"Debts weigh heavy on one's pride," he mused, taking the offered book carefully, and leafing through the pages. It didn't seem particularly valuable in the monetary sense, but he could tell when something had been passed between generations. "...Especially when they are incurred by one who says they would owe nothing. It is a book of recipes."

He handed it back.

"Perhaps she could teach you the recipes," he suggested. That way, the woman's pride would be satisfied, a treasured heirloom returned, and Kattrin could actually make use of the book's contents.