‘The full five guineas. Ten dollars fifty.’
Sasha frowned. He couldn’t be the owner, yet he obviously had a say in who came here. Without him, neither the Bennets nor she and Bonnie would have benefited from Seagrave Dunworthy’s strange terms about the house. Nathan had to have some connection to the owner.
‘What does Marion do with the money?’ she asked.
‘It goes into a trust account. But there is something which is far more important that I’d like to discuss with you. Do you know how many days it is to Christmas, Sasha?’
It was the first week of December. Sasha hastily calculated the time, thankful she now had the income from Hester enabling her to buy Bonnie some lovely gifts for her first Christmas. ‘Twenty-two days,’ she answered, which gave her plenty of time to shop.
Nathan looked triumphant, as though he had scored a major victory. Sasha recollected that this was the longest conversation they’d had since Monday. Not that it was any great deep and meaningful communication.
‘This might be the season of goodwill to all men,’ Sasha observed acidly, ‘but I’m reserving my goodwill for women. And not all of them, either.’
‘I’d like you to come to a pre-Christmas party with me, Sasha,’ he said, an eloquent appeal in his eyes sliding straight through her defences and worming its way into her heart.
‘Whatever for?’ she demanded testily, resenting the ease with which he affected her.
‘Because your friendship and support mean a lot to me.’
He sounded genuine. He looked genuine. Sasha couldn’t ignore the fact he’d given her a lot of support when she was in desperate need of it. This home. Her job. ‘Is it a special occasion?’ she asked warily.
‘It’s not something I can pass up without giving offence. The judge has been like a father to me and—’
‘What happened to your real father?’ Sasha had become very curious about bloodlines.
‘He fell off his horse in a polo game and broke his neck. I never really knew him.’
Horses again, Sasha thought.
‘All my friends will be there, Sasha...’
She wouldn’t mind seeing what his friends were like.
‘...and they’re aware of the custody case coming up. They know what Elizabeth is like. I’d rather not have to listen to sympathetic comments all night. If you’d come with me...’
His mention of the custody case and Elizabeth snapped Sasha out of her treacherous musing. ‘Why don’t you take the beautiful Polish woman you’re going to marry?’
‘Because I can’t bear to be with her,’ he said evenly.
Sasha was fascinated. ‘Then you’ve made a poor choice of wife, haven’t you?’ she said silkily. ‘When have you contracted to marry?’
‘Next Wednesday.’
‘Well, you’ve made your bed, Nathan. I don’t think you have any option but to lie in it,’ she said with some asperity.
‘Sasha, I’ve tried to break that contract. I can’t. I’ve never felt so desperate in my life. There’s no way out.’
He certainly looked harassed, but Sasha was wary of accepting anything at face value. ‘How have you tried?’ She needed details.
‘I lined up twenty different males who were prepared, with some inducements, to marry her in my place. Urszula is demanding specific performance from me. She won’t be bought out of it and I can’t find a substitute she’ll accept.’
Urszula knew a good thing when she saw it, Sasha surmised, and was hanging on for more than Nathan had bargained for.
‘The problem is I wrote the contract myself,’ he continued. Sasha thought she heard a hint of desperation in his voice. ‘It runs about five lines. It’s in simple English. And there’s no escape clause anywhere. I thought I was binding Urszula. Now it’s me who’s caught.’
‘I told you in the park that what you proposed to do was not a well-thought-out arrangement. Love comes first. Then the marriage.’
‘I fervently agree with you. I rather like your more direct approach. You’re not selfish or grasping. Quite the contrary.’