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He looked at her blankly as she ru and produced a cheque book

‘A thousand pounds, wasn’t it?’ She scribbled on the cheque, tore it out and handed it to him ‘A bit steep, but never mind It was very decent of you to turn up and buy me’

She staggered slightly and Andreas closed both hands over her arms to steady her

‘Why are you giving me a cheque?’

She stared up at hi the perfect shape of her mouth

‘Because that was the agreement’

Still studying her reement?’

She hesitated, obviously trying to retrieve so froreement I made with my brother,’ she said finally, a smile of triumph on her face as she remembered ‘He promised that if he couldn’t make it he’d send someone else to save me from Philip, and…’ she smiled at him dizzily ‘…he obviously sent you’

Andreas dragged his eyes away from her mouth ‘I don’t know your brother’

She tilted her head and focused on him ‘You don’t?’ She bit her soft lip, confusion evident in her beautiful eyes ‘Alex promised me that if he was too busy to coeous bid for me so that no one else could buy me I assumed it was you…’

He shook his head, totally intrigued Her brother had promised to buy her? ‘Not me’

She sed hard ‘Well, if you didn’t buy me for my brother then why did you—?’ She broke off and backed away from him, her eyes suddenly wary ‘Who the hell are you? And ould you pay that er?’

‘I thought that was the idea,’ Andreas saidhis motives and he could hardly blame her for that ‘Surely you wanted to persuade the audience to part with their money?’

‘Well, yes, but not a thousand pounds’ She was still staring at him as if she expected hi all that uarantees you—I mean, if you think that I’ll…’ She stuave up and gave hi look ‘What I mean is, you’re in for a serious disappointment because I don’t do that!’