After a few moments, the door opened. Callum's face immediately went from smug relaxation to annoyance when he realized that it was Hugh standing in front of him. Then, his eyes flitted to his servant and the chest.
"What's that?" he asked, his voice cracking.
"We were hopin' ye could tell us that," Aaron responded, opening the chest. "Why is it that we've found such a large sum of money in a room only ye and yer servant had access to?"
Callum was quiet for a moment, his body coiling in on itself. At first, Hugh thought the man was shutting down. Then, he acted.
Swiftly, he reached for something at his belt. The muted torchlight glinted off the shiny metal surface of his blade. And, when he swung, Hugh was barely able to step out of his range.
Instinct took over. Hugh lunged forward, not caring about the gashes his arm received. The only thing that he could think about was that if Callum got by him, he'd go straight for Anna. And there was no way that she'd be able to fend Callum off.
"What the hell do ye think ye're doin'?" Hugh demanded, bringing his knee up and driving it into Callum's stomach. "What is yer goal? Ye're caught, Callum. It's over."
Even as he wheezed, his free hand grappling for purchase, Callum swung again. This time, the tip of the blade buried itself in Hugh's shoulder. The pain was acute, but Hugh ignored it.
The blow had created the opening he was waiting for.
Hugh gripped onto Callum's wrist, wrenching the knife free. With a precise movement, he knocked the blade away. It clattered to the floor seconds before Hugh tackled him to the ground.
"I willnae let ye!" Callum cried, crazed. Behind them, Aaron was restraining the servant, the sound of their scuffle barely piercing the heated bubble surrounding Hugh and Callum. "The title is rightfully mine! The money is rightfully mine!"
His hand swept the ground to the side of his head. When his fingertips found the knife, he raised it, his eyes locked on the side of Hugh's neck. In a split second, Hugh realized that Callum meant to kill him.
He would not let that happen.
With swiftness, he wrestled the knife away from Callum. Then, before the other man had a chance to understand what was happening, Hugh brought the blade down. It found its home directly in Callum's heart.
Beneath him, Callum gave a shuddering gasp. His arms flailed, and his legs kicked out. Then, with one final sound, the air leaving his lungs, he went completely limp.
It seemed as if the entire world went silent. The fight happening behind Hugh halted. Slowly, Aaron approached him.
"Me Laird," he muttered, putting a hand on Hugh's shoulder. "Ye're bleedin'. We should get ye to the healer."
"Nay," Hugh said, shrugging the man's hand off. "Nay, I need to get to Anna."
He shoved Aaron aside, intent on going straight to her chambers. Aaron caught Hugh's wrist, pulling him to an abrupt stop. "Ye will frighten her if ye arrive bleedin' like that. Ye need to be patched up. Ye need to get out of these filthy clothes."
Hugh took in a deep breath, recognizing the truth in Aaron's words. He glanced over the other man's shoulder, his gaze falling on Callum's body. With a grunt, he replied, "Fine. I'll get meself patched up. See that he's takin' care of. And daenae let the servant out of yer sight."
Without giving Aaron another look, Hugh carried on. He'd allow the healer to stop his bleeding. He'd get out of his soiled clothes. Then, he'd go to Anna. She deserved to know that she was safe, that her name would be cleared, and that the villagers and staff still adored her.
Anna paced, picking at a loose piece of skin near her thumbnail. She'd tried to calm her mind by reading from the stack of books Hugh had given her on her first day here, but nothing kept her attention. Already, she'd checked on the flowers she was pressing, exhausting the only activity that would keep her hands busy.
She couldn't stop thinking about all of the ways the investigation could go wrong. What if Callum had already moved the chest? What if he were able to persuade the council that Anna was lying? What if they found the money but didn't believe it was the missing funds?
And what if something happens to Hugh? Callum seemed ready to kill me…
She shook the thought away, not wanting to imagine what the man might be capable of. Besides, Hugh was stronger than Callum. While she'd never seen either of them fight, she could tell by size alone that her husband had a physical advantage. Plus, she'd seen Callum cower before Hugh, even if he'd tried to hide it.
That was the only solace she had been able to find. She'd only been alone for two hours, but it felt like so much longer. They'd wanted her to be a prisoner, and that's exactly what she was.
When a knock finally came at her door, she rushed forward. The lock clicked, and the door swung open slowly, as if to keep from frightening her. Her breath caught when Hugh slipped inside.
His entire right arm was bandaged. The white linen went all the way up, disappearing beneath his shirt sleeve. But he stood tall, his gaze fixed on her. Concern swam in his eyes as if Anna were the one with a wrapped extremity.
"Hugh, what happened?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper. She took a step forward, her hand reaching out, her fingers trembling. "You…"
"Ye daenae need to worry about me," Hugh said, his voice soothing a part of her soul that she hadn't realized was aching. "I will heal. And this is over."
