Julian inclined his head. "I will leave you to your work."
He had almost reached the door when Eleanor spoke. "Julian."
He turned. She stood beside the workbench, holding the notice against her skirt. "The carpenter has finished examining the drying room. He believes the foundations can be strengthened before winter."
"I am glad."
A small silence followed. Then she looked toward the courtyard. "There is something else you should know about that road."
Julian waited. Eleanor drew a breath.
"My father did not retain it merely to protect the workshop. There is another family whose livelihood depends upon keeping it open."
"The millers," Eleanor said. "Samuel Miller carries paper from the mill to our workshop. His wife takes finished books to customers in the neighboring villages. That road allows them to earn enough to keep their three children fed."
Julian looked toward the courtyard. "And Grant's wagons would have prevented them from using it?"
"His proposal required exclusive commercial access. The millers would have lost their customary route, and there is no affordable alternative for their cart." Eleanor folded the notice against her chest. "My father allowed them passage for years. I continued the arrangement after his death."
Julian was silent. He had imagined a road as a narrow strip of land whose value could be measured in pounds; Eleanor had seen the people who traveled upon it.
"Then we should ensure their access is protected," he said.
She studied him. "We?"
He lowered his eyes. "You. It is your property. If you wish, I can ask Mr. Bell to prepare an agreement recording the millers' permission to use it, with terms that protect your workshop."
Eleanor looked toward the open window, where the steady rhythm of the printing press continued. "I would appreciate the introduction. I will instruct him myself."
Julian nodded. "Of course."
For the first time in months, a small smile touched her lips. It was not forgiveness—he knew better than to mistake it for that—but it was something freely given.
Over the following weeks, Julian completed the work he had begun. Grant received the five thousand pound deposit returned from the estate account. His solicitors subsequently submitted an itemized claim for preliminary expenses under Margaret's written undertaking. After examining the supporting invoices, Mr. Bell negotiated a settlement with Grant's solicitor, and Margaret paid the agreed sum from her personal funds. Julian's two thousand pound reservation fee remained forfeited under the investment agreement. No money was taken from Eleanor or her workshop.
Margaret was required to end her involvement in negotiations concerning Eleanor's property. The humiliation she feared arrived quietly, without scandal or spectators, when Julian informed her that she would no longer conduct estate business on his behalf.
"You are choosing her over me," Margaret said.
Julian stood beside his study window. "I am choosing not to permit either of us to make promises with property that belongs to someone else."
Margaret departed for her sister's house the following week. Julian did not prevent her.