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He hadn’t minded the embrace, though he’d been truthful that it had startled him. Women didn’t hug him. He normally kept his distance and even Lenora had not been affectionate.

He told himself that he didn’t like impulses. It was far better to maintain control at all times. But as he eyed his wife, he wondered whether there might be some merit in occasionally breaking the rules.

Charlotte was quite pretty, and those sinful lips of hers could tempt a saint.

With an annoyed sigh, he sat back while the main course was served.

Supper had been one of the strangest meals she’d had in a long time. Although they had conversed, Charlotte had caught the duke watching her with the oddest expression. She didn’t truly understand it.

And yet she had no wish to return to her own rooms after the meal. She was curious about the household and the former duke’s debts. Although it was partly because she needed to understand their household expenses and make decisions about shopping for Christmas, it was mostly because she could see how heavily the debts weighed upon his mind.

A wife was supposed to help her husband, so she decided to seek him out in his study. She opened the door, and her husband immediately glanced up from his ledgers.

‘Normally, one would knock before entering a closed room.’

A curious thing to say. But Charlotte held the door open and knocked upon it.

Silence. The duke continued writing, dipping his pen into the inkwell. Was he ignoring her?

She sighed, then knocked louder, and when he didn’t answer, she walked inside. ‘Why, yes, Your Grace, I would love to come inside and speak with you about our household.’

‘Close the door,’ was all he said.

She did and crossed the room to stand beside him. He didn’t look up from his writing, but she saw that he was adding up the accounts with a frown on his face.

‘Would you like me to hire someone to help you with those? A secretary, perhaps?’

‘I dismissed my father’s secretary a few months ago.’

Well, that wasn’t at all helpful. Charlotte pulled up a chair beside him, waiting for the right moment to ask her questions.

‘What is it you wanted to tell me about the household?’ the duke asked, without looking up from the rows of numbers. He was holding a great deal of tension in his shoulders, and his expression was very much telling her to leave.

She ought to—she knew that. And yet she gentled her voice.

‘I would like to buy Christmas gifts for our staff and for your family. But I don’t want to spend more than we have or cause hardship. That’s all.’

He wrote an amount on a scrap of paper and handed it to her. ‘If you stay within this amount, it should be fine.’

She took the paper from him. ‘Thank you.’ It was undoubtedly a signal for her to leave him alone, but she was curious about all the figures. ‘What are you working on?’

He heaved a sigh and set his pen down. ‘I am making plans for the spring. Our tenants struggled with farming last year.’

Now her interest was truly piqued, for this was a way to help the duke. ‘What were they planting?’

‘Barley, mostly.’

Charlotte nodded, recognising the agricultural challenges. ‘It was very cold and damp last year. I know many of the farmers were complaining about disease and rot.’ She tried to read over his shoulder and added, ‘Your tenants could try rotating the crops with wheat or corn this spring. Or they could soak the seeds in a brine solution. There have been some excellent advances in controlling rot, but—’ She stopped talking, suddenly realising that she was chattering on about matters he likely didn’t want to hear. ‘I’m sorry. I sometimes forget myself.’

He glanced at her. ‘Where did you learn all of that?’

‘In books. And I read pamphlets from the Horticultural Society.’ With a sheepish smile, she admitted, ‘I had to use my brother’s name to get them.’

‘Breaking the rules?’ the duke queried softly.

‘Nelson didn’t care. And I see no reason why I shouldn’t read about plant diseases. It’s fascinating.’

He set down his pen and glanced back at her. ‘You truly do love growing things, don’t you?’