"That's nae the opinion of the council," Callum said. It was a clear dismissal; an implication that Hugh's opinion on this matter wasn't important. "But I didnae come here to listen to yer complaints about how things were managed when ye left so unceremoniously."
Hugh waited for Callum to continue, and when it became obvious that he was pausing for a reaction, Hugh refused to give him one. "Well, what is it that ye want?"
"The council willnae wait to meet yer wife any longer," Callum said, the muscles in his jaw twitching.
About time I got under the bastard's skin.
There was no way out of this, and he knew it. He'd already gone against them enough. He didn't care about pleasing them, but he didn't want to keep giving them reasons to nag. They'd been grating on him ever since he'd returned with Anna.
"Aye," Hugh said, already setting off. "It's time they did."
CHAPTER NINETEEN
With Eilidh's help, it wasn't difficult for Anna to locate Marcus. He was tucked away in the first corner of the library she searched, and judging by the way he looked at her, he wasn't happy to be found.
"I'm quite sorry for interrupting you," Anna said, taking a step back to keep a respectable distance between them. "But I think the two of us need to talk."
"Ach, and I have a feelin' ye willnae leave me be until we have this conversation," Marcus grumbled, narrowing his eyes but staying where he was seated.
She took a moment to analyze his body language. It was clear that he wished to flee or was holding himself back from saying more.
"You're correct," she said when she'd looked her fill. "I've noticed that you don't like me. I've been doing my best to figure out why,but nothing makes sense. I haven't done anything to you. You made your disdain for me clear from the moment we met."
Marcus looked up at her, the sharpness in his eyes softening. He sighed and leaned forward, and she watched his throat bob as he swallowed hard.
"Aye, ye arenae wrong," he said, glancing at the wall before meeting her gaze once more. "But it's nae ye I'm angry about."
At his admission, she felt as if she could see all of the weight that he had been carrying quietly. His shoulders had a slight curve to them. There was an almost palpable sadness hanging off of him. It seemed a lot like heartbreak.
"Then help me understand," Anna said, her voice gentle. "If it isn't me, then what is it?"
Marcus frowned, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath. After he collected himself, he said, "I'm not angry at ye. But I am angry that Hugh was able to marry the woman he pleased. When we moved to Castle McDonald, away from the village, I was forced to leave the woman I loved."
"Leave her?" Anna asked, tilting her head as her palm came to rest over her chest. "Why would you have to leave her? The village isn't too far away. Granted, the ride is quite dreadful."
A bitter laugh left Marcus's lips. Without humor, he said, "Me family… Hugh, me maither, Arianna… They were all against me bein' with her. I didnae have any choice but to leave her."
The emotion was so raw that it made Anna's heart clench in response. It wasn't a surprise that he had been so cold to her. Even though the vitriol was misdirected, it was to be expected.
He's hurting and doesn't know how to manage it.
"This must feel like a terrible betrayal," she said after a moment, keeping quiet as if afraid of startling him away, frightened of saying the wrong thing. "You were told you couldn't marry whomever you pleased, and then your brother runs off and does precisely that. I believe I'd be upset too if I were in your position."
Anna's attempt at comfort seemed to work. Her brother-in-law looked up at her as if she were no longer the enemy. Still, he was guarded when he said, "I think that anyone would be upset if they were experiencin' these circumstances."
She let the words settle between them for a moment. There wasn't anything she could offer that didn't feel like an empty platitude. Instead, she just remained present, disallowing him from feeling the pain of his reality alone.
"She still lives in the village, doesn't she?" Anna asked when nearly a minute had passed. "It's not too far of a carriage ride."
He didn't respond immediately. It was as if he were digesting the interaction. It was hard to read what exactly was going through his mind, but it was obvious that he wasn't attempting to keep her away anymore.
"Aye, Helena still lives in the village," Marcus said finally, sitting up straighter and pulling his composure back into place. "And nay, it's nae too far from here. I havenae been able to find the time to visit. If I didnae ken any differently, I'd believe that everyone was conspirin' against lettin' me leave the castle."
"Well," she said with a grin, bolstered now that she had an idea. "What if I'm able to find a reason for you to go to the village?"
"Is that so?" he asked, raising an eyebrow in a gesture that reminded Anna of his brother. "And how do ye propose that ye do that?"
She made a sound in the back of her throat as her forefinger came to rest on her chin. "I don't have anything on my mind at the moment, but that doesn't mean the opportunity won't arise."
