Seth would show up so they could go away together, wouldn’t he?
She was checking her appearance in the sitting room mirror, trying to maintain her optimism and miserably failing, when a loud thump on the front door—the bell still hadn’t been repaired—signalled that her visitor had arrived. Even as she stared into the mirror she saw the cherry-bright colour that seeped into her cheeks.
Turning away, she whispered, ‘Thank God he kept his word...’ and hurried out into the hallway to let him in.
He looked wonderful. Scratch that. It wasn’t just the fact that he looked amazing that overwhelmed her, but the sheer charisma he exuded that stole her breath. Wearing another immaculate tailored grey suit, he wasn’t a man anyone could ignore. With his sculpted features and chiselled jaw he was as handsome as ever, and even at such an early hour his dazzling blue eyes shone with an almost preternatural brightness that rendered Imogen as weak as a kitten as she stared back at him.
His gaze was unwaveringly direct... ‘Hi.’
‘Hi,’ she greeted him back. ‘You made it on time, then?’
‘Did you doubt that I would?’
‘Why don’t you come in? It looks cold out there.’
Not answering his question, she let him inside the hallway and when she’d shut the door stole one or two precious moments to try to steady her nerves.
This was no small undertaking she was embarking on, and Seth needed to know that. More important, she didn’t want him to believe that her agreement to marry him meant that he would have everything his own way. Whatever happened, she was determined to make her own needs important, too...
CHAPTER EIGHT
TO IMOGEN’S SURPRISE, Seth drove them to a heliport just a few miles away. Whilst she’d guessed they would be flying somewhere, she’d assumed they’d be going to an airport to board a plane. But confronted with the reality of this alternative form of transport, she felt her insides catapulting with excitement. She’d never experienced travelling in a helicopter before and viewed it as an unexpected bonus.
But as soon as the silver-haired pilot had lifted off she clutched her hands in her lap and fell silent. She wasn’t nervous about the flying. Even the noise of the whirring blades and the sudden jolting ascent didn’t bother her. It was just that the scenario she found herself in was so far away from her usual day-to-day experience that she had to pinch herself to believe that it was really happening.
The most surprising thing of all was that she was accompanying a wealthy and supremely confident businessman who’d barely been in her life five minutes, and that somehow she’d agreed to become his wife in a marriage of convenience...
‘It’s a good feeling to be on our way,’ Seth commented, turning in his seat to glance at her. ‘With no obstacles to delay us. It’s been my experience in my career that something usually comes up at the last minute.’
Imogen screwed up her face. ‘Don’t say that. It might be unlucky.’
‘Are you telling me that you’re superstitious?’
‘I’ve been known to avoid the number thirteen and walking under ladders—that kind of thing.’
Amused, he shook his head. ‘Well, nothing’s going to spoil our trip. Trust me.’
Inexplicably, and going against all her usual instincts, she did. ‘Are you going to tell me where we’re going now?’
He smiled. ‘I suppose I ought to. You’ve done well not to press me for answers so far. Women’s curiosity usually gets the better of them, I’ve found. We’re going to Scotland. I hope you took my advice and packed some clothes for inclement weather?’
‘I did. I even packed a pair of sturdy boots in case we went walking. You can probably tell I was in the Girl Guides. My motto is Be Prepared.’
A painful reminder that she hadn’t been remotely prepared for being jilted at the altar made her insides tighten disagreeably. Quickly corralling the emotion, she quelled it, knowing that it would only spoil things.
‘But I never guessed we might be going to Scotland. What made you choose that for our destination?’
‘Wait until we get there and I’ll explain. In the meantime why don’t you just kick back and enjoy the ride? You’re going to see some amazing scenery en route.’
‘Okay, I will.’
The views over England were stunning enough, but as they left them behind and travelled further north her gaze encountered a proliferation of mountains, woodlands and reed beds in abundance. It was magical to see the narrow rivers that wove in and out through the differing habitats, the glint of diamond-bright sunlight on the shimmering water clearly marking them out.