"Aye, she does have a kind heart, doesnae she?" Edward followed as Hugh continued his guarding of Anna. "Congratulations on yer marriage, me Laird."
Hugh nodded in response, crossing his arms over his chest. He tucked the stuffed rabbit in the crook of his elbow, keeping it from being swept away in the chaos. Anna continued socializing, drawing laughter and praise from everyone she met.
She was absolutely radiant when she carried herself like this. It seemed as if she was filling a role she was always meant to step into. And, when she looked back and smiled at him, Hugh was no longer bothered by the fact that they wouldn't get to the seamstress today. There was no reason to rush this interaction.
"Ach, after we eat," Edward said, interrupting Hugh's thoughts, "I have some reports about bandits in the area that I need to tell ye."
"If need be, I'll dispatch some of me men to do patrols of the area," Hugh said. "But we will talk about that later."
For now, Hugh needed to keep an eye on Anna. There were so many people here that something could happen in a split second. He couldn't let his attention stray from her for even a moment.
Anna was thoroughly stuffed and nearly out of words as the sun began to dip lower in the sky. They'd have to leave soon, yet she didn't see Hugh nor Marcus. Thankfully, though, she was finally able to break from the throng of villagers that were far more enamored with her than she anticipated.
It seemed as though the smile on her face was permanent now. Despite how exhausted she was from all the talking, she was happier than she'd ever been. Her father had been right; if she was given the chance, people liked her for herself.
As she slowly made her way to where the horses were tethered, she spotted Marcus approaching. His movements were jerky, and his face was twisted as though he had bitten into a particularly sour fruit. It was the opposite of how she had expected to see him.
She picked up her pace, adjusting her path so she could reach him. Something about his posture, the way he was holding himself, made her worried that he'd go back to the castle without waiting for Hugh. Whatever was bothering him, she knew that he needed to clear his head before taking off on his horse.
"Marcus," she called out when he didn't look up at her. "Marcus, wait!"
For a moment, she thought he was going to ignore her. But, after a beat, he stopped abruptly and turned toward her. His eyes were red-rimmed, and he seemed a bit ill.
"Marcus…" she said softly, taking in the rumpled look of his clothes and the tension he carried in his shoulders. "What… what happened?"
He laughed, bitter and angry, before glancing back toward the village. Without a word, he gestured. She followed his line of sight, but she was unable to reason out what he was trying to say.
"I thought you were going to see the woman you love," Anna murmured, taking a careful step closer to him. "What was her name again?"
"Helena," he spat, looking down at Anna with a contempt she knew wasn't meant for her. "And Ididgo to see her."
"Was she not happy to see you?" she asked, speaking low and slow to keep from setting him off.
Though she was fairly certain that no amount of softening could prevent his reaction. His jaw flexed as he ground his teeth together. When she glanced down at his hands, they were tightened into fists at his sides.
"Nay, I suppose ye can say she wasnae happy to see me," Marcus finally said, forcing his body to relax. There was still a grimaceupon his face, though, a tightness around his eyes that he couldn't will away.
She lifted her hand, her fingers twitching as she debated whether or not to reach out to him. It seemed as if it might be as dangerous as touching a freshly-sharpened blade, but it hurt her to see him so distraught. So, bracing herself for rejection, she settled her hand on his shoulder.
"I'm so sorry," Anna said, squeezing slightly. "You don't have to speak about it if you don't want to, but I can tell that it was upsetting. This trip wasn't meant to turn out like this."
"Ach, I needed to ken," he said with vitriol. "If I hadn't seenthat, I would still believe that Helena was me true love."
Anna rubbed at his shoulder kindly, her own heart breaking at the genuine distress radiating from her brother-in-law. While she still didn't know what had happened, she knew the sting of betrayal, of someone not being who she thought they were. She remembered the friends who had spoken about her behind her back.
As she rubbed his shoulder softly, Marcus's body began to shake. When she leaned forward, she expected to see tears on his face. Instead, he was staring at the ground, his eyes narrowed at a rock. Anna opened her mouth to speak again, but he beat her to it.
"Ye ken what I saw?" he asked, his voice barely above a whisper. "Ye ken what I saw when I walked into her house?"
"Wh… what did you see?" she murmured, a pit forming in her stomach.
I don't know if I want to know… Wouldn't whatever he saw be my fault since I'm the one who encouraged him to come to the village?
"She's been seein' other men," Marcus said darkly, beginning to speak again, only to cut himself off.
"That's—"
"At the same time," he continued, the confession coming out of him in a rush. "I walked into her home only to see her with three other men. I… I daenae ken how I was so blind. When I demanded to ken how long this had been goin' on, she told me she'd ken them longer than she kent me."
