Page 29 of A Rogue to Resist
“You don’t agree withanyof them,” Katherine corrected, exasperation creeping back into her voice.
“That’s not true.” Drake shuffled through the papers before him, extracting a page covered in Katherine’s neat handwriting. “I agreed with your assessment of the mill repairs, your suggestions for the Collins cottage reinforcements, and your recommendation to hire local labourers rather than bringing in workers from Thornfield.”
Katherine blinked, surprised that he had been paying such close attention.
“That’s... true,” she acknowledged reluctantly.
“I don’t disagree simply to be difficult, Katherine,” he said, using her given name with a casual ease that still startled her. “I disagree when I believe there’s a better approach.”
There was something oddly invigorating about his directness. Edmund had never engaged with her ideas, either dismissing them outright or, worse, pretending to consider them while having already decided to ignore her counsel. Drake, for all his stubbornness, at least treated her perspective as worthy of genuine consideration.
“Very well,” she said, reopening the ledger she had so dramatically closed minutes earlier. “Let’s return to the questionof prioritization. I maintain that the tenant cottages should come first, but I concede that the manor’s roof requires attention before the autumn rains.”
Drake’s eyebrows rose slightly at this concession, but he nodded. “What if we divide the roofing materials? The most critical sections of the manor roof, and the worst of the tenant cottages first, with the remainder to follow as new materials arrive.”
It was a reasonable compromise, and precisely the solution Katherine herself might have proposed had she not been so determined to champion the tenants’ cause above all else.
“That seems... sensible,” she agreed, making a note in her book.
“Excellent.” Drake made his own notation on a separate sheet. “Now, about the drainage issues on the eastern boundary...”
They continued working through the list, and to Katherine’s surprise, the process became notably more productive once they had both acknowledged the possibility of compromise. Over the next hour, they established a clear plan for immediate repairs, allocating resources and setting priorities in a way that balanced the estate’s many needs.
“I believe that covers the most urgent matters,” Katherine said finally, reviewing her notes with satisfaction. “The remainder can be addressed as finances allow.”
“Speaking of finances,” Drake said, pulling a leather-bound ledger toward him, “there’s something I’ve been meaning to ask you.”
Katherine tensed involuntarily. Discussions of money had never boded well during her marriage.
“Yes?”
“These quarterly accounts from the western fields,” he said, opening the ledger to a marked page. “The yields are consistently higher than comparable acreage elsewhere on the estate. What methods are you employing that we might implement more broadly?”
The question was so unexpected that it took Katherine a moment to gather her thoughts.
“A combination of approaches,” she said finally. “Crop rotation, including nitrogen-fixing plants every third season, although I’ve really just begun with that. Improved drainage systems. And careful selection of seed stock.”
Drake listened attentively, asking follow-up questions that revealed a genuine interest in agricultural practices. Katherine found herself explaining techniques she had developed through years of careful observation and experimentation, and to her surprise, he not only understood but offered insightful comments of his own.
“You implemented these methods despite Edmund’s disinterest?” he asked when she had finished.
“The western fields were mine to manage as I saw fit,” Katherine replied. “They were the one area where I could apply what I’d learned without interference.”
“And what you learned produced remarkable results.” Drake’s tone held something that might have been respect. “The figures speak for themselves.”
Katherine felt a flush of pleasure at this acknowledgment. “Thank you. Though I can’t claim all the credit. Farmer Hobbs and his son were invaluable partners in trying new approaches.”
“Nevertheless, it was your vision.” Drake studied her with an intensity that made her suddenly conscious of how long they had been working together, and how isolated they were in the greathall. “You’ve built something impressive, Katherine. Something worth protecting.”
The simple statement, delivered without artifice or flattery, affected her more deeply than she cared to admit. Edmund had never once acknowledged her contributions to Greythorne’s management, let alone praised them.
“I merely did what needed to be done,” she said, uncomfortable with Drake’s approval even as part of her hungered for it.
“A rare quality,” he observed, “particularly among our class. Most people do what’s expected or what’s advantageous. Far fewer do what’s needed, especially when it brings no immediate personal benefit.”
Katherine wasn’t sure how to respond to this philosophical turn in the conversation. There was an undercurrent to Drake’s words that suggested he was reassessing his opinion of her, just as she had been forced to reconsider her initial judgment of him.
They were saved from further personal revelations by the arrival of Thompson, who entered the great hall with a stack of documents under his arm.
