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William shook his head. He had not meant to cause any pain.

This dream had left him with more questions than answers.

His ankle was throbbing when William woke up. To his surprise, the clock on the mantelpiece proclaimed it was only eleven o’clock. This was turning out to be a very strange evening.

Near him, Caroline gave a little snort in her sleep and then, slowly, her eyes opened. Noticing he was awake, she sat up, throwing her blanket aside to swing her feet down to the floor. “Are you in need of something? Tea? Privacy for …” Caroline gestured to where the chamberpot rested under the settee.

“No, just your company.”

Caroline used both hands to smooth her hair and then straighten her wrap. “Oh.”

“I was thinking about what you said. How Chatternwell is a good town, filled with good people.”

She nodded, reaching over to take up her neglected cup and sip on its cold contents. “It is.”

“It made me realize I have not appreciated what I have the way I should.”

The corner of Caroline’s mouth quirked up in a crooked smile. “You failed to count your blessings?”

“I did. It must be hard for you.”

She frowned in confusion. “What do you mean?”

“You said you have no family. I am afraid I have not appreciated that I do. I cannot imagine being entirely alone, with not one relation left.”

Caroline’s eyes flittered away. “It … is difficult,” she finally admitted in a thick voice.

“You have no one?”

William felt a pang when he noticed that her eyes now glittered and suspected that he had drawn tears to her eyes. What a bleak holiday they were sharing.

“I had some friends … but I made a horrible mistake and lost them. I have learned to be self-reliant.”

“And count your blessings?”

She chuckled, and William observed a flash of her usual optimism return. “And count my blessings.”

“What blessings do you count tonight, Caroline?”

She inhaled a deep breath and thought.

“I have my own shop. I live in a lovely town and work with wonderful women. I must be viewed favorably because the doctor entrusted you to my care. I was to spend Christmas alone, but instead I am spending it … with you.”

“I am a blessing?”

She cocked her head to the side, regarding him with a serious expression. “You are a good man who climbs his neighbor’s roof on Christmas Eve to undertake secret repairs at his own expense. You are not … not a blessing.”

It was William’s turn to chuckle. “Thank you.”

“You seem more cheerful than before?”

“Before?”

“Forgive me. You appeared to be a rather grim man. Tonight you seem … different.”

“I have had time to reflect this evening, and it has made me aware that I may need to change my ways. My mood. It might be time for me to embrace life more fully than I have done.”

“To build a better future?”