Chapter 24
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
"What are ye doin'?" Hugh's voice demanded from just outside Anna's door. "There's nay reason for ye to be in this part of the castle."
There was silence, and Anna had to pull herself out of bed. She shuffled to the door, pressing her ear against the surface to hear better. The reply is muffled, male, and unidentifiable to Anna.
"There are empty rooms in this part of the castle," the voice said. "I was simply checkin' for intruders."
"If there were intruders," Hugh said, his voice echoing in the corridor, "I should have been the first person that ye contacted. Ye should nae have been takin' over the search yerself."
"We didnae think it would be worth wakin' ye," the man said, his voice sounding more familiar with each passing moment. "If it werenae just before sunrise that the information came through, ye would have been informed. We didnae want to wake ye with rumors."
Anna's hands shook as she mentally went through her evening. She distinctly remembered locking her door, and that knowledge made her shoulders relax. If there was someone in this part of the castle, they wouldn't have been able to get into her room.
"Well, in the future," Hugh said, his voice a growl, "ye will tell me about it even if it is rumors. It doesnae matter if ye didnae think they're worth mentionin'. I'm the Laird of this castle. I need to ken what's goin' on."
"Aye," the voice said. Then, when he spoke again, Anna recognized the voice. It was Callum. "Ye must ken that the council doesnae trust yer judgment right now. It was decided that it would be better for us to investigate these claims than get ye involved."
The pause went on for so long that Anna forced herself harder against the wood, wondering if they were whispering now.
She was aware that this conversation wasn't for her to hear, but they were having it just beyond her chambers.
While she wouldn't go looking for this kind of interaction on her own, they had brought it directly to her.
Finally, Hugh said, "I daenae care what their opinion of me is. If there's a breach in the castle's security, I have to be informed. How are ye goin' to act if ye daenae have me orders? The command of the men? All ye're doin' is puttin' yourselves and the castle at risk."
"Understood," Callum grunted, sounding like a chastised child. "Ye ken that I'm just lookin' out for ye. Ye've been pushin' them with all of yer decisions. I'm still tryin' to get them back on yer side after ye cut the meetin' short."
"Did I ask ye to do that for me, Callum?
" Hugh challenged, two sharp footsteps signifying his approach toward the other man.
"I daenae need yer help. If the council doesnae like what I'm doin', there's nothin' that anyone can do to change their minds.
I daenae want ye stickin' yer neck out for me and then holdin' it over me head. "
"If that's what ye really want, then I suppose I'll leave ye to deal with them on yer own," Callum said darkly, his voice getting slightly further away. "But daenae be surprised if ye find yerself in situations ye cannae navigate."
"Ye underestimate me," Hugh said, a dismissive edge in his tone. "I'm nae the same person that took over this position two years ago. I may have been confused when ye first met me, but I was never weak nor incapable. Ye seem to think that I need ye."
With that, Hugh took one hard step forward.
It was nearly enough to make Anna slink away.
The motion had its desired effect on Callum.
Almost immediately, the other man's feet caught against the stone in a frantic shuffle away.
Then, when he seemed to collect himself, the sound of his retreat became measured, but no less hurried.
Anna stayed where she was, frozen by the confrontation she'd inadvertently overheard.
Despite the good that had happened for her here, something darker was going on beneath the surface.
She knew that if she asked Hugh, he'd shield her from the truth.
If she wanted to know what was being hidden from her, she'd have to investigate on her own.
It wasn't until she heard Hugh's footsteps fade down the hallway that she dared to breathe properly again. Slowly, she straightened, careful to keep quiet. Gliding across the floor, she tried to convince herself that the tension coiling in her chest was nothing more than politics.
That worked for a few minutes, carrying her through the process of getting dressed. Though once she'd prepared herself to leave her chambers, doubt crept back in. It felt as though she was missing a piece of the puzzle. And, even worse, she was sure that whatever she was missing had to be obvious.
Surely there are ways to learn what I'm not seeing. Perhaps Emelia could provide some insight… or someone in the kitchens.
With that at the forefront of her mind, Anna quickly did her hair before creeping out of her room.
The corridor was blessedly empty, and she walked with purpose to get out of this wing of the castle.
She couldn't articulate the reason, but this area felt like a warzone. She needed time and distance from it.
Somehow, despite hearing the sounds of others moving about the castle, Anna didn't run into anyone until she was nearly at the great hall. She nearly collided with a worried-looking Eilidh. If Anna hadn't stepped to the side, they would have slammed into one another.
"Is everythin' all right, Eilidh?" she asked when her mother-in-law didn't immediately say anything. Her silence felt uncharacteristic.
"Ach, aye dear," Eilidh said, forcing a smile. "It's just been a headache of a mornin'. I cannae say there's ever a dull day here."
"I'm beginning to see what you mean," Anna murmured, making the decision to keep from mentioning what she'd overheard less than half an hour ago. "I'm looking for Emelia."
Eilidh paused for a moment, her brow furrowed. "She should still be in the great hall. And even if she's nae, ye should still eat somethin'."
"I will," Anna promised, the concern for her well-being a beacon of light in the rocky start to her morning.
"Good lass," Eilidh praised. She began to walk away, but stopped abruptly. She glanced back at Anna and asked, "Have ye seen Hugh this mornin'? I'm lookin' for him."
"I haven't," Anna murmured. Then, because she simply couldn't bring herself to lie, she added, "But I did hear him in the corridor leaving his chambers not too long ago. I'm sorry I didn't see which way he went."
"That's quite all right," Eilidh assured her before continuing on her way.
What could possibly be going on?
Anna watched as Eilidh disappeared, then she finished her trip to the great hall. When she walked inside, she was inundated with the savory smells of countless meals she'd yet to try. She only took two steps inside before Emelia spotted her and came running forward.
"There ye are," she said brightly. "I was wonderin' if I'd have to come get ye."
"I had a bit of a… slow start," Anna offered. Then, she dropped her voice and said, "Can I ask you something?"
"Of course," Emelia said, guiding Anna toward the head table. "I'll do me best to answer ye."
"Right," Anna murmured as she stopped walking, looking around to ensure there wasn't anyone sitting at the tables around them. "I just… there's something going on here, isn't there? Something hidden from the public?"
Emelia's eyes widened, and she leaned in close as she whispered, "Ye mean the missin' money?"
"Missing money?"
"Aye," Emelia said, moving in closer. "It's been goin' on for nearly five years, but people have been talkin' about it more lately. Nay one kens where it might be goin', but some have their theories."
"Do you?" Anna pressed. "Do you have any theories?"
"I daenae think any of me theories are true," she admitted. "Perhaps I'll tell ye about them after ye have yer breakfast."
Hugh was unimpressed by his mother's pleas. With a groan, he said, "I daenae care if Marcus has locked himself in his room. Ye cannae expect him to be fine. Ye ken that he's a bit… emotional."
"Aye, but he willnae listen to me," Eilidh insisted, putting herself in front of Hugh to stop him from advancing forward. "I ken he needs time to be alone, but he cannae go on starving himself. I need ye to make him eat."
Hugh didn't have time for his mother's fussing. He wasn't heartless; he knew that his brother was hurting badly. But the internal workings of the castle were demanding his full attention.
"The most ye and I can do for him is deliverin' him food and monitorin' for signs of life," Hugh said after he collected himself, knowing that there was no reason to snap at his mother. "He just had his world shattered. I daenae think we'll be seein' much of him for a while."
Hugh wondered if it wasn't a coincidence that his council had apparently been concerned with an intruder today.
Despite his love for his brother and his own guilt at thinking it, Hugh couldn't shake the suspicion Callum had planted.
The timing of the two events felt connected, though why his brother would be acting from within his room, Hugh couldn't tell.
Perhaps he was just being paranoid. All of this suspicion wasn't fair to Marcus.
"I just worry about him," Eilidh admitted, folding her arms across her chest. "He's been in such an awful state since we asked him to break things off with Helena. Ach, and now he's seen with his own eyes that we were right."
Hugh stepped around her, walking out of the library and toward his study. "I ken ye daenae want to hear it, but Marcus wouldnae have believed us if he hadnae come to the village with Anna and me. He would have gone on thinkin' that we forced him to leave Helena for nay reason."
Eilidh followed him, keeping pace easily. "I ken ye're right, but I'm yer maither. I worry about both of ye. I daenae want either of ye to be in any pain."
"Heartache is part of life," Hugh said without inflection. "Ye may want to shield us from it, but that doesnae mean ye should. We're adults now. We cannae come runnin' back to ye every time things get tough."
"Aye? Who says that?" Eilidh asked, narrowing her eyes at him. "I havenae stopped bein' yer maither just because ye got older. If ye want to come to me with yer problems, I will always help ye."
Hugh turned toward his study a little faster than necessary. "Sometimes the problems we have arenae problems ye can help us with. It's best we learn to do things on our own."
"Ye simply willnae understand me until ye have a bairn or two of yer own," she sighed, putting her hands on her hips as she watched him unlock the door. "It doesnae matter if I cannae help with yer problems. I still want to."
He didn't have a good argument nor way to dismiss that thought. Perhaps he would feel different. That possibility felt as though it were too far in the future for consideration.
I ken I told Anna that I'd give her a month to get used to the idea, but I willnae push her.
"I have work that needs to be done, Maither," Hugh said after a pause. "I wish that I could help ye with Marcus, but he has to help himself. We'll make sure he's got food comin' to him, but we cannae do more than that."
"Ach, I suppose ye're right," she said with a poorly concealed sigh. "But I'm nae happy about it. Ye get to work. I'll deal with yer brother on me own."
Hugh grunted and sent her on her way. As soon as she began her trek back to wherever Marcus was hiding, Hugh stepped into his study. The ledger still lay open on his desk, its pages silently reminding him that the question of where the money had gone remained unanswered.
He sat, going through the numbers again.
There was a clear spike in the disappearance of the castle's reserves that happened shortly after he left for England.
It was unaccounted for, the numbers simply not lining up.
Whoever was taking the money had gotten sloppy in his absence.
They were acting as though they were given no oversight while Hugh was gone.
"If only I kent who was really in charge while I was gone," he muttered to himself, beginning to do the arithmetic once more. "Then I'd ken who to ask about all these discrepancies. Perhaps it's time I ask me maither."