An Excuse for Poor Conduct — Kate Dolan

Matilda Blakethorn is at the top of the list of people William Fletcher never wants to encounter again. She humiliated him at the age of nine, and scared him out of his wits for years after.
So waking up after a night of heavy drinking to find her looming over him is a bit of an unpleasant surprise. Especially since he has no place to go, except for the poorhouse she supervises.
Matty Blakethorn doesn't recognize the bedraggled stranger sleeping on the floor of St. Bartholomew's Almshouse. But when he unwillingly ends up staying, old acquaintance is renewed. While neither Matty nor William is anxious to admit the troubles that have driven them to such a humble place, Christmas is a time of sharing and reconciliation. When scandal and faults are revealed, William must face his future and Matty must decide whether she can again deal with the failing that destroyed her life.