Chapter 29
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
After spending a day wearing her new, thicker gown, Anna finally felt comfortable.
The few hours that she spent with Emelia trying on all of the dresses that the seamstress had dropped off had been refreshing and enlightening.
Though when Emelia had started to show off the nightgowns that Hugh had clearly suggested, Anna had dismissed her.
Then, to clear her flustered mind, she'd gone to the gardens.
Now, back in the comfort of her chambers, she was carefully pressing some of the flowers she picked. She'd send the ones that turned out best to her father. She thought, perhaps, that she would write him before she went to bed to inform him that she was settling in well.
I should have written sooner. I've just been so wrapped up in learning the intricacies of the castle.
She straightened out, weighing down the book that she was using to flatten the blooms with a brass press. Her fingers were stiff with cold when she opened and closed them at her sides. Despite having proper attire now, the nights were still blisteringly uncomfortable.
With a sigh, she looked down at her dressing gown and the robe she had pulled over it. If she were to stay up longer to write her letter, she was sure she'd freeze. Even if she were to sit next to the fire, the night was simply far too cold for her.
Almost as soon as Anna made up her mind to tuck herself into bed, there was commotion in the corridor outside her room.
She tensed, Eilidh's words about never knowing who was lurking around the castle flashing through her mind.
Before fear could sink its claws into her, she recognized the voices. Hugh and Callum.
"What do ye think would have happened if someone else saw ye in the kitchens like this?" Callum demanded, his voice loud enough to carry through the wood of her door.
Hugh responded, his voice a low growl that Anna couldn't make out. Her hackles rose, though. From the stories that Emelia told, there was something off about Callum. It wasn't something she was able to articulate, but it had been obvious to Anna that her maid didn't trust the man.
In a flash of bravery she didn't know she possessed, Anna marched over to the door and pulled it open. Callum froze, his hands gripped uselessly on the shoulders of Hugh's doublet. Hugh's face was flushed, his eyes a little blurry. Unconcealed distaste was written clearly over the Laird's features.
"What's going on out here?" Anna demanded, holding herself straighter and staring at Callum with all the authority she could muster. She was Lady McDonald; this castle was just as much hers as it was Hugh's. "I was trying to sleep, but the two of you are making quite the racket."
"Yer husband seems to have overindulged," Callum said, clearly unimpressed. He adjusted his hold on Hugh, behaving as if her husband would topple over if it weren't for him. "I was simply takin' him to his chambers before he made a fool of himself."
"I could have taken meself," Hugh grunted, shoving Callum off of him with nearly enough force to knock the other man over. "I'm nae a child, Callum."
"I would be more inclined to believe ye if ye werenae on the verge of makin' a fool of yerself," Callum said as he righted himself.
His gaze swept between Hugh and Anna. Finally, he threw his hands in the air and said, "Since he's yer husband, I'll leave him with ye.
I didnae need to bring him this far." He turned, stomping down the corridor, mumbling under his breath.
The two of them watched Callum's retreating form for a moment before Anna reached forward and grabbed hold of Hugh's elbow. Softly, she said, "Come inside. Sit."
She expected Hugh to put up a fight the way he had with Callum. Instead, he allowed himself to be led over the threshold. When Anna dropped his arm to close and lock the door, he shuffled further inside.
Turning to him, she raised an eyebrow. He was drunk, but nowhere near as intoxicated as Callum had made him out to be. His feet were steady, and though his eyes were a bit unfocused, she could tell that he still had all of his senses.
"What happened?" she asked, stepping toward him. She was careful not to approach too quickly, to keep any signs of judgment out of her tone. "I haven't seen you all day, and now you're… well, Hugh. You are drunk."
"Aye," he confirmed as he leaned over to unlace his boots. As he kicked them off, he said, "Had a terrible meetin'. I may have sampled some wine and whisky in the kitchens."
Anna sighed, tilting her head slightly. "Surely whatever happened at the meeting couldn't have been that bad."
He forced out a bitter laugh as he threw himself into Anna's bed. She was distracted by the sight of him there. Despite this being her space, Hugh looked as if he belonged there.
She was so absorbed in her thoughts that she nearly missed his next words.
"They're threatenin' to oust me," Hugh said, doing well to hide his concern.
"But the villagers love and respect you," Anna said, trying to ignore the gravity of his words. "They wouldn't let that happen, would they?"
"They daenae get a choice," Hugh grumbled. He threaded his fingers together, resting them behind his head as he stared at the ceiling. "The decision falls on the council and the willingness of me men to participate in the removal."
She hummed, processing the words. Slowly, she approached the mattress. As she perched on the edge, she said, "They're quite loyal to you, aren't they? I know I'm still not familiar with everything happening here, but I can tell that they're eager to follow your orders."
"Aye," Hugh confirmed. "I daenae ken if any seeds of doubt have been sowed, though. I willnae find out unless they truly attempt to remove me."
"They won't turn on you," Anna said decisively, even though she wasn't completely sure. "You treat them well. You're the one who issues orders."
She turned her head to meet his gaze. There was a faraway quality to the way he looked at her. Something weighed on his mind heavily, and she'd yet to touch on it.
"You're not worried about being removed from your position," she murmured, not bothering to phrase it like a question. "There's something else."
"They threatened to lock ye in the dungeons if ye continued to 'influence' me behavior," Hugh admitted after a long, pregnant pause. "I daenae want ye to suffer because of their power-hungry whims."
A chill that had nothing to do with the temperature traveled through her body, starting at the top of her head and ending at the tip of her toes. She closed her eyes, suppressing the shudder that came along with the sensation. Fear, she realized, felt dangerously close to shame.
"You won't let them," she said when her eyelids fluttered open. A rush of belief in her husband lit up the parts of her that threatened to be closed by fear. "I know you, Hugh. You'll protect me."
"Aye," he said after a tense pause. "Aye, I'll do me best. I daenae want a thing to happen to ye."
He didn't sound convinced. In fact, Anna was fairly certain that he was afraid he'd failed her. He wouldn't, though. Already, she was beginning to formulate a plan. She'd poke around and find the real reason for this nonsense they were putting her husband through.
"Nothing will happen to me," Anna said, giving him a gentle smile. Then, when he couldn't bring himself to reply, she said, "Perhaps it's time for you to get some rest."
"Aye, perhaps it is," he agreed.
She expected him to stand, to take himself to his chambers right next door. Instead, he closed his eyes and grumbled, "Snuff out the candles, would ye?"
Anna's back went rigid, as if someone had slipped a steel rod down the spine of her dressing gown. She glanced from Hugh to the candles scattered around the room. His breathing was already slowing, evening out as he let himself drift to sleep there in her bed.
Hugh woke a few hours later, the dark still pressing in on him. The bed beneath him felt wrong. The warm body in his arms was certainly foreign.
Ach, where am I?
As he blinked, his eyes bleary and unfocused, the evening came back to him. He remembered each glass of whisky. Callum had found him in the kitchen, a strange kind of glee flashing at the sight of Hugh's drunken demeanor. Then…
This bed wasn't his; it was Anna's. And the warm form nestled against his chest was hers. He must have reached for her in his sleep, drawing her back so she lay flush against him.
Her breathing was even, her face relaxed as she slept.
She had either slept through his protective, unconscious grasp, or she'd woken up and decided that this sort of proximity was acceptable.
He chose to believe the latter, not wanting to think about the morning when she woke to find herself tangled up with him.
She doesnae need me forcin' herself on her, especially after I shared too much. She was nae supposed to find out. I was goin' to keep her safe without her kennin' what was goin' on.
Hugh sighed, his head still fuzzy from the alcohol. Drinking hadn't been the best way to process the council meeting. If he had been thinking properly, he wouldn't have put himself in a vulnerable position.
He couldn't do that, not when his goal was to keep Anna safe. The more he got to know this woman, the surer he was that he'd lay his life down for her. There was no reason for him to make locking her away easy. He'd have to start playing by the council's rules.
If they could prove him unfit to lead, perhaps he could find a way to prove they were unfit to advise. He would still have to follow their guidance, even if it meant acting against the village's best interests. The only way he could show how bad their choices were was to let those choices stand.
Anna made a sleepy noise, and Hugh forced himself to relax. He hadn't realized how stiff these thoughts had made him. When his body softened, she hummed, nuzzling back against his chest. One of her hands found his, holding on for a moment before sleep took her once again.
Ye willnae have to worry soon. I willnae let them outsmart me.
With that powerful thought in mind, he closed his eyes again, letting the heat from his wife's body work its way into his bones. It was a powerful sedative, having her against him like this. He wondered if she'd be amenable to them sharing a room.
She shifted again, her buttocks rubbing against his lap.
His cock stirred slightly, waking up at the feeling of that perfect rump teasing him.
With gritted teeth, he forced himself to ignore the desire that coursed through his limbs.
Now wasn't the time to let himself get carried away, not when she was sleeping so soundly against him.
Although if she continued to behave this way when the two of them were awake… Hugh didn't think he'd be able to control himself.