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 to you?” Drake couldn’t keep the incredulity from his voice. “About repairs to a cottage on my estate?”
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.”
“It’s the least I can do,” Drake replied, uncomfortable with gratitude he felt he’d done little to earn. “The estate should have addressed these issues long before they became so severe.”
Lady Katherine gave him an appraising look, as if she hadn’t expected such a ready solution.
“The gamekeeper’s cottage will need some preparation,” she noted. “It’s been empty since old Mr. Farley passed last winter.”
“I’ll send people today,” Drake assured her, wondering why he felt a need to prove his competence to her. “Mrs. Collins, gather your essential belongings. I’ll have a cart sent for you within the hour.”
As the family hurried to collect their meagre possessions, Drake turned back to Lady Katherine. “You still haven’t explained what you’re doing here. Willow Park is five miles away, and I know for a fact you were in London three days ago.”
“I arrived at Willow Park yesterday,” she said, moving toward the door to escape the cottage’s damp interior. “After our visit to Greythorne Manor, I felt compelled to see to certain matters personally.”
Drake followed her outside, where the spring sunshine was doing little to dry the muddy ground surrounding the cottage. “Matters that are no longer your concern, Lady Katherine.”
She stiffened but continued walking, examining the exterior of the cottage with the same critical eye she’d applied inside. “The welfare of people I’ve known for years will always be my concern, Lord Greythorne. Particularly when they specifically request my assistance.”
“They are my tenants now,” Drake reminded her, frustration colouring his tone. “My responsibility.”
“And yet they still turn to me,” she replied, not unkindly but with undeniable firmness. “Perhaps because I’ve earned their trust over time, while you remain an unknown quantity.”
It was a fair observation, but it stung nonetheless.
Drake prided himself on his ability to manage people and resources effectively.
In America, he’d built a reputation for fair dealings and sound business practices.
Yet here, on his own inherited lands, he found himself constantly a step behind this woman who seemed to know every tenant by name and every building by its history of repairs.
“If they came to you,” he said carefully, “why not simply direct them to me or to Thompson? Why make the journey yourself?”
Lady Katherine paused in her inspection, turning to face him fully. For a moment, she seemed to be weighing her response.
“Because I promised them,” she said finally.
“During my time as countess, there were many promises I couldn’t keep—improvements I couldn’t make, hardships I couldn’t alleviate—because Edmund controlled every sovereign spent.
The few promises I did make, I kept. It matters to me that they know I’m still a woman of my word, even if I’m no longer mistress of Greythorne. ”
The simple honesty of her answer caught Drake off guard. There was no artifice in her expression, no calculation—just a straightforward sense of obligation that resonated with his own principles.
Before he could respond, Thompson appeared around the bend in the lane, his expression registering surprise at Lady Katherine’s presence.
“My lord, Lady Katherine,” he greeted them with a hasty bow. “I’ve brought the carpenter to assess the damage, as requested.”
“Excellent timing,” Drake said. “Lady Katherine has already noted that the problems extend beyond the roof to the foundation and north wall.”
Thompson glanced between them, clearly uncertain about the dynamics at play. “Indeed, my lady has always had a keen eye for such issues.”
“A necessity when one must justify every repair to a reluctant purse,” Lady Katherine said dryly.
The carpenter, a stocky man named Wilkins, touched his cap respectfully to Lady Katherine. “Good to see you again, my lady. Been a while since we worked together on repairs.”
“Too long, Mr. Wilkins,” she replied with genuine warmth. “I hope you’ve been well?”
“Can’t complain, my lady. Though there’s been precious little work from the estate this past year.”
Drake frowned. “That will change immediately. I want a complete assessment of this cottage’s needs, and any others in similar condition.”
Wilkins nodded eagerly. “Yes, my lord. There’s the Bennetts’ place over by the west pasture that’s nearly as bad, and the row of cottages near the old mill all need new thatch before autumn.”
“Make a list,” Drake instructed. “I want to address the most urgent cases first, but I intend to implement a comprehensive repair program for all tenant properties.”
Lady Katherine’s eyebrows rose slightly at this declaration, but she said nothing.
As Wilkins began his inspection, joined by Thompson and two labourers who had accompanied them, Drake found himself once again alone with Lady Katherine.
“A comprehensive repair program will require substantial investment,” she observed. “Are you certain the estate’s finances can support such an undertaking?”
Drake’s jaw tightened. “I’ll make them support it. These people deserve safe homes.”
“I don’t disagree,” she said, surprising him. “But practicalities must be considered. The late Earl left Greythorne’s accounts in a precarious state.”
“So I’m discovering,” Drake replied grimly. “Though I’m curious how you come to be so well-informed about the estate’s current financial situation.”
A slight flush coloured her cheeks. “I still maintain connections with certain staff members. And Mr. Thompson was kind enough to answer some inquiries I made after our visit last week.”
“You’ve been investigating my finances?” Drake felt a flare of indignation.
“Not yours,” she corrected. “The estate’s. I have a vested interest in Greythorne’s stability, given my offer to assist with the mill repairs.”
It was a reasonable explanation, but Drake sensed there was more to it—a deeper attachment to Greythorne than she was willing to acknowledge.
“Your offer was unexpected,” he admitted. “And unnecessary, as it happens. I’ve secured funds to begin the most critical repairs, including the mill.”
“From your personal fortune?” she asked shrewdly.