‘Tell me you’re joking? Do you realise this is the kind of opportunity that only comes along once in a lifetime—if that? Tell me the truth. Has someone tempted you with something better?’
His lips breaking into a smile, Seth glanced at Imogen and clasped her hand. He had put the call on speakerphone and knew she had heard every word. Thankfully the look of dread in her glossy brown eyes had started to fade...
‘Yes,’ he replied. ‘They have.’
‘I can hardly believe it. Who is he?’
‘The person concerned isn’t a man. She’s a woman. As a matter of fact she’s my wife, and her name is Imogen. As important as it is to you and your father, it’s no longer important to me to acquire the kudos of being accepted into your family’s world, Ash. With respect, I don’t need that kind of acceptance. And neither do I need the business or the even richer trappings that come along with it. I’m successful enough in my own right. What I want and need most is my beautiful wife and the amazing new life we’re going to make together.’
Again, he directed a warm smile at Imogen.
‘And if I were you I’d take your own advice and get yourself a wife... Find a woman you can truly love with all your heart. I’ve discovered that that’s the most valuable treasure of all, my friend.’
At the other end of the phone, all was silent. Then, just when Seth thought his friend had disconnected, he heard him chuckle.
‘You sound as if you are truly smitten!’
Gazing back at Imogen, he nodded. ‘I am. When you next come over to the UK, I’ll introduce you to her.’
‘That’s a deal. By the way—does this rose amongst the daisies have a sister?’
CHAPTER TWELVE
AFTER THEY’D KISSED and made up, following the most tumultuous episode of their marriage so far, Imogen didn’t think her feet touched the ground until the morning they boarded their plane back to London.
But then, home again as their plane touched down at Heathrow, she started to feel nervous for another reason. All of a sudden their joyful wedding in Scotland and their trip to Italy seemed light years away, and to a certain degree she knew she would have to come back down to earth. She couldn’t let her taste of the high life blind her to the inevitable practicalities of life. And nor could she help dreading the moment that she and Seth would have to say goodbye to each other for a while.
They still hadn’t decided where they were going to live, and she presumed she’d be returning to the flat until they did. She hardly relished the idea of being apart from him for too long.
When Seth steered the smart sedan he’d rented at the airport down the street where she lived and parked it outside her door, for a long moment they both fell silent.
Twisting the beautiful diamond-encrusted wedding ring round her finger, Imogen formed her lips into a shaky smile. ‘Want to come in for a coffee before you head back to the hotel?’ she asked.
‘No, angel. I want you to pack the bare essentials and come with me. And before we return to the hotel together I’m going to take you to see a house.’
‘You mean you’ve found somewhere already?’
‘Wait and see,’ he told her.
Now Imogen’s nerves escalated for another reason. Whilst access to the internet had allowed Seth to scan suitable properties even while they were away, and he had informed contacts who could also help, he had barely left her side long enough to investigate.
There was only one vacant house she knew of in the area that could possibly meet his requirements, and he already owned it. It was the magnificent Gothic manor where she had first met him, and it had once been the home of his tragic ex-girlfriend...
Her suspicions proved to be right. When Seth directed the car onto the manor’s stately gravelled drive she didn’t comment right away. In the dappled afternoon sunlight the architecture of the building was indisputably grand. Its pointed arched roofs reached high into the sky, as if to denote that it was both lofty and important. Her first summation of the building hadn’t changed—it was intimidating in more ways than one.
‘Why have we come here, Seth? You told me when we first met that you weren’t even sure that you’d move in to the house.’
He rubbed at his brow thoughtfully. ‘I wasn’t. But I’ve been seriously thinking about it while we were away. It’s not as intimidating as it seems. Most of the rooms are spacious, light and airy, and the interior can be transformed into any style we want. The acreage is vast. It would be perfect to entertain business guests from abroad, and for garden parties in the summer.’ For a moment he stopped talking to contemplate her. ‘And, when we have them, it would also be a perfect place for our children to grow up.’