200 Harley Street: The Enigmatic Surgeon

by Annie Claydon

  What Ethan had really meant was beyond Charlotte. He’d seemed genuinely pleased for the little family unit which was forming before his eyes, but somehow... Charlotte sighed. If Ethan thought that it was beyond his own reach, then Charlotte was inclined to think it was beyond hers, too.

  ‘What? What’s the matter?’

  ‘Nothing. Let’s go home.’

  * * *

  She’d pushed the boat out and bought steak for dinner, cooking it in a peppered sauce with home-made chips. Edward and Isaac had tucked in with an almost identical glee, and been unanimous in their praise.

  ‘I’ve been thinking.’ Edward was helping her stack the dishwasher while Isaac played in the garden.

  ‘Oh-oh. That generally means trouble...’ She smiled at him.

  He shot her a look of amused reproach. ‘Would you like to go out tomorrow evening? To celebrate...or perhaps to commiserate. Whatever you feel like doing, I’ll keep you company.’

  ‘I feel like... No. Let’s not do anything, eh? My marriage is over now, and I don’t want to look back. I want to look forward.’

  ‘Fair enough. So why don’t you just let me treat you, then? My mother’s coming over tomorrow afternoon, and she can look after Isaac for the evening if you’d like. We can go somewhere nice.’

  Going out. On a Saturday night. It was years since she’d had the money to go anywhere, nice or otherwise, let alone pay for babysitters and... ‘I don’t really have anything to wear...’

  He shrugged. ‘You have clothes. We’ll go somewhere where clothes are de rigueur.’

  She couldn’t help but laugh. ‘Okay. Thank you. I’d love to.’

  His smirk looked far too much as if this had been a plan and not an off-the-cuff invitation. ‘Good. Mum’ll be here about three tomorrow.’

  * * *

  It all seemed to go like clockwork. Edward’s mother arrived on the doorstep at five to three the following day, and burst into the house like a friendly tornado. She kissed Edward, hugged Charlotte as if she’d know her for years, and made a beeline for Isaac, who was sitting on the floor playing with a construction set.

  ‘That looks interesting.’ Penny North had sat down on the sofa and was now looking hard at Isaac’s handiwork.

  ‘It’s a spaceship.’ Isaac looked up at her.

  ‘Well, of course it is. Silly me.’

  Isaac made his decision and opted to trust this stranger with some more information. ‘Look, this is the engine.’

  ‘Oh, I see. How clever.’

  Edward nudged Charlotte. ‘You want to leave them to it?’

  His breath caressed her neck and she shivered. Suddenly it all seemed real. She had a date for tonight. Not just any old date, but a darkly handsome, sophisticated, talk-all-night date. And it looked as if Isaac was making his own arrangements for the evening.

  ‘Yes. Let’s go and make a cup of tea.’

  * * *

  After Kathy, his mother had seemed to give up all hope of seeing a woman, let alone a child, in Edward’s house. Charlotte had gone upstairs to change and he sat with his mother on the patio, watching while Isaac ran around the garden. He liked this more than he was prepared to admit. His mother was clearly overjoyed, and had exceeded all expectations in her enthusiasm for both Charlotte and Isaac.

  ‘Can’t you take her somewhere nicer than that, Edward?’

  ‘I like it there.’

  ‘Yes, but a girl wants to be taken somewhere glamorous.’ His mother waved her hand, encompassing all the glitzy nightspots that London had to offer. ‘Somewhere she can kick her heels up and forget about everything.’

  ‘Like Dad did with you?’

  ‘Yes, now you mention it. Your father wined and dined me until I was far too giddy to say no when he asked me to marry him.’

  ‘Don’t jump the gun, Mother. We’re just friends.’

  ‘Yes, and that’s all you’ll ever be if you carry on like this. Just call upstairs, tell her to put her best dress on, and get on the phone and book somewhere nice....’

  ‘She doesn’t have a best dress. She’s been living hand to mouth for the last few years...’

  His mother let out a tut of disapproval. ‘Well, couldn’t you have taken her out and bought her something?’

  ‘I could have tried, but she wouldn’t have let me. She’s...proud.’ Proud wasn’t really the word for it. Charlotte didn’t have a lot of trust. But Edward didn’t want to go there with his mother. ‘And she looks great anyway, with or without a new dress.’

  His mother nodded in satisfaction at the assertion. ‘Well...yes, all right, then. I can see the difficulty. But for goodness’ sakes tell her how nice she looks, won’t you? You can’t expect women to just know what you’re thinking.’

  That was the thing. He’d thought that Kathy had known what he was thinking—if anyone should have done it would have been her. And she’d said he had no emotional commitment. Those words had been seared into his brain and had stayed there, like the ultimate condemnation.

  ‘I don’t expect anyone to know what I’m thinking.’

  His mother quirked a smile. ‘Well, that’s just as well, dear. You’d already lost me by the time you were about ten. But this is different. We’re not talking about advanced mathematics. We’re talking about...’ His mother groped for the right word.

  ‘Emotions?’

  ‘Yes, exactly. We all have the same emotions, irrespective of whether we can do complex equations in our heads.’

  That was a matter of opinion. But Edward was saved from the rigours of that particular debate by Isaac, who tripped over his own feet and suddenly toppled, flat on his face, onto the grass. In a movement that was rapidly becoming instinctive Edward rose and hurried towards the boy.

  ‘Hey, there.’ Edward inspected him rapidly for any damage. ‘Okay, mate. You’re all right.’

  Isaac didn’t seem to think so, and clung to him, crying. Edward gave him a hug and his sobs subsided. ‘There you are. Just a bit of a shock, eh? Have you hurt yourself?’

  ‘No.’ Isaac seemed ready to start careening around the lawn again, but then his attention was drawn to the patio.

  Charlotte was wearing a simple white dress, with a lacy bodice that showed the curve of her shoulders and upper arms. Her light brown hair tumbled around her shoulders, shining in the sun. He wasn’t close enough to see her eyes, but Edward knew that they would be shining, too.

  ‘What do you think, mate? Doesn’t your mother look gorgeous?’

  Isaac nodded and Edward let him go. The boy rushed towards her, shouting at the top of his voice.

  ‘Muuuum! Edward says you look gorgeous.’

  Well, that was one way of doing it. His mother obviously approved, and Charlotte went pink with pleasure. He almost didn’t dare go any closer, in case she captured him in some kind of spell.

  ‘Well, thank you.’ She was holding both of Isaac’s hands, trying to keep them away from her dress. ‘I’ll just go and clean him up...’

  ‘That’s fine.’ Edward hoisted the boy upwards, tucking him under his arm, and Isaac squealed with delight. ‘We don’t want to get your mother all dirty, do we?’

  Finally they were alone. Instructions had been given, telephone numbers written down, and Charlotte had elicited a promise from Isaac to be extra good for the whole of the evening. The taxi had arrived, and she had allowed Edward to help her into it.

  ‘This is nice.’

  She seemed excited, even though she didn’t yet know where they were going. Edward wondered whether it would be appropriate to put his arm along the back of the seat, and decided that he should probably wait until the way home.

  ‘I didn’t want to worry about parking. Or having a glass of wine if I felt like it.’

  She nodded and smiled at h
im. That warm, bubbly smile of hers which so lifted his spirits when he saw it at work. Here, combined with the fact that she smelled absolutely wonderful, and with her skin just inches away from his touch...Edward was lost

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  THE TAXI LET them off in Soho. Bubbling with life, on a warm summer’s evening, the atmosphere was going to Charlotte’s head. Edward took her hand, easing them through the crowded pavements.

  ‘Where are we going?’

  ‘Here.’ He stopped suddenly, then descended a set of steps which seemed to run down to a basement. Opening the door at the bottom, he gave his name to a woman, handed his jacket over, and they were waved through.

  She already knew what this place was. Soft jazz was floating towards them, beckoning them into a small auditorium. They were shown to a table and the waiter gave them each a menu, and left.

  The place wasn’t posh, or glitzy, nor was it sleazy. It was the kind of place that no one other than a real jazz enthusiast would know about, and its clientele didn’t come here to be seen, but to listen.

  ‘Is this okay?’ He leaned across the table, his mouth almost touching her cheek. ‘We can go somewhere else if you don’t like it.’

  ‘It’s wonderful. Can we stay?’

  He nodded in satisfaction. ‘Of course. What would you like to drink?’

  The long cushioned seats were comfortable, and the wine that the waiter brought to the table was excellent, but it was really all about the music. A three-piece band played smooth, moody melodies, which made everything seem so very easy. She slid along the seat, closer to Edward, so that they could exchange a few words without distracting anyone.

  The band finished their set to enthusiastic applause and a great deal of crashing about as they left the small stage.

  ‘Would you like something to eat? We’ve got about half an hour before they bring the next band on.’

  The waiters suddenly seemed to leap into action as they were beckoned by one table or another.

  ‘There’s going to be another one?’

  ‘More than one. Until about four in the morning, usually.’ Edward grinned at her.

  ‘And how many times have you stayed until then?’

  ‘Once or twice. I used to come here a lot, but not so much lately.’

  ‘Can’t do the late nights, eh?’

  He shrugged. ‘Not really. But you can come in here, have a glass of wine, go home early and be tucked up in bed by ten. It’s more a state of mind.’

  He did seem younger here. As if his quiet manner was more a result of relaxation than introspection. ‘Are we going to stay for the next set?’

  He nodded. ‘As long as you like. The plan doesn’t go any further than this.’

  ‘What plan’s that?’

  ‘The plan for the evening. It ends here. We’re on our own now.’

  * * *

  They weren’t, of course. Charlotte knew that they had to get back at a respectable time so that Penny could get on home. But for a few sweet hours it seemed as if there was nothing else in the world. At some point Edward’s arm seemed to have snaked along the cushions behind her. She appeared to have moved a little closer to him, and now she was in the circle of his warmth, talking to him, listening to the music with him.

  The spell hardly broke when they left the club. The streets were dark now, lit by the glittering lights of Chinatown, and they strolled together through the crowds until they reached Oxford Street, where Edward flagged down a taxi.

  The roads were clear of the daytime traffic, and it was starting to rain. Yellow light streaked the windows of the cab as they reached the leafy suburb of Hampstead. A sudden left turn, which would have thrown her against Edward if she hadn’t already been leaning against him, and they were home.

  ‘He’s fast asleep.’ Penny was smiling and seemed in a hurry to be off. ‘I gave him some tea and he ran around in the garden until he dropped. Then we watched some TV together and he was out like a light when I put him to bed.’

  Charlotte could hardly get a thank-you out before Edward had kissed his mother and was walking her to her car. He watched her out of the drive and then turned back to the house.

  It was suddenly very quiet. And Edward was abruptly the only focus of her attention.

  ‘Would you...um...like a cup of tea?’

  ‘No.’ He moved a little closer. ‘Would you?’

  ‘No. Not really.’

  She knew what was coming next. It was drawing her in, like the dark, unknown depths of his eyes, with a force that she couldn’t resist. Didn’t want to resist. However unsure she was, however hard it was to trust Edward, tonight she didn’t seem to recognise any of that. All she saw was him.

  ‘I’ll...I’ll just go and check on Isaac.’ Maybe he was awake. Maybe that would solve the debate that was going on in the back of her mind about what to do next.

  ‘Okay.’ He backed off, and flopped down onto the sofa.

  Isaac was sleeping soundly, Stinky clutched in his arms, and Charlotte walked slowly back downstairs. That was it, then. It was just her and Edward.

  ‘Is he okay?’

  His voice was low, like honey on her senses.

  ‘Yes, he’s fast asleep.’

  ‘Just you and me, then.’ He motioned her to come and sit down next to him.

  ‘Yes. Just the two of us.’ She perched herself on the edge of the sofa, her legs tucked under her. For a moment it seemed that they would simply sit like this for a few minutes and then say goodnight.

  Then he reached forward, curling his arms around her waist, almost lifting her onto his lap. His movements were so slow, so deliberate, that they might be mistaken for hesitancy, but there was no uncertainty about him. It was just Edward, doing what he did best, squeezing every last drop from each moment that passed.

  ‘I had a great evening.’ She leaned towards him, speaking quietly into his ear.

  ‘Had?’

  ‘Am having. Are you being pedantic?’

  ‘No. Just working out where I stand.’

  ‘This is where you stand.’ She kissed his jaw.

  He said nothing. For a moment she thought that she’d done the wrong thing, that this wasn’t what he wanted. Then he turned and kissed her. Long and deep, leaving her breathless and melting in his arms.

  ‘I’ve been wanting to do that all evening.’ One hand rested lightly on her leg, travelling upwards towards her thigh.

  ‘I’ve been wanting you to...’ He didn’t let her finish, before he kissed her again. That was okay. She’d said all she needed to, and now all she wanted was to be part of the strong, flowing tide of his passion.

  ‘Come upstairs.’

  ‘We’ll have to be quiet. Isaac...’

  ‘That’s okay. We won’t disturb him.’ He kissed her again, his lips so soft on hers. So demanding. ‘I’ll stop if you get too fortissimo.’

  ‘Funny man. What happens if you get too loud?’

  ‘You’ll just have to crack me over the head with a table lamp. Or suffocate me with a pillow. Plenty of options...’

  A whole world of options, if those still waters ran as deep as she thought they might. More options than Charlotte really know how to deal with right now. But even that couldn’t stop her.

  ‘I’ll bear it in mind.’

  He smiled, that quiet half-smile which seemed touched with every possibility that she could think of, along with a few that she didn’t know how to imagine. Then he gathered her close in his arms, lifting her effortlessly and making for the stairs.

  Even though she’d been living here for two weeks now, Charlotte had never been inside his bedroom. She’d glimpsed pale, creamy walls bathed in sunlight when she passed by in the mornings, but had never dared to even put her head around the door. The first
thing she noticed when he flipped on the lights was that, unlike pretty much every other room in the house, there were no books. Built-in wardrobes ran the full length of one wall, and a wide bed stood opposite the window, ready to catch the morning sun. It was like a soothing blank canvas for the rich pattern of Edward’s thoughts.

  He set her down onto her feet and closed the door quietly. Then he kissed her, backing her slowly towards the bed. ‘Do you have...?’

  ‘Yes.’ He moved away for a moment, flipping open a drawer and taking out a box of condoms, putting it onto the small table by the bed.

  ‘Thank you.’ He made everything easy. Thought of the things she needed as well as the ones she wanted.

  He reached around her, undoing the buttons which ran down the back of her dress. He slipped it from her shoulders, kissing each inch of flesh as he uncovered it. The fabric fell to her feet and she stepped out of it, kicking her sandals off.

  ‘Say something, Edward.’ She suddenly felt small and fearful in the shadow of his bulk.

  ‘What can I say? You’re beautiful beyond words.’ He ran his fingertips down her arms. ‘I want you more than I know how to express.’

  ‘That’s...’ she gulped ‘...that’s just fine.’

  ‘Good.’ His fingers again, tender on the side of her face. ‘Because you put me at a loss, Charlotte.’

  ‘That’s just where we’re supposed to be. If we weren’t, then we wouldn’t need each other to find the way.’ She reached up to unbutton his shirt, pulling it open and off his shoulders.

  She guessed she had his swimming to thank for the hard, muscular physique that was so good to look at, so warm and enticing when she ran her fingers across his chest. Each time he kissed her it was hotter. Deeper. Each time he laid his hand on her it was a little more demanding.

  Before they even got to the bed they were both naked, trembling. He sat down on it, pulling her down onto his lap, astride him.

  ‘Here.’ He reached for the condoms, handing her one.