"But the spendin'," he continued, his voice all hard edges. "What can ye tell me about that?"
"I suppose that you'll need to consult Hugh about that as well," Anna said, drumming her fingers against her upper thighs. "But I can assure you that the only thing I've needed since arriving is gowns suitable for colder winters."
Edward narrowed his eyes, his gaze sweeping over her as if looking for cracks in her facade. Finally, he said, "I daenae have a reason nae to believe ye. And between the two of us, I daenae think that the rumors were correct. It's simply… well, the monetary issues seem to have only gotten worse since ye arrived. I'm sure ye understand that I have to investigate."
"Yes, I understand," she said, still feeling shaken.
He stood then, straightening his clothing. "I can share this with the villagers, but unless we find the culprit, they'll believe that ye're the person drainin' the accounts."
His implication was unstated. If she wanted to keep her image, to keep the villagers on her side, she needed to figure out wherethe missing money was going. And, if she didn't, there would be nothing she could do to keep the council from locking her away.
It's almost as if I went and spoke with all of them for no reason.
Anna stayed in her chair as the village head left, a servant coming to meet him outside the room. She took measured breaths, telling herself to calm down. This visit could have gone much worse, and she was cognizant of that.
"Where could they have come up with a rumor like that?" she asked, feeling like she was floating in the ocean without a lifeboat nearby.
"I daenae ken," Emelia admitted, shifting from foot to foot. "Everyone loves ye. I daenae ken when that could have changed or why."
Anna nodded, looking down at her lap. If she could figure out where the rumor originated, she might be able to find where the money was going. She ran through her mind, trying to figure outwhocould have planted seeds of doubt.
She stood suddenly, her eyes locking with Emelia's. It seemed they both came to the same conclusion. Anna said, "I have to speak with Callum."
Hugh glared at Callum as they left the meeting. The man looked upset, as though he hadn't gotten his preferred outcome from the villagers' questioning. It sat heavy on Hugh's shoulders, though he had no concrete evidence to accuse him of anything.
"And is me council still plannin' on puttin' me Lairdship to a vote?" Hugh asked, knowing it was the right thing to say to bother the other man.
It took him too long to realize with certainty that Callum wasn't completely on his side. While he may have been helpful when Hugh first took over, Callum was no longer someone that he could trust. Hugh had a sinking suspicion that the group of villagers he'd just spoken to was coached by the other man. And though he hadn't asked Marcus about what happened when he was absent, he no longer believed his brother had stepped in as Laird.
"I believe that the vote will be pushed," Callum said, his emotions carefully controlled. "Pending the results of the ledger review. Ye made a compellin' case for yerself today."
"Well, their questions were all centered around money rather than where me loyalties lie," Hugh said, increasing his pace to make it more difficult for the shorter man to keep up with him. "Anna's dowry was easy to clarify. I daenae ken what they expect to find in the ledger."
"Ye said there was money missin'," Callum said, slightly out of breath. "Would ye nae have to find it? Otherwise, ye'd need a plausible explanation as to where it may have gone."
"I wasnae aware ye were watchin' the clans funds so closely." Hugh stopped, staring down at Callum's red face, the slight sheen of sweat on his brow. "But aye, there is money missin'. I'm inclined to believe that the error happened prior to me takin' the title. I will have to go over me numbers again and visit the vault to do a proper count."
"Well, I do hope for yer sake that ye find where the gold's been disappearin' to," Callum said as he pulled out a handkerchief to blot at his brow. "Otherwise, there'll be retribution. The vote will take place, and I daenae think that anyone will want to keep a Laird that's stealin' money."
"The financial issues run deeper than me," Hugh snapped, the thin veneer of patience he'd exuded for the villagers finally cracking. "If the council would rather remove the person that's tryin' to fix them than truly get to the root of the issue, then the whole clan is beyond savin'. I will continue to do me best for me people, and I suggest ye stay out of me way as I do."
Hugh didn't give Callum a chance to respond. He turned, approaching his study with a swiftness that the other man couldn't possibly match. If he was going to maintain his title and keep Anna safe, he'd have to give the council and the villagers irrefutable evidence thathewould be the one to remedy the problems the clan was facing.
CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
After the visit from the village head, Anna spent the day trying to put together a plan. Callum had been unavailable, not in any of his usual spots. It only took her half an hour of searching before she decided that her time would be better used plotting.
All the evidence she had, none of which was tangible, pointed to Callum. It was all speculation at best, though. Emelia had helped her compile his habits by interviewing the other servants. There seemed to be periods of time where Callum and his personal servant were unaccounted for, and Callum was the treasurer.
Emelia had promised to try to speak with the servant, but the two were rarely separated. She'd also admitted that he was fiercely loyal to Callum. Even if she were able to speak with him, he likely wouldn't be of any help.
I'll just have to confront him myself.
Anna knew she wouldn't be able to outright ask if he had anything to do with the rumors that had been circulating. If she did, the man would deny it. Instead, she'd ask about the financial issues directly. They'd been going on longer than she'd been around, that much she was sure of. If she could catch him in a lie…
Well, she wasn't sure whatexactlyshe'd do, but it would at least prove that he was trying to pin something on her. The reason why, though, she couldn't quite figure out.
As she left the great hall, she decided that she'd worry about that later. She just needed to know whether Callum was involved or simply an insufferable person. If it wasn't him, the only other people that had taken issue with her were Marcus and Aaron.
