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A loud knocking resounded from the front door. Caroline’s mouth clamped shut as she frowned in confusion.

Who on earth⁠—

Another loud knocking.

Whoever it was, they were frantic to get her attention. The very windows rattled from the blows on the door.

Caroline briskly strode across the workroom to enter the front of the shop, more than a little nervous about whom she might find outside on Christmas Eve. Her fears were eased when she saw through the windows that it was Dr. Hadley, one of the town’s two doctors. He was a jovial sort and quite popular for his generous spirit.

Hurrying over, Caroline unlocked the door to let him in.

Dr. Hadley was a well-fed man of average height with salt-and-pepper hair. He had a broad face with a thick mustache and a vaguely Mediterranean look about him. Currently, he looked harried rather than his usual cheerful self.

“Is everything all right, Dr. Hadley?”

His gravelly voice revealed his anxiety. “Mrs. Brown, I am so pleased to find you. I swear the entire street is deserted for the Eve celebrations. I could not find a single soul of any use!”

“Are you in need of assistance?”

The doctor swiped a white handkerchief over his forehead, mopping up the sweat of his exertions. “I hate to impose, Mrs. Brown. There were people about when I was called to Mr. Jackson’s, but by the time I was done treating him, I could find no one to help. John Bow is here to drive me urgently to his farm so I can attend to his wife. She is in labor and needs me right away, but I must find someone to take care of Mr. Jackson before I leave.”

“What happened to Mr. Jackson?”

“He suffered a severe sprain to his ankle this evening. It is imperative he remain off his feet, but there is no one to care for him. The man is pugnacious! Stubborn! If I do not find someone to attend him, I know he will walk about, which could result in a permanent injury. I must send someone over to ensure he is taken care of. His last meal was at midday, so if I do not send someone to see to him right away, he is certain to ignore my instructions to remain seated and instead seek sustenance.”

Caroline drew back in disbelief at what the doctor was suggesting. “Surely … I cannot, Dr. Hadley! I am a single woman. If I attend to a man in his home, my reputation will be utterly ruined!”

She could not help the thought that followed.

And I have been avoiding the handsome blacksmith since the day we met! I cannot possibly be alone with him!

The doctor looked about, then back at the wagon where Mr. Bow sat with a tense expression, evidently concerned at the delay in returning to his wife’s side.

Leaning in, Dr. Hadley lowered his voice. “Rest assured, Mr. Bow is hard of hearing, and I shall be the only one who knows, and I swear I shall never breathe a word of it. I found a couple of people at the inn, but they were far too inebriated to be of use, and the innkeeper … he refused to help. Not that I would trust that man to care for anyone at the best of times. Everyone else is home with their family, and I do not have time to find someone else.”

Caroline shook her head. She wanted to assist, but this was too risky.

“Mrs. Brown, Mr. Jackson is a very important member of our community. Under ordinary circumstances, I could find any number of people willing to assist him. And he has many staff. But it is the holidays, and I am out of time. Please, this is important! I have seen injuries like this become incurable maladies due to neglect. Mr. Jackson is yet a young man, a man who provides many people with work and is himself a highly skilled smith who helps our community by his own hand. I would hate for him to develop chronic problems with his leg when he was doing such a kind favor.”

“Dr. Hadley, if someone sees me entering his home, it could ruin my business. I would be run out of town.”

The doctor reached out, clasping her hand gently in his own to stare deep into her eyes. “Mrs. Brown, I assure you it is the right thing to do. You can approach the house from the alley and enter through his back door. Mrs. Bow is having her first child, and I must get to her side immediately. I know it is a lot to ask …”

Caroline rubbed her free hand over her chin. She looked out on the deserted street. Hers was the only light to be seen, which was evidently how the doctor had found her. It could not do any harm. No one was about to see. As long as she was discreet, she could help the doctor, and she did not have a good reason to refuse. Hesitantly, she nodded.

Dr. Hadley squeezed her hand in gratitude. “Thank you, Mrs. Brown. His cottage is near the end of the street, just past Mrs. Heeley’s. You will know you have reached her house by the broken tiles and ladder in her backyard. If you can just take care of him until tomorrow night, I swear to it that no one will ever know you were there!”

The doctor dug in his pocket, pulling out a page and thrusting it into her hand. “Here are my instructions for Mr. Jackson’s care. I will call on him on Tuesday morning and bring one of his apprentices along to take care of him then.”

With that, Dr. Hadley turned to run over to the wagon, his great wool coat flapping in the night air as he hastily raised himself onto the seat next to Mr. Bow.

The farmer tipped his hat in greeting to Caroline, then prompted his horse forward. She watched as they started down the street through the falling snow, hoping that John Bow was oblivious to the specifics of the doctor’s request or there would be too many people aware of where she was going tonight.

Locking the door, she read the doctor’s scrawling handwriting as she considered what she might need to take with her. Making a mental list, she gathered her things, put out the candles, and headed to the back to find her cloak. She suspected it would be a long night, what with her and the blacksmith spending Christmas Eve together.

Alone.

Was the universe throwing temptation in her path to test her will? Certainly, by morning she would know if she had managed to transform herself into a chaste woman these past two years since her ill-advised indiscretions with Lord Saunton in the stables.