"Ach, I was sure I did," Hugh said as he crossed the room, folding his arms over his chest. "So, what is it that ye needed to speak to me in private about? Ye said me council was havin' meetings without me."
"It's nae uncommon for a council to meet without their Laird on occasion," Callum said, infuriatingly calm, and with an air of superiority hanging around him.
"Uncommon is one thing," Hugh said, his exasperation bordering on the edge of vexation. "But it seems as if every time I turn around, ye've all had another meetin' without informin' me." He closed the distance, stopping when they were chest to chest. "And it seems to me that ye are always the one deliverin' the news. Why is that?"
Callum scoffed, a dark glint in his eye. "If it werenae for me, ye wouldnae be informed of these meetings at all. They have nay reason to tell ye. I'm doin' ye a favor, yet ye refuse to acknowledge it."
"A favor would be informin' me before ye get together," Hugh countered, his voice ruthless. Callum was getting far too comfortable with him. "I ken ye arenae havin' meetings before the sun comes up spontaneously. Ye should be informin' me the night before these gatherings take place."
"Or perhaps ye should have been listenin' to their advice," Callum said, completely unimpressed. "If ye'd been doin' that, they wouldnae exclude ye. Invitin' ye seems like a pointless exercise, do ye understand what I'm sayin'?"
"I'm beginnin' to wonder if there was a point to you interruptin' me wife and me," Hugh said, filing away Callum's claims. Hugh could put him in his placeafterCallum told him about the meeting he wasn't informed of.
"Aye," Callum said, taking a calm, measured, professional step back. His composure masked the self-satisfied energy that Hugh caught a glimpse of earlier. "Yer wife is precisely the reason I'm here to speak to ye."
"And what issue are ye tryin' to invent now, Callum?" Hugh demanded, a furious streak of protective possessiveness flaring. "Ye have already interrogated her. She's nae an issue. She's brought in a large sum of money that we desperately need. The villagers are fond of her as well."
"Those things daenae matter as much as ye think they do, me Laird," Callum stated. "We didnae get acceptable answers yesterday. Ye pulled her away before we could form an opinion on the lass. And ye keep referencin' her dowry, hidin' behind it. We could have arranged a marriage to someone we approved of, one that would have carried a dowry just as significant. And that's the biggest problem we have. When it comes to yer wife, ye disregard each and every request and tradition we have," Callum spoke slowly, obviously intending for each word to cut like a dagger. "We cannae find a reason to like her. She's terrible for yer reputation, and it's only a matter of time before ye make a mistake ye cannae come back from."
Hugh glowered at him, clenching his fists at his sides. "Ye've already told me how ye all feel about her. What is yer point in tellin' me again?"
"I'm warnin' ye," Callum said without hesitation, the leather of his shoes squeaking as he leaned in with his gaze narrowed. "I'm tellin' ye that they're ready to act against ye. I'llpersonallytell ye what actions ye should take. I'll help ye find a compromise. But if ye daenae listen to me, they'll move."
"And what are you suggestin' they are goin' to do against me?" Hugh asked. "Because ye keep tellin' me Imustlisten to ye, or ye cannae help me. What are ye protectin' me from, Callum?"
"They can take yer Lairdship, Hugh," Callum said, the way he'd been positioning himself suddenly making sense. "I've been doin' what I can to keep ye from bein' removed. It's impossibleto keep them on yer side if ye're continually goin' against our advice."
Hugh stared down at him, unmoving. It hadn't occurred to him that they'd attempt to oust him. There had never been a documented incidence of a Laird being removed from his position in Clan McDonald. If they decided to take action against Hugh, he would be the first in the clan's history.
Begrudgingly, each word tearing at his pride and at the command that he held, Hugh said, "Thank ye for your warnin', Callum. Ye're dismissed."
"Do ye nae want to hear how I think ye should approach our next meetin'?" The councilman attempted to look empathetic, but Hugh could see through the act now. "They'll want to see ye in a week or so."
"Nay, Callum," Hugh said, his jaw tightening the longer he looked at the other man. "I daenae want to hear any strategies right now. If I need yer assistance, I will ask for ye. Until then, I daenae want ye interruptin' me unless it's absolutely necessary."
"Aye, me Laird," Callum said as he began to walk toward the door. His hand on the knob, he turned back to Hugh. "I've also been informed that yer brother has been actin' erratic. Somethin' about yer trip to the village bein' bad for his head. Ye might want to keep an eye on him."
The final warning seemed to linger in the air for hours after Callum left.
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
Hugh was sour when he stepped into the meeting. His conversation with Callum left him feeling undermined.Hewas the Laird, and it was not for the people counseling him to disrespect his decisions.
If they would just work with me instead of pushin' back about everythin' I do, they'd be a lot happier with the arrangement.
Everyone's eyes were on him, an unsettling silence enveloping all of them. Hugh stood tall, not letting their oppressive energy bother him. They had called him here to chastise him, to make him feel like a child they needed to control. He would not allow them to pressure him with their harsh words.
"Well," Hugh said when it seemed no one else was going to take the lead, "let's get this meetin' started. What is it ye wanted?"
Aaron cleared his throat, gesturing at the seat Hugh's been avoiding taking. "I'll begin when ye sit and join us."
"Nay," Hugh replied. His compliance started and ended with attending this meeting. "Ye will start this meetin' now. Unlike ye, I have better things to do than sit around in this chamber all day long."
"Enough of that," Callum warned from his seat, leveling Hugh with a glare. Then, he turned his attention back to Aaron. "I suppose that Laird McDonald willnae be made to sit if he doesnae wish to. Proceed."
Hugh turned his icy gaze to Aaron. Even before the man spoke, Hugh knew that this would be an exercise in controlling his temper. From the terse words that he'd exchanged with Callum last week, he was aware of how upset these men were.
"We've been discussin' yer recent behavior," Aaron said without any inflection.
