She expected Hugh to put up a fight the way he had with Callum. Instead, he allowed himself to be led over the threshold. When Anna dropped his arm to close and lock the door, he shuffled further inside.
Turning to him, she raised an eyebrow. He was drunk, but nowhere near as intoxicated as Callum had made him out to be. His feet were steady, and though his eyes were a bit unfocused, she could tell that he still had all of his senses.
"What happened?" she asked, stepping toward him. She was careful not to approach too quickly, to keep any signs of judgment out of her tone. "I haven't seen you all day, and now you're… well, Hugh. Youaredrunk."
"Aye," he confirmed as he leaned over to unlace his boots. As he kicked them off, he said, "Had a terrible meetin'. I may have sampled some wine and whisky in the kitchens."
Anna sighed, tilting her head slightly. "Surely whatever happened at the meeting couldn't have beenthatbad."
He forced out a bitter laugh as he threw himself into Anna's bed. She was distracted by the sight of him there. Despite this being her space, Hugh looked as if he belonged there.
She was so absorbed in her thoughts that she nearly missed his next words.
"They're threatenin' to oust me," Hugh said, doing well to hide his concern.
"But the villagers love and respect you," Anna said, trying to ignore the gravity of his words. "They wouldn't let that happen, would they?"
"They daenae get a choice," Hugh grumbled. He threaded his fingers together, resting them behind his head as he stared at the ceiling. "The decision falls on the council and the willingness of me men to participate in the removal."
She hummed, processing the words. Slowly, she approached the mattress. As she perched on the edge, she said, "They're quite loyal to you, aren't they? I know I'm still not familiar with everything happening here, but I can tell that they're eager to follow your orders."
"Aye," Hugh confirmed. "I daenae ken if any seeds of doubt have been sowed, though. I willnae find out unless they truly attempt to remove me."
"They won't turn on you," Anna said decisively, even though she wasn't completely sure. "You treat them well. You're the one who issues orders."
She turned her head to meet his gaze. There was a faraway quality to the way he looked at her. Something weighed on his mind heavily, and she'd yet to touch on it.
"You're not worried about being removed from your position," she murmured, not bothering to phrase it like a question. "There's something else."
"They threatened to lock ye in the dungeons if ye continued to 'influence' me behavior," Hugh admitted after a long, pregnant pause. "I daenae want ye to suffer because of their power-hungry whims."
A chill that had nothing to do with the temperature traveled through her body, starting at the top of her head and ending at the tip of her toes. She closed her eyes, suppressing the shudder that came along with the sensation. Fear, she realized, felt dangerously close to shame.
"You won't let them," she said when her eyelids fluttered open. A rush of belief in her husband lit up the parts of her that threatened to be closed by fear. "I know you, Hugh. You'll protect me."
"Aye," he said after a tense pause. "Aye, I'll do me best. I daenae want a thing to happen to ye."
He didn't sound convinced. In fact, Anna was fairly certain that he was afraid he'd failed her. He wouldn't, though. Already, she was beginning to formulate a plan. She'd poke around and find the real reason for this nonsense they were putting her husband through.
"Nothing will happen to me," Anna said, giving him a gentle smile. Then, when he couldn't bring himself to reply, she said, "Perhaps it's time for you to get some rest."
"Aye, perhaps it is," he agreed.
She expected him to stand, to take himself to his chambers right next door. Instead, he closed his eyes and grumbled, "Snuff out the candles, would ye?"
Anna's back went rigid, as if someone had slipped a steel rod down the spine of her dressing gown. She glanced from Hugh to the candles scattered around the room. His breathing was already slowing, evening out as he let himself drift to sleep there in her bed.
Hugh woke a few hours later, the dark still pressing in on him. The bed beneath him felt wrong. The warm body in his arms was certainly foreign.
Ach, where am I?
As he blinked, his eyes bleary and unfocused, the evening came back to him. He remembered each glass of whisky. Callum had found him in the kitchen, a strange kind of glee flashing at the sight of Hugh's drunken demeanor. Then…
This bed wasn't his; it was Anna's. And the warm form nestled against his chest was hers. He must have reached for her in his sleep, drawing her back so she lay flush against him.
Her breathing was even, her face relaxed as she slept. She had either slept through his protective, unconscious grasp, or she'd woken up and decided that this sort of proximity was acceptable. He chose to believe the latter, not wanting to think about the morning when she woke to find herself tangled up with him.
She doesnae need me forcin' herself on her, especially after I shared too much. She was nae supposed to find out. I was goin' to keep her safe without her kennin' what was goin' on.
