Page 27 of The Duke’s Christmas Redemption

“Mrs Walden asked me to bring these. They’re the medical expense ledgers from the past three years.”

“Thank you, Sarah.”

Charlotte returned to her escritoire, though not without a final glance at the courtyard below. William had disappeared into the house, likely going to his study, where he spent most mornings.

The ledgers provided invaluable information about previous illness outbreaks and their costs, but Charlotte found her thoughts straying repeatedly to the coming confrontation with her husband. They might clash again over this issue, but she would not shy away from the challenge. Too much depended on them finding a way to work together – not just the estate’s prosperity, but the welfare of every soul who called Alverton home. And, she quietly admitted to herself, her own future happiness. She did not wish to live in perpetual discord…

Her quill moved steadily across the paper as she compiled her notes, organising arguments and evidence with the same care that her father had taught her to apply to estate management.

The Earl of Westbridge had always emphasised the importance of thorough preparation when presenting difficult cases.

‘Start with the facts’, he would say, ‘then proceed to implications, and only then to suggest solutions. Never let emotion override reason, but never forget that true reason takes all factors into account – including human ones’.

A knock at her door interrupted her work.

“Come in,” she called, expecting Mrs Walden with more information about the sick tenants.

Instead, William’s sister Margaret entered, her dark hair slightly dishevelled from the morning breeze. Margaret had only returned to Alverton from London yesterday, and Charlotte hadn’t expected her to be out and about much today – but it seemed that she had been wrong in that idea.

“Charlotte! I’ve just returned from visiting the Murdocks, and I believe there’s something you should know...”

Charlotte set down her quill, her heart racing. The Murdocks were tenant farmers on the estate’s northern boundary. If the illness had spread to there as well...

“Tell me everything,” she said, gesturing Margaret to a chair.

Another piece of the puzzle, another detail to add to her growing case. She would need all of them if she hoped to convince William that action was necessary.

As Margaret began speaking, Charlotte reached for fresh paper. They would solve this crisis, one careful step at a time. And perhaps, in working together to protect their people, she and William might find a way to bridge the distance between them as well.

Assuming, of course, that she could convince William to listen… She only hoped that they had enough time for her to achieve that, before the situation grew worse.