Page 31 of A Rogue to Resist
“Yes,” Drake agreed, looking at her with new respect. “Including your purchase of seed and supplies that somehow always cost exactly what Edmund budgeted for entertainment expenses he later cancelled. Very creative indeed.”
As they continued discussing the various orders and arrangements, Katherine found her attention divided between the business at hand and her confusion over Drake’s behaviour. One moment he was challenging her at every turn, the next he was deferring to her judgment and complimenting her abilities. It was disorienting, particularly after years of Edmund’s consistent disregard.
When Thompson finally gathered his papers and departed, Katherine rose from her chair, suddenly desperate for fresh air and a moment’s solitude to collect her thoughts.
“I need a brief respite,” she explained when Drake looked at her questioningly. “Perhaps a turn about the gallery.”
“Of course,” he agreed readily. “We’ve been at this for hours. Some movement would do us both good.”
Katherine made her way to the long gallery that overlooked the manor’s formal gardens. The afternoon sun streamed through tall windows, warming the polished wood floors and illuminating the portraits of Halston ancestors that lined the walls. She had always found this space peaceful, even during the worst periods of her marriage.
The sound of voices drifted through the partially open door that connected the gallery to Drake’s study. Katherine recognized Drake’s deep baritone and, was that Mr. Winters’ more measured tones, though she couldn’t make out the words. She moved to continue her walk, not wishing to eavesdrop, when her own name caught her attention.
“...Lady Katherine’s suggestions are most sound, my lord,” Mr. Winters was saying. “Though I confess I’m surprised by how readily you’ve accepted her involvement.”
“I’m not a fool, Winters,” Drake replied, his voice clearer as he apparently moved closer to the door. “She knows this estate and its needs better than either of us. Only a man blinded by pride would ignore such a valuable resource.”
“That would explain much about the estate’s condition when you inherited it,” Mr. Winters observed carefully.
“Yes, well, I am not my predecessor,” Drake’s tone hardened briefly before softening again. “Though I must admit, Lady Katherine is entirely too clever for her own good. It makes negotiating the boundary dispute considerably more challenging than I anticipated.”
Katherine froze, torn between indignation at being discussed and curiosity about Drake’s true opinion of her.
“She is indeed formidable, my lord,” Mr. Winters agreed. “From what I’ve observed in reviewing the estate documents, she managed to accomplish what the late earl consistently failed to do.”
Drake’s laugh was unexpected—a warm, rich sound that Katherine had never heard from him before. “I can well believe it. I’ve spent the entire morning watching her systematically dismantle my objections with logic, facts, and occasionally sheer force of will.”
There was something in his tone—a mixture of frustration and admiration—that sent an odd flutter through Katherine’s chest.
“And yet you continue to work with her,” the solicitor observed.
“As I said, I’m not a fool,” Drake replied. “Greythorne needs her knowledge, her connection to the tenants, her understanding of local conditions. Besides...” He paused, and Katherine found herself holding her breath. “I find her refreshingly direct. After years of dealing with people who say one thing and mean another, there’s something compelling about a woman who speaks her mind so clearly.”
Katherine took a step back from the door, her cheeks warm with an emotion she couldn’t quite name. To hear herself described as “compelling” by the man she had expected to be her greatest adversary was deeply unsettling. More unsettling still was the realization that she was pleased by his assessment.
She retreated further down the gallery, not wanting to hear more. Her thoughts were already in sufficient disarray without additional complications.
What was happening to her carefully constructed defences?
She had come to Greythorne determined to protect her interests and assist the tenants she cared for, nothing more. Shehad not expected to find herself engaged in stimulating debate with a man whose intelligence matched her own, nor to feel that peculiar thrill when he challenged her ideas rather than dismissing them outright.
Most disconcerting of all was the realization that for the first time since her disastrous marriage, she was actually enjoying a man’s company. Even their arguments had a vitality to them that she found strangely invigorating.
“Entirely too clever for her own good,” she repeated softly to herself, testing the words.
And somehow... she felt oddly pleased.
Chapter Eight
Katherine knelt beside an elderly tenant, brushing dust from the woman’s sleeve. “This is unacceptable. I will see it repaired immediately.”
Drake observed from the doorway of the small cottage, where the roof had partially collapsed during the previous night’s storm.
He had been surprised to find Katherine on his doorstep immediately after he had received word of the damage. She had insisted on accompanying him to assess the damage.
He’d expected her interest to be administrative—another entry on her ever-present list of estate repairs. He had not expected this: Katherine Halston, Dowager Countess of Greythorne, kneeling in the dirt beside old Mrs. Parsons, her expensive walking dress gathering dust as she spoke in low, comforting tones to the shaken woman.
“You’ll stay with your daughter until the repairs are complete,” Katherine was saying, her hand resting gently on Mrs. Parsons’ weathered one. “I’ll have your things moved this afternoon.”
