Chapter 21
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
Nearly fifteen minutes later, Hugh was still fighting to keep his body under control. His intention had been to keep Anna close and protected. It had been a massive oversight on his part not to consider this.
"The ride isn't as bad as the carriage trip," Anna said, her voice getting a bit louder to cut through the sound of the horses' hooves against the dirt and the creaking of the leather underneath them. "I was worried that this would be just as awful as our trip here."
"The horses are more intelligent than a carriage," Hugh said through gritted teeth, the swell of her buttocks rubbing against his cock. It was a wonder he wasn't already rock hard yet. "They ken better than to step directly into the divots and grooves."
"Aye," Marcus added from a bit in front of them. "They have a drive that leads them toward self-preservation. Ye wouldnae ken it, but they move pretty smoothly even with the carriage. It's the wooden wheels that make the trip so miserable."
"I suppose you have a point," she said thoughtfully, adjusting herself and rubbing harder against Hugh. "They are quite intelligent, aren't they?"
"They are," Hugh said, his hands tightening on the reins. "Ye ken, we had a few get loose once, and they ended up in the village."
Anna giggled and said, "Perhaps they knew they'd be fed and cared for there. From what I saw, the villagers are quite kind."
"Ye're right," Hugh agreed, latching onto the new subject matter. "I've nae met people kinder than me villagers. When I first took Lairdship, they were more supportive than I expected."
"Did they not like the old Laird, then?" Anna asked softly, her body leaning against his. He told himself it was only so she could hear him better, but the sharp spike of arousal suggested otherwise. "If they were so supportive of you, I mean."
"Nay, they liked him just fine," Hugh said, scanning the tree line in an attempt to keep his focus off the hot, soft line of her back. "He was kind and did what he could for his people. I understand him even more now that I took over the Lairdship."
Ahead of them, Marcus moved a bit faster. They were nearly at the halfway point of their trip, and his excitement to get to the village was palpable. It dawned on Hugh that his accompaniment might not be simply for Anna's benefit.
Ach, smart girl. Seems she got to the heart of the problem. I can only hope Marcus learns what he needs to learn.
"I suppose it may be hard for those who are governed to sympathize with their leaders," Anna said softly. "I imagine they were relieved to learn that one of their own would become Laird. No one else would understand their needs better."
Hugh's thoughts paused. When he'd taken this title, his motivating factor had been helping those who didn't have the luxury of living in the castle.
That wasn't something that he'd shared with his family, too concerned with the action being viewed as a frivolous use of his time.
When he'd informed the council of his reasoning, they'd pushed that to the side, urging him to understand that the castle took precedence.
"Ye may be right," Hugh agreed, his mouth hovering near her ear. "Either way, they've been a lovin', supportive bunch since the village's inception nearly a hundred years ago."
"One hundred years?" she said with a bit of wonder. "You know the history?"
"Aye, top to bottom," he confirmed. "I kent it even before takin' Lairdship. The oldest people livin' here remember what the place was like before there were proper shops and cobbled roads. It was they who taught me everythin'."
"I would love the chance to speak to them," Anna said as her gaze analyzed the scenery they were passing by. "I trust your storytelling ability, but hearing about it from someone who actually experienced it…"
"It's different, I ken," Hugh said, finishing her thought. "But I can tell ye that they do their damnedest to ensure their fellow villagers are taken care of. Even if they daenae have money, or they have barely enough to eat themselves, they're always willin' to share what they've got."
Their fellow villagers were sometimes the only reason Hugh and his family ate.
They would hire him and his brother to help out around their homes, since neither would accept money without providing a service.
When they grew out of their clothes, they'd give Hugh and his siblings clothing that would fit.
Thoughtfully, barely audible over the sound of the horse's hooves, Anna murmured, "That makes me quite proud to be their Lady. And it makes me even more excited to properly meet all of them."
"Judgin' by how they reacted to ye when we only had a little over an hour to meet with them," he said, his arms tightening around her body, "they'll be excited to have time to properly greet ye as well."
Anna made a satisfied noise, and even though Hugh couldn't see her face, he knew she was smiling. That fact made him even more sure of his decision to marry her. He realized then that even if her dowry hadn't been sizable, he would have wanted to be wed to her anyway.
As the ride continued, Hugh continued to give her every bit of information he had about the village.
He told stories about the founders and the first Laird.
And, though he knew he was embellishing details, he told her about the castle's construction.
The way she hung onto every word was motivation enough to keep speaking.
The journey passed exceptionally quickly. Anna knew that they were moving faster without the carriage, but Hugh's stories kept her enthralled. They also provided the kind of distraction that she needed to ignore the hard line of his body pressed against hers.
Still, it was impossible to entirely disregard the feeling of his muscular form boxing her in on all sides. His arms had to be wrapped around her to hold onto the reins, and the saddle wasn't exceptionally large. There was no way to sit that didn't press her backside against his manhood.
She wasn't opposed to being this close to him, though she worried that he might be uncomfortable.
Since they haven't had the opportunity to talk about what happened during their dinner together, she couldn't be sure if he'd done something he regretted.
Though if he was really opposed to the two of them being tucked so tightly against one another, she imagined that he would have allowed her a steed of her own.
Marcus was nearly out of their sight when the village rose from the horizon.
It seemed as though her brother-in-law was quite eager to visit with his lover, and the thought that Anna was the reason for this reunion made her heart feel fuller.
While this wasn't officially an act as Lady McDonald, she felt as though it were a serious act of diplomacy.
"I want to get ye to the seamstress while we're here," Hugh said as they began to catch up to Marcus. "I daenae ken if we'll be able to get in, but if there's a single second of downtime, I'm takin' ye to her."
Anna laughed and said, "Do you really think we'll have any time? When you told them we'd be back, they nearly worked themselves into a frenzy."
"Ach, I ken," Hugh agreed, his thighs tightening to signal for the horse to stop. The feeling was incredibly distracting, sending a flutter of desire through her. "But I'm hopin' that they've gotten it out of their systems."
"I doubt that, Hugh," Marcus said as they caught up to him. "They're always lookin' for a reason to celebrate. Ye cannae expect them to let ye do anythin' but speak with them."
"I thought that may be the case," Anna admitted, no longer having to yell to be heard over the sounds of their travel. "I'm looking forward to it either way, though."
Hugh grunted before saying, "Well, I'm still hopeful that we can get ye to the seamstress. It might be warm today, but I ken ye're nae prepared for when winter really sets in. The weather gets nippy quickly."
"The evenings are a little too chilly for me," she admitted. "Though I don't want to be rushed away from anything. I'd like the villagers to like me. If I leave them to go get new clothes, then I'll look as if I care more about my appearance than I do about them."
Hugh was ready to argue that they would understand when Marcus quickly said, "She's right, Hugh. They daenae care if she needs a new gown or nae. They want to get to ken their new Lady."
"Ach, fine," Hugh said with a scoff. "Ye're both right. I willnae worry about gettin' ye to the seamstress today."
His words carried them through the last five minutes of their ride. As had happened last time, the villagers' voices reached her ears before she could make them out. This time, it sounded as if they were singing and celebrating among themselves.
"When did you tell them we were coming?" Anna asked, realizing how organized the group seemed to be.
"I didnae tell them to set this up," Hugh said as he guided his horse to a man who looked decidedly more professional than the others who had gathered. "Though I did send one of me men ahead to alert the village head."
"And he seems to have told everyone in the village," Marcus noted.
Hugh didn't respond, bringing their mount to a stop. In a motion more graceful than his body size should have allowed, he dismounted. Then, before Anna could begin to dismount, he took hold of her waist once again and put her on the ground.
"You cannot keep doing that," she hissed as the back of her neck grew warm. "Especially in front of the villagers."
"Ach, but they loved it," Hugh said, letting his hands linger for a moment longer before turning to the village head. "Edward, ye seem to have gathered a welcome party for us."
"Aye," Edward said, grabbing hold of Hugh's hand and giving it a firm shake. "It's been a wee bit since we've last had the pleasure of properly hostin' our Laird. And I cannae pretend we arenae excited to meet our Lady now that she's had time to rest."
Hearing that the people wanted to meet her was almost shocking. Even though she'd seen it when they first arrived, even though Hugh and Marcus had spoken about it, it was still difficult for her to believe. Yet, here was the head of the village stating plainly that they were excited to see her.
I am their Lady. Of course, they're excited to meet me. I need to be more confident about it.
"I'm quite flattered," Anna said, rolling her shoulders back and standing up straighter. She clasped her hands in front of her body to keep them from shaking. "Your hospitality is refreshing."
"It's the least we could do for ye, me Lady," Edward told her, inclining his head politely. "We've prepared a meal for ye. Though I imagine ye'll be stopped on the way."
He gestured toward the crowd gathered behind him. Each and every villager seemed to be chattering excitedly as they looked at Anna. She was quite certain that the village head was correct. In fact, she thought it very likely that as soon as Edward stepped away, she'd be approached by someone.
And I don't think I've ever looked forward to something so much in my life.
As Hugh exchanged a few pleasantries that Anna didn't quite hear, she looked over the area. A bit shyly, she raised her hand in a small greeting to those who were watching her unabashedly. When she did, a flurry of excited murmuring rose up, and several people waved back.
Unable to hide how flustered the attention made her, Anna looked away. She took a few deep breaths, reminding herself of her new title. And, as she was gathering her wits, she caught sight of Marcus disappearing through the crowd.
Seeing Marcus go forward brought a smile to her face. With that, she turned back to the villagers, her people, and stepped forward. Hugh was close behind her, his presence feeling like a tether to her new reality.