Page 23 of A Rogue to Resist
“And the western fields?”
“Safe, for now. As long as our collaboration continues.”
Rosabel studied her carefully. “You don’t sound entirely displeased by this arrangement.”
Katherine turned to watch Greythorne Manor disappear behind the trees, unwilling to examine too closely the flutter of excitement she felt at the prospect of working with Drake Halston.
“It’s purely practical,” she said firmly. “For the tenants’ sake.”
“Of course,” Rosabel agreed, though her knowing smile suggested she wasn’t entirely convinced.
Chapter Six
Drake folded his arms, watching her pick her way through the mud. “Come to observe from a safe distance, my lady?”
The sight of Lady Katherine Halston, Dowager Countess of Greythorne, standing in the doorway of the dilapidated tenant cottage was the last thing he had expected this morning. Yet there she was, dressed in a sensible dark blue walking dress, her hair neatly pinned beneath a modest bonnet, looking for all the world as if she’d been invited.
Which she most certainly had not been.
“I’ve come to help assess the damage,” she replied coolly, ignoring his sarcasm as she navigated around a particularly deep puddle. “Mrs. Collins wrote to me about the collapsed roof. I promised I would see to it.”
“Mrs. Collins wrote toyou?” Drake couldn’t keep the incredulity from his voice. “About repairs to a cottage onmyestate?”
Lady Katherine met his gaze directly, her blue eyes sharp with challenge. “Mrs. Collins has known me for five years, Lord Greythorne. She has known you for less than a fortnight. It’s hardly surprising she would seek help from a familiar source.”
Drake bit back a retort, aware that the tenant family was watching their exchange with undisguised interest.
The Collins family—a careworn mother, her elderly father, and three young children—had been huddled in the one dry corner of the cottage when he’d arrived an hour earlier. Their situation was dire; nearly half the roof had collapsed in the recent spring storms, rendering most of the small dwelling uninhabitable.
“We can discuss propriety later,” he said in a lower voice. “For now, there are more pressing concerns.”
To his surprise, Lady Katherine nodded in ready agreement.
“Indeed, there are.” She turned toward Mrs. Collins, her expression softening. “Now, Hannah, show me exactly where the worst of the leaking began.”
Drake watched with growing astonishment as Lady Katherine proceeded to conduct a thorough examination of the damaged cottage. She asked intelligent questions about the progression of the roof’s deterioration, made notes in a small book she produced from her reticule, and even crouched down to examine the rotted wooden beams that had given way.
“The problem isn’t just the roof,” she observed, rising, and brushing dust from her skirts. “The entire north wall is compromised. See how the foundation has shifted? That’s allowing water to seep in at the base.”
Drake moved to where she stood, examining the wall with newfound attention. She was right; there was a clear tilt to the structure that he hadn’t fully registered, focused as he’d been on the more obvious roof damage.
“You have a good eye,” he conceded grudgingly.
“I have experience,” she corrected. “Three years ago, the Millers’ cottage had similar issues. We had to rebuild the entire north side then as well.”
“We?”
“The estate,” she clarified. “Though I oversaw the work personally when Edmund refused to allocate more than the bare minimum for repairs.”
Drake filed this information away, another piece in the increasingly complex puzzle that was Lady Katherine. He’d arrived at Greythorne Manor prepared to dismiss her as a Society widow with unreasonable claims to his inheritance. Each interaction, however, forced him to reconsider that assessment.
“Mrs. Collins,” Lady Katherine was saying, “you and your family cannot remain here while repairs are undertaken. It’s not safe, particularly with the children.”
The tenant woman’s face crumpled. “But where would we go, my lady? We’ve no family nearby to take us in.”
Before Lady Katherine could respond, Drake stepped forward. “The old gamekeeper’s cottage is vacant and in reasonable condition. You’ll stay there until repairs are completed.”
Relief washed over Mrs. Collins’s face. “Thank you, my lord. That’s most generous.”
