Now, he was back in his study, back to going over years of the clan's financial records. The night before, he'd been able to pinpoint the exact date that the discrepancy began. It was four years before he became the Laird.
That, at least, was definitive proof that the issues predated his marriage to Anna. He knew that it wouldn't be enough to protect himself from scrutiny, though, as the disparities deepened after he took over. While he wasn't the one who began pilfering money, an argument could be made that he saw someone else lining their own pockets and joined in.
"I just daenae ken where the damn money is goin'," he muttered under his breath.
He flipped the page at the same time that someone knocked on his door. Without looking away from his work, he grunted, "Ye may enter, but it's better be important."
"Ach, I think ye'll find it important, me Laird," Callum's grating voice drawled from the doorway. "I'd hate to see ye ousted, so I've come up with a solution that'll help ye out."
Hugh glanced up for a brief moment before turning his eyes to the ledger again. "Unless ye can tell me precisely where the money is goin', I daenae want yer solution."
"I cannae tell ye that," Callum said as he stepped closer to Hugh. "But I'm willin' to give ye a loan. Somethin' to help cover yer tracks and give ye more time to find where?—"
"Hugh!"
Anna's voice cut through Callum's offer. She barreled into the room, not bothering to knock. Her chest rose and fell, her cheeks slightly pink from exertion. It was clear that she must have run here, abandoned whatever task she'd been doing prior to this.
"My apologies," she said, her eyes flitting from Hugh to Callum. They lingered on the other man for a beat too long. "Hugh, I must speak with you privately. It's urgent."
"Surely it can wait just a few minutes, me Lady," Callum said, voice clipped. He turned back to Hugh. "Ye must understand how important the discussion ye and I were havin', me Laird."
"I daenae think I'm goin' to give yer suggestion any consideration," Hugh said with a wave of his hand. "Ye're dismissed Callum. Thank ye for yer offer, but I'd rather get to the bottom of this than create another problem for meself."
"It willnae be a?—"
"I already said I didnae want yer help, Callum," Hugh said sharply. "Me wife is here askin' for me opinion. If it's urgent, it's likely somethin' to do with her duties. Unless I request yer guidance with this matter, it's best if ye leave me to find the discrepancy meself."
"Ye'll realize ye're makin' a mistake soon enough," Callum said, all vitriol and flames. "Ye ken where to find me if ye want to make the right decision."
He stormed out of the room, not giving Anna or Hugh a second glance. The door slammed shut behind him with a dull, resounding thud. Anna jumped slightly at the sound, then stepped up to the front of Hugh's desk.
"Are ye well?" Hugh asked, his focus immediately on the shaking woman before him. "Ye're lookin' a bit pale."
"I'm quite all right," Anna said, shaking her head as if to dislodge the prior interaction. "I… there are rumors that are going around. About me."
"What rumors?" Hugh growled, a protective spark igniting in his chest.
"I overheard some guards saying that Callum had been getting money from the vault to give to me," she said, the words coming out in a hurried rush. "But I've not asked for any money, nor have I seen it."
So that's where the money's goin'. Callum's the last to touch it before it disappears entirely.
"Ye said the guards were discussin' it?" Hugh pressed, forcing himself to push down the fury. He needed a direction to point it, a task that would ensure that Anna wasn't drawn any further into this mess. "Where were they?"
"They were just outside the corridor near the great hall," she said, her face becoming even more pale. "They were… Hugh, I think that they're starting to dislike me. They didn't even hide how upset they were with me."
Hugh stood then, rounding the corner of his desk easily. His hands came to rest on her shoulders. He held her gaze, the cloudiness of her anxiety making her look small. It reminded him of the way she'd begun to shut down when they ran into those vile women in England.
"Ye should sit," he instructed, softening his voice to bring her back to the present. As he helped her into a chair, he said, "They've just been influenced by a nasty rumor, Anna. They daenae really feel that way. They'll realize their anger was misdirected as soon as we uncover the truth."
She stared up at him, the color slowly coming back to her face. Her pink lips parted as she sucked in a breath. Then, she murmured, "I know… I'm just afraid." She looked to the side for a moment, almost as if she was debating sharing something before thinking better of it.
"Ye daenae need to be afraid," Hugh said, surprised at the threads of gentleness that colored his words. "I will keep ye safe, Anna. I just need to figure out where these rumors are comin' from and what sparked them."
Anna nodded, her shoulders relaxing slightly. He could tell there was still something on her mind, but it was obvious that she'd decided not to share it. He just hoped, for her sake, that if it were pertinent to his investigation, she'd tell him sooner rather than later. While he was quite sure that Callum was involved now, he didn't know if there were others helping him. He didn't want to imagine what might happen to her if she didn't have his protection looming over her.
"Now," he said, his voice gruff as he leaned forward to connect their lips in a brief kiss, "would ye like to help go over these ledgers? A fresh set of eyes may catch somethin' that I'm overlookin'."
"I'd be glad to," Anna said, sounding breathless from the short contact.
