Hugh's eyes narrowed, a wave of suspicion surging through him. Even without Callum's accusation, Marcus's behavior was strange. The fact that his wife was now requesting his brother accompany them…
He shook his head before that thread of thinking could go too far. He felt as if he might be dangerously close to admitting he wasjealous. "The two of ye appear quite close all of a sudden."
"I've always wanted a brother," Anna said so sincerely that he had no choice but to believe her. "And I think it may be nice to bring him with us."
As Hugh pinched the bridge of his nose, she came closer, putting a hand upon his forearm. With a sigh, Hugh glanced at hisbrother and said, "I suppose it willnae hurt if Marcus comes along."
CHAPTER TWENTY
Anna still felt shaky as they made their way to the stables. She may have known that the meeting would be difficult, but she hadn't anticipatedthat. These men were almost like the ladies who teased Anna back in England, latching onto the most obvious sensitivity and pressing it until she squirmed.
She was grateful that Hugh and Marcus had stepped in to defend her, but she was ashamed of the way she'd frozen. Eilidh's urging to be more confident echoed insistently in her mind, yet when she was faced with a moment that demanded self-assurance, Anna had failed. In that instant, she had not behaved as Lady McDonald.
"Daenae let them get to ye," Hugh said, offering her his arm as they traversed the rocky walkway to the stables. "They're nae takin' the transition between Lairds well."
"They've had two years, Hugh," Marcus cut in. "They've had their time. They just daenae ken how to work with someone that's nae a pushover."
Hugh huffed, an almost bitter sound. He said, "Aye, ye're right. But I've nae got the time to deal with the process of changin' out the members. Perhaps once I've gotten the castle taken care of, I can think about replacin' them with men who ken their place."
Even though Anna agreed, she kept quiet. She didn't know anything about the intricacies of the council or the process of choosing new members. Additionally, she was fairly certain that if this were anything like England, a woman's opinions would not matter.
"I willnae let them get onto ye any longer," Hugh said as they approached the stable boy. "Ye daenae need to be the subject of any of their meetings any longer."
"I just should have been able to handle myself," she said, letting a bit of her dislike for her own reactions bleed through. "As soon as they started asking questions, I froze. If I could have?—"
"There's nae a thing ye could have done about it," Marcus said as they came to a stop. "They daenae like me either. Any chance they get, they get onto me as well. They daenae like it when people go against their old traditions. I'm sure they'll be easier on ye since ye're Lady McDonald."
"They will, or they'll regret it," Hugh said before turning to the servant. "Prepare two horses for us, will ye?"
"Oh, I can ride on my own," Anna said, too late to stop the groom from going after what Hugh requested. "Hugh, when he gets back, you can send him to get me a horse."
Hugh turned to her and looked her over as if the information came as a surprise. Instead of giving her what she wanted, though, he said, "Ye'll ride with me. It's nae a problem."
The thought of being pressed so close to Hugh wasn't unappealing, but part of her wanted to dig her heels in and push for her own steed. Perhaps if the meeting had gone better, she wouldn't feel so strongly about having her own horse.
"Ye and I will go ridin' soon," Hugh said as if he sensed the direction her mind was going. "Headin' to town with two horses instead of three will just be easier."
"All right," she sighed after a moment, unable to find a reason to argue. "I suppose that I'll just look forward to that when we return, then."
Marcus gagged dramatically, saying, "Ach, keep yer happiness away from me. I cannae take it."
"Daenae be a child," Hugh said, the corner of his mouth lifting.
Anna watched as Marcus's expression cycled through several different emotions in less than a second. Finally, he was left looking aghast. "Ye're just tryin' to get under me skin."
"Aye, and it's workin', is it nae?" Hugh said, his inflection giving no hint of how much he enjoyed riling his brother up.
Anna couldn't stop herself from giggling at the way Marcus opened and closed his mouth. It seemed as though Hugh knew exactly how to set his brother off. Their relationship was like the sibling relationships that she'd read about but had never experienced firsthand.
"Go get on yer horse," Hugh said, slapping Marcus's back. "Let's get out on the road."
Marcus did as he was told, though it was obvious from the way he held his hands in loose fists at his sides that he wasn't happy with the command. If she had to guess, he didn't have a proper retort. She had to bite her tongue to keep from giggling again.
Before approaching the steed the groom had prepared, Hugh took a final look around the area. It was a kind of surveying that Anna realized must be necessary for the Laird. Part of his job was keeping the castle safe, and that included always being alert, even when he was preparing to leave.
Anna was sure that it was simply a reflex, sure that he wouldn't spot anything. She watched him, admiring the way the sun fell over the masculine planes of his face. When he suddenly went still, his gaze locking on something in the distance, her blood ran cold.
"Ye've got to be kiddin' me," Hugh said under his breath, turning away from Anna.
