diff --git a/src/calibre/ebooks/docx/settings.py b/src/calibre/ebooks/docx/settings.py
index 193c5bd3cb09..be85fb9f5e05 100644
--- a/src/calibre/ebooks/docx/settings.py
+++ b/src/calibre/ebooks/docx/settings.py
@@ -10,8 +10,10 @@
 
 class Settings(object):
 
-    def __init__(self, root):
+    def __init__(self):
         self.default_tab_stop = 720 / 20
+
+    def __call__(self, root):
         for dts in XPath('//w:defaultTabStop[@w:val]')(root):
             try:
                 self.default_tab_stop = int(get(dts, 'w:val')) / 20
diff --git a/src/calibre/ebooks/docx/to_html.py b/src/calibre/ebooks/docx/to_html.py
index fa414b9503fb..c6b2e230d4a6 100644
--- a/src/calibre/ebooks/docx/to_html.py
+++ b/src/calibre/ebooks/docx/to_html.py
@@ -55,6 +55,7 @@ def __init__(self, path_or_stream, dest_dir=None, log=None, detect_cover=True, n
         self.mi = self.docx.metadata
         self.body = BODY()
         self.theme = Theme()
+        self.settings = Settings()
         self.tables = Tables()
         self.fields = Fields()
         self.styles = Styles(self.tables)
@@ -267,7 +268,7 @@ def get_name(rtype, defname):
             except KeyError:
                 self.log.warn('Settings %s do not exist' % sename)
             else:
-                self.settings = Settings(fromstring(seraw))
+                self.settings(fromstring(seraw))
 
         if foname is not None:
             try: