Chapter 35
CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE
As soon as Anna was safely locked away in her chambers, Hugh pushed past their escort.
He intended to carry out this investigation immediately.
To do that, he needed Aaron to accompany him.
The two of them may not see eye to eye on most matters, but Hugh trusted that the man would not ignore obvious evidence.
And he trusted Eilidh and Marcus to keep her safe.
There was no doubt in his mind that they'd picked up on what was going on.
Ach, if I had more time, I'd brief them on everythin'. For now, I have to follow this thread.
He burst through the meeting room's doors, his eyes finding Aaron. The man was in a tense conversation with an older member of the council, his father. They cut off their whispered conversation to turn toward him.
"Laird McDonald," Aaron said, stepping away from the other man. "I trust the Lady is comfortable?"
"Aye," Hugh confirmed. "I believe there's somethin' the two of us should look into together."
"If it's about the investigation, the rest of the council is workin' on it," Aaron said, almost dismissively. "It's best if ye arenae involved."
"Anna has given me information about the whereabouts of the money," Hugh replied. "It's imperative that we go now before Callum or anyone he may be workin' with has time to move it."
That seemed to push Aaron into action. He steeled himself, his eyes hardening. As he took a step forward he said, "I suppose if what ye say is true, ye're correct in assumin' we should go now. Where did she tell ye it was hidden?"
Instead of speaking, Hugh turned and left the room. As he'd assumed he would, Aaron hurried after him, his boots falling heavily on the floor as he moved. The gravity of the situation, of what they were going to find, settled heavily over the two of them.
When they reached the door, Hugh wasn't surprised to spot Callum's servant rushing toward them. He paused mid-step when he realized where Hugh and Aaron were going. Slowly, he lowered his foot to the floor and began to turn around.
"Nay," Hugh barked, realizing that the servant was an accomplice. "Ye will accompany us. Perhaps ye will have an explanation for what we find."
"I believe…" the servant started to say, trailing off when he realized arguing was pointless.
He fell into their group, fidgeting as he stood. When Hugh tried the door, it was locked. Aaron stared pointedly at the servant, who obediently fished the key from within his inner pocket.
The chest that Anna had told Hugh about sat proudly in front of him. There was no attempt to hide it. Either Callum was an idiot, or more likely, he'd become so confident in siphoning money from the clan that he didn't expect anyone to come looking.
"That," Hugh said, gesturing at the chest, "is what we're lookin' for."
"I'm assumin' ye have the key to this as well," Aaron said to the servant. "Go ahead and open it for us."
The servant moved forward, producing another key. His hands shook as he inserted it into the lock. Then, when he pulled the top open, Aaron sucked in a breath.
Hugh stepped closer, examining the contents. There were bags overflowing with gold coins. Several looked overstuffed, as though Callum had been stealing money for years.
He has been. All the discrepancies I've found, the money that the castle cannae account for… It's all here because he took it.
"I believe this is enough evidence to confront him," Hugh said. He locked eyes with the servant and said, "Ye will carry this for us. I ken ye can. Surely, Callum sent ye to move it, did he nay?"
"Aye," the servant muttered, hanging his head in shame as he closed the chest and picked it up with significant strain.
"Callum's bein' held in his chambers," Aaron said, already marching out of the room. Anger rolled off of him in waves, and Hugh was left wondering what lies Callum fed him.
Hugh pulled ahead, leaving Aaron to accompany the servant. When he reached Callum's quarters, he sent the servant guarding the door away. Then, he pounded against the wood.
After a few moments, the door opened. Callum's face immediately went from smug relaxation to annoyance when he realized that it was Hugh standing in front of him. Then, his eyes flitted to his servant and the chest.
"What's that?" he asked, his voice cracking.
"We were hopin' ye could tell us that," Aaron responded, opening the chest. "Why is it that we've found such a large sum of money in a room only ye and yer servant had access to?"
Callum was quiet for a moment, his body coiling in on itself. At first, Hugh thought the man was shutting down. Then, he acted.
Swiftly, he reached for something at his belt. The muted torchlight glinted off the shiny metal surface of his blade. And, when he swung, Hugh was barely able to step out of his range.
Instinct took over. Hugh lunged forward, not caring about the gashes his arm received. The only thing that he could think about was that if Callum got by him, he'd go straight for Anna. And there was no way that she'd be able to fend Callum off.
"What the hell do ye think ye're doin'?" Hugh demanded, bringing his knee up and driving it into Callum's stomach. "What is yer goal? Ye're caught, Callum. It's over."
Even as he wheezed, his free hand grappling for purchase, Callum swung again. This time, the tip of the blade buried itself in Hugh's shoulder. The pain was acute, but Hugh ignored it.
The blow had created the opening he was waiting for.
Hugh gripped onto Callum's wrist, wrenching the knife free. With a precise movement, he knocked the blade away. It clattered to the floor seconds before Hugh tackled him to the ground.
"I willnae let ye!" Callum cried, crazed. Behind them, Aaron was restraining the servant, the sound of their scuffle barely piercing the heated bubble surrounding Hugh and Callum. "The title is rightfully mine! The money is rightfully mine!"
His hand swept the ground to the side of his head. When his fingertips found the knife, he raised it, his eyes locked on the side of Hugh's neck. In a split second, Hugh realized that Callum meant to kill him.
He would not let that happen.
With swiftness, he wrestled the knife away from Callum. Then, before the other man had a chance to understand what was happening, Hugh brought the blade down. It found its home directly in Callum's heart.
Beneath him, Callum gave a shuddering gasp. His arms flailed, and his legs kicked out. Then, with one final sound, the air leaving his lungs, he went completely limp.
It seemed as if the entire world went silent. The fight happening behind Hugh halted. Slowly, Aaron approached him.
"Me Laird," he muttered, putting a hand on Hugh's shoulder. "Ye're bleedin'. We should get ye to the healer."
"Nay," Hugh said, shrugging the man's hand off. "Nay, I need to get to Anna."
He shoved Aaron aside, intent on going straight to her chambers. Aaron caught Hugh's wrist, pulling him to an abrupt stop. "Ye will frighten her if ye arrive bleedin' like that. Ye need to be patched up. Ye need to get out of these filthy clothes."
Hugh took in a deep breath, recognizing the truth in Aaron's words. He glanced over the other man's shoulder, his gaze falling on Callum's body. With a grunt, he replied, "Fine. I'll get meself patched up. See that he's takin' care of. And daenae let the servant out of yer sight."
Without giving Aaron another look, Hugh carried on. He'd allow the healer to stop his bleeding. He'd get out of his soiled clothes. Then, he'd go to Anna. She deserved to know that she was safe, that her name would be cleared, and that the villagers and staff still adored her.
Anna paced, picking at a loose piece of skin near her thumbnail.
She'd tried to calm her mind by reading from the stack of books Hugh had given her on her first day here, but nothing kept her attention.
Already, she'd checked on the flowers she was pressing, exhausting the only activity that would keep her hands busy.
She couldn't stop thinking about all of the ways the investigation could go wrong. What if Callum had already moved the chest? What if he were able to persuade the council that Anna was lying? What if they found the money but didn't believe it was the missing funds?
And what if something happens to Hugh? Callum seemed ready to kill me…
She shook the thought away, not wanting to imagine what the man might be capable of.
Besides, Hugh was stronger than Callum. While she'd never seen either of them fight, she could tell by size alone that her husband had a physical advantage.
Plus, she'd seen Callum cower before Hugh, even if he'd tried to hide it.
That was the only solace she had been able to find. She'd only been alone for two hours, but it felt like so much longer. They'd wanted her to be a prisoner, and that's exactly what she was.
When a knock finally came at her door, she rushed forward. The lock clicked, and the door swung open slowly, as if to keep from frightening her. Her breath caught when Hugh slipped inside.
His entire right arm was bandaged. The white linen went all the way up, disappearing beneath his shirt sleeve. But he stood tall, his gaze fixed on her. Concern swam in his eyes as if Anna were the one with a wrapped extremity.
"Hugh, what happened?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper. She took a step forward, her hand reaching out, her fingers trembling. "You…"
"Ye daenae need to worry about me," Hugh said, his voice soothing a part of her soul that she hadn't realized was aching. "I will heal. And this is over."
"It's over?" she murmured, unable to believe it. "What… what happened?"
"I'll tell ye everythin' later," he promised, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her flush against his body. "But there's nothin' for ye to fear any longer. The truth will come out, and the rumors the staff and the villagers were fed will be proven wrong."