Getting to his feet, Seth stared down at her. ‘If you don’t involve your emotions...and I personally don’t intend to...you won’t get hurt. As for getting to know each other—I’m sure that will happen given time.’
If he knew what she was thinking right then—that it wasn’t much of a deal to get married to someone who took care of the practicalities of the relationship but didn’t engage his feelings—she wondered if he would understand. Even though she’d been terribly hurt—her heart broken and her self-esteem in tatters after what her ex had done—deep down inside Imogen still hadn’t given up on the idea of a truly loving union with a man.
‘That may be so, and I’m sure there are many women who would be only too happy to be the companion of a wealthy man like you, and have everything they need taken care of. But that’s not me. I need to make a contribution in life—not just be a taker. So all I can say is thanks for considering me, but I’m afraid I’m going to have to refuse.’
For a moment Seth’s charismatic features radiated shocked surprise. Then, breathing out an impatient sigh, he said. ‘You wouldn’t just be taking from me, Imogen. Your concern is commendable, and it reassures me that my decision is the right one. I fully expect you to do your fair share, if you undertake to commit to this partnership, and I want to emphasise that you wouldn’t be walking completely into the unknown. For instance there’s plenty of information about me on the internet, if you want to investigate. My profile is there for all to see. I’ve got nothing to hide.’
‘That may be so, but you don’t find out the truth about someone until you spend time with them. What can facts on the internet tell me about the real Seth Broden?’ Imogen was adamant that social media wasn’t to be relied upon, even though she had straight away detected that Seth didn’t like her doubting him. ‘For instance, can it tell me what your values are, or if you’re a man that can be trusted?’
‘You trusted me enough to let me spend the night on your couch and you didn’t come to any harm. If you’re willing to get to know me better you’ll discover that honesty is important to me in all my dealings. I trust that my behaviour towards you will help illustrate that.’
Sighing, she brushed her hair back from her cheek. ‘It’s not that I don’t want to get to know you. What I’ve learned about you so far pleases me. The letter that you wrote to Louisa makes me know intuitively that you’re a good man...a sincere one. But I wouldn’t want to promise you something I couldn’t deliver. Honesty is important to me, too. What if I changed my mind after we got married and decided that I’d made a mistake?’
‘I won’t pretend I wouldn’t be disappointed. But neither would I coerce you into staying. If you were really intent on ending things I’d have to respect that. I’d also ensure that I set you up with the means to start your life over again somewhere else. For instance if you wanted to start up a business for yourself or study for a new career I’d do everything in my power to help you. I can’t say fairer than that. Still...’ He paused to survey her. ‘I’d expect you to enter into our initial agreement in the spirit of genuinely trying to make it work. Do you agree?’
Although she didn’t want to deny that in truth she yearned for much more than that—that she wanted to hold out for the truly loving union with a man that had always been her dream—Imogen saw that she’d have to suppress those feelings if she was going to go through with this marriage. To forgo the loving relationship she longed for was the last thing she wanted to do—the very thought was like a splinter in her heart—but at least Seth was promising that he’d compensate her if their partnership didn’t work out. If he kept his promise it would give her a lot more options about what she did in the future, even if it was destined to be a lonely one.
She told him, ‘Yes. If I were to accept going into this arrangement you’re proposing, I promise you I’d endeavour to make it a successful one. But you know women do change their minds sometimes? I mean, if you started something that turned out to be wrong would you stick with it?’
The comment elicited a surprising smile.
‘I don’t expect you to do any such thing. But don’t you have to give something a chance before you decide it’s not working? In any case, why shouldn’t our partnership work out? We both need human contact, and what I want in my life is a warm, sentient woman. Someone I can talk to—someone who’s willing to listen to my problems when I have them and offer her opinion...as I will do for you. I want someone who’ll be there if I need to take a partner to a business function or go out to dinner, someone who’s intelligent and pretty, with a softness that reminds me not to get too cynical about life. I want someone like you, Imogen.’