I'll have to look into when we return.
Anna stepped closer to him, her presence acting as an anchor. The confidence from before was back. She didn't have to say a word for Hugh to understand that she'd just committed herself to helping as well.
"It's time for us to go now," Hugh grunted, finally grabbing their horse and dismissing the groom. "We've spent far too long talkin'."
"It seems you're always displeased with the pace at which others are going," Anna said, allowing herself to be guided to the saddle.
Instead of dignifying her observation with a response, Hugh took the situation into his own hands. Without giving her a warning, he grabbed hold of her waist. Then, in one effortless movement, he hoisted her onto the horse.
"Hugh!" she squeaked, looking down at him as her cheeks bloomed bright pink. When she spoke, it was with a stutter that made his chest warm. "You can't… I didn't say… Why would you—"
"It's as ye said, Anna," Hugh said, smirking up at her as she continued to grow more flustered. "I'm displeased with the pace at which others are goin'. Since ye werenae goin' to get on the beast yerself, I decided to help ye."
"I could have gotten up here myself," she protested.
"I'm sure ye could have," Hugh swung into the saddle behind her, and she made another sound—this one so soft that only he could hear it.
The faint, breathy noise traveled through him, hot and insistent.
His voice was huskier than he expected when he murmured, "But ye didnae do it on yer own. I was only helpin' ye."
She squirmed in front of him, apparently unable to come up with a proper response. It was then that Hugh realized that he may have made a mistake by insisting they ride together. Her closeness was intoxicating. He could feel each breath she took and each minute movement she made.
In an effort to ignore the softness of her curves against his front, Hugh grabbed the reins and signaled for the steed to move. The shifting of the animal beneath them only exacerbated the issue. With each step forward, she rocked against Hugh.
He knew within seconds that if they kept moving like this, he'd be faced with a massive problem. Anna's buttocks were right there, rubbing against him and coaxing his cock to life. If he didn't do something about this, he'd end up in a less-than-desirable situation.
Ach, I need to do somethin' to distract meself.