'...t-to try and make arrangements to repay you.'
He looked a tinge surprised. `You have money?' he enquired nicely.
Lydie swallowed down a sudden spurt of ire. Was she likely to have taken money from him had she money of her own? `I intend to sell my car and my pearls, and there's a small inheritance due in a couple of years that I may be able to get my hands on-but otherwise I have only what I earn.'
`You're working?' he enquired.
He was unnerving her. `I'm between jobs at the moment,' she answered shortly. `I was leaving my job this week anyway, but left early when my mother telephoned last Tuesday and-' Lydie broke off and could have groaned out loud. Jonah Marriott was a clever man. From what she had just said he would easily deduce it had been her mother who had told her that he had reneged on his debt to her father.
Jonah did not refer to it, however, but asked instead, `What sort of work do you normally do?"
'I'm a nanny. I look after children.'
`You enjoy it?" 'Very much. I thought, once Oliver's wedding is out of the way, that I'd look around for something else.'
`In the same line?'
Lydie gave him a slightly exasperated look, and was wondering what his questioning had got to do with her repaying him when it all at once dawned on her it had everything to do with it. She was proposing to pay him back fifty-five thousand pounds-out of her earnings. 'Actually-it, the job-it pays quite well,' she offered- rather feebly, she had to admit.
He smiled again, that smile she had no faith in. `Even so, I don't know that I want to wait thirty years for you to save up.'
'You can't put the debt at my father's door!' she erupted fiercely, her lovely green eyes at once sparking fire.
He stared at her, unsmiling, for several long moments. `I have no intention of doing that,' he stated.
`You accept that the debt is mine, and mine alone?"
'You're determined to take the-er-debt on as your own?'
She did not have to think twice about it when she thought of her poor dear father's haggard face, his shoulders bent with worry. `I am,' she said. 'I'll make arrangements to...'
`You have a plan?"
'No,' she had to confess. `But I...' `Don't go selling your car or your jewellery,' Jonah advised, it seeming plain to him, evidently, that she hadn't any idea how to meet her debt.
`I don't know how else to begin to make a start on repaying you.'
Jonah leaned back, studying her as if he liked what he saw. `Perhaps I can come up with something,' he remarked.
It was her turn to stare at him. 'You'll-think of something?' she queried eagerly.
He afforded her a pleasant look. `Leave it with me.'
Leave it with him? That was much too vague! She'd been fretting about it all over the weekend. She needed this sorted out now. `You've no idea now?"
'I'll need to think about it.'
`When will you let me know?' The sooner they had matters arranged, the sooner she could make future plans-perhaps she could find work on her time off. Anything extra would be welcome, the sooner to pay off that colossal debt. `If you could tell me this week some time?' she hinted. `I'd-'
`Let's see,' he cut in pleasantly. `Today's Monday-I should have some idea by, say, Saturday.'
`You'll tell me on Saturday?' she asked urgently. Then remembered, and cried, 'Oh I'll be at Oliver's wedding on Saturday!'
That smile she didn't trust a bit was in evidence again. 'I'll see you there,' he informed her.
`You're going to... ?You've had an invitation?" 'I'm sure you'll remedy that oversight,' Jonah Marriott answered coolly.
Lydie stared at him in disbelief. `You want to go to Oliver's wedding?' Why, for goodness' sake, would he want to do that? There was only one way to find out. `Why do you want to attend?' she questioned suspiciously.
`I like weddings,' he replied without a blink. `Provided they're someone else's.'
Lydie eyed him hostilely. Why would he want to gatecrash her brother's wedding? She thought of her beloved
He looked a tinge surprised. `You have money?' he enquired nicely.
Lydie swallowed down a sudden spurt of ire. Was she likely to have taken money from him had she money of her own? `I intend to sell my car and my pearls, and there's a small inheritance due in a couple of years that I may be able to get my hands on-but otherwise I have only what I earn.'
`You're working?' he enquired.
He was unnerving her. `I'm between jobs at the moment,' she answered shortly. `I was leaving my job this week anyway, but left early when my mother telephoned last Tuesday and-' Lydie broke off and could have groaned out loud. Jonah Marriott was a clever man. From what she had just said he would easily deduce it had been her mother who had told her that he had reneged on his debt to her father.
Jonah did not refer to it, however, but asked instead, `What sort of work do you normally do?"
'I'm a nanny. I look after children.'
`You enjoy it?" 'Very much. I thought, once Oliver's wedding is out of the way, that I'd look around for something else.'
`In the same line?'
Lydie gave him a slightly exasperated look, and was wondering what his questioning had got to do with her repaying him when it all at once dawned on her it had everything to do with it. She was proposing to pay him back fifty-five thousand pounds-out of her earnings. 'Actually-it, the job-it pays quite well,' she offered- rather feebly, she had to admit.
He smiled again, that smile she had no faith in. `Even so, I don't know that I want to wait thirty years for you to save up.'
'You can't put the debt at my father's door!' she erupted fiercely, her lovely green eyes at once sparking fire.
He stared at her, unsmiling, for several long moments. `I have no intention of doing that,' he stated.
`You accept that the debt is mine, and mine alone?"
'You're determined to take the-er-debt on as your own?'
She did not have to think twice about it when she thought of her poor dear father's haggard face, his shoulders bent with worry. `I am,' she said. 'I'll make arrangements to...'
`You have a plan?"
'No,' she had to confess. `But I...' `Don't go selling your car or your jewellery,' Jonah advised, it seeming plain to him, evidently, that she hadn't any idea how to meet her debt.
`I don't know how else to begin to make a start on repaying you.'
Jonah leaned back, studying her as if he liked what he saw. `Perhaps I can come up with something,' he remarked.
It was her turn to stare at him. 'You'll-think of something?' she queried eagerly.
He afforded her a pleasant look. `Leave it with me.'
Leave it with him? That was much too vague! She'd been fretting about it all over the weekend. She needed this sorted out now. `You've no idea now?"
'I'll need to think about it.'
`When will you let me know?' The sooner they had matters arranged, the sooner she could make future plans-perhaps she could find work on her time off. Anything extra would be welcome, the sooner to pay off that colossal debt. `If you could tell me this week some time?' she hinted. `I'd-'
`Let's see,' he cut in pleasantly. `Today's Monday-I should have some idea by, say, Saturday.'
`You'll tell me on Saturday?' she asked urgently. Then remembered, and cried, 'Oh I'll be at Oliver's wedding on Saturday!'
That smile she didn't trust a bit was in evidence again. 'I'll see you there,' he informed her.
`You're going to... ?You've had an invitation?" 'I'm sure you'll remedy that oversight,' Jonah Marriott answered coolly.
Lydie stared at him in disbelief. `You want to go to Oliver's wedding?' Why, for goodness' sake, would he want to do that? There was only one way to find out. `Why do you want to attend?' she questioned suspiciously.
`I like weddings,' he replied without a blink. `Provided they're someone else's.'
Lydie eyed him hostilely. Why would he want to gatecrash her brother's wedding? She thought of her beloved
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