Reunited with Her Secret Prince

by Susanne Hampton

  ‘Using unborn children to get your point across,’ he said butting his cigar on the ashtray nearby. ‘Now, that’s hitting below the belt.’

  ‘I’ll do whatever it takes, Walter, to make you see reason. You’ve survived a massive operation and now it’s up to you to take care of yourself and since you’re from the UK, if you do as your medical team say you may even make a hundred and receive a letter from the Queen. Wouldn’t that make your day? You could frame the letter and hang it in your suite or perhaps behind the bar for everyone to see.’

  ‘Using Her Majesty now. To what ends will you go? Have you no shame, Libby?’

  ‘No shame at all when it comes to your health. I will do and say whatever I must to keep you healthy.’

  ‘Well, the whole hundredth birthday and the Queen won’t work,’ he argued with a raised eyebrow. ‘My hundredth birthday is twenty-one years away so I’m sure if I make it that far it won’t be the Queen who’ll be writing to me. She’ll be in a better place by then.’

  ‘The reigning monarch, then,’ Libby cut in. ‘Does it matter who signs the letter from Buckingham Palace? Let’s just get you to the age to qualify first.’

  ‘Lovely thought, but I’m painfully aware that while the survival rate for bypass patients who make it to five weeks after the operation is pretty darn good, everything changes after about seven or eight years. The chance of me falling off my perch jumps considerably so I’ll be lucky to see my ninetieth birthday let alone my hundredth. Anyway, I’ve decided I’m going to damn well enjoy the next few years and leave the rest to fate. I’m most certainly not going to spend what years I have left sitting in an armchair, looking out of a bay window with a mohair rug on my knees...and a cup of Earl Grey tea in my hand.’

  ‘With all due respect, Walter, there’s quite a lot of space between a nursing home and smoking cigars and drinking whiskey in this very ornate floating bar.’

  Walter eyed Libby in silence again. His lips once again formed a hard line in his wrinkled face but he didn’t look annoyed. She couldn’t read his expression at all. Libby knew she should never play poker with him as he was giving nothing away. Her stomach suddenly dropped.

  Had she gone too far? She really liked Walter but she couldn’t sit by and watch him risk his health unnecessarily, but neither did she want to appear unprofessional and cross the line. Under his gruff exterior, he was a kind and generous man and, quite apart from her duty of care as a nurse, she had grown fond of him while he had been in her care in hospital. She wanted to see him live as many years as he could and not throw them away on cigars and alcohol.

  His lips turned to a smirk as he grudgingly placed his glass on the table.

  ‘I like you, young lady. You have what I think you Americans called spunk and what we British call unbridled determination. Some might even call it stubbornness, but a word of warning: I too have stubbornness in bucketloads. It’s how I built my empire and I’m not going to roll over and play dead anytime soon. You’ll have your hands full if you think I’m going to change my ways easily.’

  Libby climbed to her feet. She’d been worried that she had overstepped the mark but by his tone and the fact he’d said he liked her, clearly she hadn’t said too much.

  ‘I’m up for the challenge, Walter.’

  ‘And what challenge would that be?’

  Libby turned to see Daniel standing far too close for her liking and quickly she turned her face back to her patient. Her heart had instantly picked up speed and she hated herself for the way she was reacting. She should be angry whenever she saw him. Furious, in fact. But she wasn’t.

  Her body had no shame, she realised. Immediately upon hearing the timbre of his voice or seeing his tall, dark silhouette or when the scent of his cologne overtook her senses, she lost all reason and self-respect. And Daniel’s effect on her wasn’t lessening in impact. She had already witnessed how handsome he looked in his crisp white uniform with its stark contrast to his tanned Mediterranean skin. She didn’t need to look at him again and be reminded of that. Everything about him and the way he made her feel frightened her.

  She was just grateful that all of what she was thinking and feeling was not obvious to anyone else.

  ‘It appears, Daniel, that Libby thinks she can change my reckless ways and make me see a ripe old age so I can get a letter from Buckingham Palace,’ Walter told him with a wink. ‘But I’m trying to tell her that it’s pointless to try to change a man. Once we’re out of nappies, or diapers as the Americans call them, no woman can change us. It’s really quite pointless to try, don’t you agree?’

  Libby closed her eyes. The words resonated in her heart. Daniel, she suspected, was a man who didn’t want to change. He was a man who was happy with the way he lived his life. Loving and leaving women with no thought for the hurt he caused or the hearts he broke.

  ‘I believe, Walter, that under the right circumstances and with the right incentive, a man can change.’

  Libby was taken aback by Daniel’s answer to Walter’s question. The right incentive? Did that mean she hadn’t been incentive enough for him to change his philandering ways all those years ago? And what did he mean by the right circumstances? She was terribly confused and she felt anger starting to brew deep inside. Strangely, she liked the feeling of anger. It gave her perspective and control over the situation.

  ‘Codswallop!’ Walter bellowed. ‘That’s all New Age, politically correct codswallop. I have no intention of changing my ways, no matter how sweet or how pretty the messenger may be.’

  Libby shook her head at the backhanded compliment as she refused to look in Daniel’s direction. She didn’t want to see the reaction on his face.

  ‘Let’s not debate whether men can change,’ Libby suddenly interjected to put the conversation, and her thoughts, back on a professional level. ‘Let’s get back to the issue at hand. Your health and the responsibility of your ship’s medical team.’

  ‘Let me see if I have this correctly. I’m paying you both very well—not to mention handsomely donating to a hospital in San Francisco—to have you accompany me on this trip with the sole purpose of preventing me from having fun and reprimanding me at every available opportunity?’

  ‘No.’ Daniel stepped closer as he spoke. ‘Walter, Libby and I are here to ensure you have the best chance of a full recovery. You must understand that the surgery you underwent is not a cure for coronary heart disease. It’s a second chance if you change your ways, but if you don’t you will be right back to square one in a very short period of time and we don’t want that.’

  ‘Oh, dear, I have no chance here. You’re both singing from the same hymn sheet,’ he said with an expression of defeat crossing his face. ‘Fine, I will refrain from my wicked ways for the next week but after that, when you two are out of my sight, all bets are off. I will do as you ask for the next week purely because I can’t handle seven days of incessant nagging...in stereo.’

  With that he stood up and stretched his back from side to side. ‘I think I will have a nice shower and change for dinner. Georgie is preparing some of my favourite food and I intend to enjoy it...without a cigar or whiskey, as ordered by my keepers, but I’ll damn well have dessert if I fancy it. And if either of you try to stop me, I’ll have you thrown overboard and you’ll be swimming with the fish tonight.’

  Daniel smirked and Libby’s lips formed a half-smile as Walter left. Suddenly his entourage followed suit and dispersed, leaving Libby and Daniel standing together.

  Libby looked out to sea for a moment before she began to walk away. Being alone with Daniel as the sun began to set was a recipe for disaster. The setting was far too romantic and she knew, despite all the unanswered questions and her simmering anger, there was the smallest chance that she might still be vulnerable to him.

  And she could not afford to go down that path again. There was so much more at stake this time.

&n
bsp; ‘Please don’t go, Libby,’ he began. ‘I know I said I’d find a way to ensure we’re not working together but perhaps we could sit and talk sometime. I do think fondly of the time we spent together.’

  ‘Not fondly enough to get in touch any time over the last four years,’ she spat back at him coldly.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  ‘MR HUDSON.’ LIBBY addressed the man she had directed to follow her inside the makeshift infirmary. She paused as she closed the door. ‘Please come in.’

  ‘It would be my pleasure,’ he told her, then continued, ‘But you can call me Maxwell.’

  Libby drew a short breath. His response had been followed by a peculiar stare in her direction. Her intuition was telling her that Maxwell’s gaze was not purely patient-nurse. His eyes seemed to hover on her lips, not meeting her eyes at all. It was odd but she shrugged it off. Maybe his hearing was compromised and he was lip reading. Some of the older patients she had cared for over the years did that, although Maxwell appeared to be in his late forties but she couldn’t be sure. He was not particularly tall and quite stocky in build, with a receding hairline so his age was difficult to pinpoint.

  ‘Please sit down,’ she said, motioning towards the chair adjacent to the cabin desk as she stepped inside the en suite bathroom and washed her hands. ‘The doctor is not available, but I can take some notes and see what the issue is and call for him if there’s anything urgent. He isn’t too far away.’ Just far enough to allow her to feel more comfortable.

  ‘He can’t go too far—we’re on a ship. Unless he jumps overboard and then it would just be you and me.’

  His response was odd and made her feel uncomfortable. And the way he was looking at her when she reappeared with freshly scrubbed hands even more so.

  ‘It was a joke,’ he said with a snigger and a raised eyebrow. Still standing a little too close for Libby’s liking, he continued, ‘I’m sure he wouldn’t jump off the ship—at least not while you’re on here.’

  Libby was not impressed but was determined to remain professional and move past the blatant flirting.

  ‘What appears to be your problem today?’ Libby asked in a monotone.

  Maxwell stared at her in silence, his eyebrow still arched.

  ‘Is everything all right, Mr Hudson?’ Libby continued in the same professional but unemotional tone, only a little louder.

  ‘Call me Maxwell. It’s less formal,’ he said with a smirk.

  ‘Maxwell, as I said, please take a seat...’ she motioned again to the chair ‘...and tell me what the problem appears to be.’

  He sat down without taking his eyes off her. ‘It’s my back. I fell asleep in the sun and now I’m burnt.’

  ‘I see. Please remove your shirt and I can take a look.’

  Maxwell began unbuttoning his brightly coloured shirt, patterned with flamingos and palm trees. His eyes remained fixed on hers and he mimicked a male entertainer as he slowly undid each button, making Libby’s discomfort grow by the second.

  ‘I don’t see a ring, pretty lady.’

  * * *

  Libby had a fairly good idea where the conversation was heading and she had no intention of helping it along. Quite the opposite, she was going to stop it dead in the water by ignoring it.

  ‘It’s such a lovely day and I’m sure you want to get back to the group so let’s look at your sunburn.’ Her tone was courteous and professional as she slipped on latex gloves. She trusted she was making it clear she was not interested in his line of questioning.

  ‘I’d rather stay in the cabin with you.’

  Libby drew a deep breath. The man had the faint smell of whiskey and a strong smell of suntan lotion and bad cologne. The combined scents were as unpleasant as his personality. ‘Well, I have a lot to do, so let’s get you seen to and back out there.’

  ‘It must be a bit dreary not being able to join the party,’ he continued, still not following Libby’s clear line of conversation.

  ‘I’m on board to work. That’s the only reason I’m here and I’m happy about that. Looking after Sir Walter will keep me busy enough.’

  ‘When you finish your shift, you should come up on deck and get some sunshine with me.’

  ‘I don’t have a shift, I’m on call all the time. Now please turn around so I can look at the sunburn.’

  ‘It’s not that bad actually.’ The man’s mouth curled into a grin that immediately turned Libby’s stomach. She had feared the worst and very quickly her fears were being realised.

  ‘I came here to see you.’

  ‘Then we’re finished here.’

  ‘Not so fast,’ the man said. Standing up and moving closer, he grabbed her wrist with his stubby fingers. ‘I watched you sitting by the pool yesterday with your girlfriend, in your skimpy shorts, and I did some digging around to find out about you. It seems you’re single...and available.’

  Libby tried to pull free but the man moved even closer. His breath was warm on her neck as he stared into her eyes. Suddenly, being in such close proximity to him, she noticed the stench of alcohol was not so faint.

  ‘Let go of me now.’ Her voice was raised and her tone cold as she pulled her arm free and moved to the other side of the room. A sense of panic was stirring inside. She was alone in the cabin with a drunken, lecherous man.

  ‘Come on, don’t play coy. The doctor’s not here. It’s just you and me. The rest of the group are up on deck, a long way from us, so let’s make friendly.’

  ‘Get away from me,’ Libby yelled, trying to quell her anxiety. The situation had escalated from uncomfortable to dangerous very quickly. Her heart was picking up speed and she felt the heat rising from her core. Her fight-or-flight response was kicking in as she backed up to a wall-mounted telephone.

  ‘Come on, you and I both know you signed up to have some fun. If you weren’t the type to party you would’ve stayed on dry land,’ he said as he reached for the zip on his shorts. ‘And I’m the man who can give you a good time, right here, right now. I’ve got plenty of time to seal the deal.’

  The door opened abruptly as the man reached for Libby. Seemingly unperturbed, he ignored the sound and continued to fumble with his shorts.

  Daniel was standing in the doorway. With powerful strides he crossed the room, grabbed the man by the collar and spun him around. Libby could see the rage in Daniel’s eyes. She had never seen him like that before. With her emotions on a roller-coaster, it both frightened and calmed her at the same time.

  ‘Don’t ever speak to a woman like that again,’ Daniel roared. The volume and tone of voice commanded attention.

  The man straightened up and looked Daniel up and down. Ignoring the uniform, he continued to display a level of arrogance that Libby found appalling.

  ‘Chill out, buddy. Go back on duty and do your steward thing. It’s all good...the little lady’s happy to chat with me.’

  ‘Nurse McDonald is most definitely not happy to speak with you. She’s made that clear. Now leave.’ Daniel stood his ground and Libby felt very safe and protected by the man she had wanted to hate.

  ‘Like I said, chill out. It’s all good.’

  ‘I said leave. Now.’

  ‘Make me,’ the now irate passenger said with a cocky expression on his alcohol-flushed face. He suddenly began shifting unsteadily from side to side on his feet as if he were in a boxing ring.

  As Daniel stretched out his long arm to escort him outside, the man took a swing at him, his right hand clenched into a fist, trying to connect with Daniel’s ribs.

  ‘Daniel, be careful,’ Libby called out with concern etching her voice. Concern for the man she had never wanted to see again in her life but was so relieved to see at that moment.

  Daniel dodged the man’s punch as it cut through the air. ‘Don’t be stupid,’ Daniel told him. ‘Just leave before you get hurt.’

 
‘By who? You?’ the passenger laughed scornfully as he tried yet again to punch Daniel but this time taking aim at his stomach.

  Libby could see that Daniel had no choice but to act in self-defence. He deflected the man’s punch with his forearm, then, grabbing the man’s arm, twisted it behind his back and forced him to the floor in a secure hold, his knee resting firmly on the man’s back.

  ‘Please dial nine, Libby. It will put you through to the bridge. Ask the captain to send down the first mate and a steward to take care of this creep. I’m going to insist this excuse for a man is escorted off the ship when we arrive in port tomorrow morning.’

  Without hesitation, Libby did as Daniel asked and explained the situation before turning back to see Maxwell restrained, red faced and unable to move as Daniel still had him pinned to the floor. Maxwell’s eyes were darting about, his cheek pressed against the floor, and he was muttering inaudible comments to no one in particular. Perhaps his sober self was having regrets, she thought. She didn’t care. He was a predator and she was relieved that Daniel was going to have him removed from the ship. Under the influence of alcohol or not, he was a risk that needed to be mitigated.

  ‘You can’t throw me off.’

  ‘I can and I will,’ Daniel said in a voice that continued to bring reassurance and calm to Libby. ‘I’ll speak with Walter immediately.’

  ‘But I’m family,’ Maxwell muttered. ‘He won’t throw me off. He’ll throw you two off for treating me this way.’

  ‘I don’t think so, buddy. You’re a risk to every woman on the ship and I’m not going to allow that risk to remain on board.’

  The first mate and two stewards arrived within minutes to find Daniel still restraining Maxwell.