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Again, outrage seethed in Diana—even more fiercely Her voice was icy ‘Mr Tramontes, I really think—’

He held up a hand to silence her As if, she thought stormily, she was some unruly office junior

‘Hear me out,’ he said

He paused a reen well-cut trousers and a paler green sweater, with her hair caught back in a clip, no jewellery, and no ance of her evening dress But her pale, breathtaking beauty still had the same imht his eye Her current unconcealed outrage only accentuated his response

‘I understand your predicament,’ he said

There was sympathy in his voice, and it made her suspicious Her expression was shut

tered, her nored

‘And I have a potential solution for you,’ he went on

His eyes never left her face, and there was soard that made it difficult to meet them But meet them she did—even if it took an effort to appear as composed as she wanted to be

He took her silence for assent, and continued

‘What I am about to put to you, Ms St Clair, is a solution that will be a familiar one to you, with your ancestry I’m sure that not a few of your forebears opted for a sih these days, fortunately, the solution can be a lot lessperhaps irreversible is the correct term’

He reached for his coffee again Took a leisurely mouthful and replaced the cup Looked at her once more She had neutralised her expression, but that was to be expected Once he had put his cards on the table she would either have hiree to what he wanted

‘You wish—extremely understandably—to retain your family property However, it’s quite evident that a very substantial su to be required—a suiven the current level of death duties and the exceptionally high cost of conservation work on listed historic houses, is going to stretch you Very possibly beyond your limits Certainly beyond your comfort zone’

Her expression was stony, giving nothing away That didn’t bother him It made him think how statuesque her beauty was How much it appealed to him The contrast of her chilly ice maiden impassivity with Nadya’s hot-blooded outbursts was entirely in Diana St Clair’s favour She was as unlike Nadya as a woht with satisfaction, just in respect of the ice maiden quality, but in so much more—all of which was supremely useful to him

‘As I say, you’ve clearly already considered—and rejected—Toby Masterson as a solution to your problem, but now I invite you to consider an alternative candidate’