Page 43 of A Rogue to Resist
“Thank you for the warning,” Katherine replied. “Perhaps I should leave the documents with you instead?”
“No need for that.” Drake’s voice came from the study doorway. “I’m perfectly capable of receiving visitors, Winters, regardless of my mood.”
Katherine turned to find him watching her with an intensity that made her wonder if he somehow knew she had been listening. His expression was carefully neutral, but there was a tension in his bearing that hadn’t been present during their recent interactions.
“I’ll take my leave then, my lord,” Mr. Winters said with a bow.
“Lady Katherine.” With a nod to her, he departed down the corridor, his footsteps echoing on the marble floor.
For a moment, Katherine and Drake simply looked at each other, an awkward silence stretching between them.
“You’ve brought documents?” Drake prompted finally, gesturing toward the leather portfolio she carried.
“Yes,” Katherine said, gathering her composure. “The planting schedules for the western fields. I thought they might help you understand the crop rotation system we’ve implemented.”
He nodded, stepping back to allow her entry to the study. “An olive branch after our market disagreement?”
“A practical contribution to our mutual goal of improving Greythorne’s productivity,” Katherine corrected, though there was truth in his assessment.
She had indeed chosen to bring the documents personally rather than sending them with a servant, a small gesture to further their agreeable communication.
The study was warm, sunlight streaming through tall windows that overlooked the formal gardens. A fire burned in the grate despite the mild spring day, and several candles werelit on the massive oak desk where multiple stacks of papers were arranged with careful precision.
Drake closed the door behind them, a gesture that suddenly made Katherine acutely aware of their privacy. In the six weeks since he had arrived at Greythorne, their working relationship had grown increasingly informal, but being alone together in his private study felt different from their usual collaboration in fields and tenant cottages.
“Would you care for tea?” he offered, moving toward a bellpull near the fireplace.
“No, thank you,” Katherine replied. “I won’t stay long. I merely wanted to ensure you had this information before the spring planting begins in earnest.”
Drake nodded, abandoning the bellpull to return to his desk. “Of course. Always efficient, Lady Katherine.”
There was something in his tone—not quite mockery, but a certain irony—that made her glance at him sharply. Had he somehow guessed she’d overheard his conversation with Mr. Winters? The thought sent a flutter of alarm through her.
“Efficiency has its place,” she replied carefully, placing the portfolio on his desk. “Particularly in matters of estate management.”
“And in matters of marriage?” The question was casual, but his eyes were intent on her face as he asked it.
Katherine felt her heart skip. He knew. Somehow, he knew she had been listening.
“I wouldn’t know,” she said, striving for an equally casual tone. “My own marriage was arranged with efficiency in mind, but I can hardly call the results successful.”
Drake’s expression softened slightly.
“No,” he agreed. “I don’t imagine you would.”
Silence fell between them again, charged with unspoken acknowledgments. Katherine should leave now, make her excuses and retreat to Willow Park where she could process what she had learned and the unsettling emotions it had stirred.
Instead, she found herself asking, “Is everything all right, Lord Greythorne? You seem... preoccupied today.”
It was an opening, an invitation for him to confide in her if he chose. They both knew it.
Drake studied her for a long moment, as if weighing how much to reveal. When he spoke, his voice carried a note of frustration she’d rarely heard from him.
“It seems our working arrangement has become a subject of... speculation,” he said finally. “Apparently, there are those who find our collaboration inappropriate.”
“Inappropriate?” Katherine asked, though her cheeks warmed as she recalled what she’d overheard.
“So I’ve been informed,” Drake replied, his jaw tightening. “It appears that a widow and a bachelor working closely together on estate matters is cause for gossip, regardless of the practical benefits of such an arrangement.”
