The Surgeon and the Princess

by Karin Baine

  ‘It’s good to know for future patients that even if they can’t manage the exercises or prosthetics, they can still get something out of this.’ He was pensive, as if he already had someone in mind, and Georgiana was curious about this person who’d grabbed his attention.

  ‘Glad to be of help. Is this a hypothetical fishing expedition or are you thinking about someone in particular?’ It was ludicrous for her to dig for more info as though she were a jealous girlfriend or a patient with a crush. Strictly speaking she wasn’t a patient and he probably had some sort of gagging order preventing him from talking about people he treated. It was none of her business and she really didn’t know why she was getting all worked up about the idea he could be swimming after hours with another secret visitor.

  ‘A little girl who’s having some trouble adapting. Hannah.’

  Relief whooshed through her, chasing away her irrational territorial hold of Ed at the thought of sharing her swimming partner. She wanted to give herself a good slap for being so stupid about the whole matter.

  ‘How so?’

  A smile played across his lips as he thought about her question. ‘She doesn’t like being told what to do. Reminds me of someone, but I can’t imagine who.’

  ‘Ha-ha. Some of us simply know our own minds. It could be you simply don’t know how to deal with a strong independent woman.’

  Ed laughed. ‘She’s four years old but you could be right. Hannah’s refusing to wear a prosthetic or go anywhere near the water.’

  ‘And your usual charm offensive isn’t working?’

  ‘I know you’ll find this hard to believe but, no, it isn’t. I must be losing my mojo.’

  Georgiana liked that he wasn’t afraid to make fun of himself, even if he was frustrated by another patient refusing to fall in line with his usual tried and tested ways.

  ‘Oh, I doubt that. You just have to find a new way of getting her to trust you. She’s not going to co-operate until she sees what’s in it for her. Everything about life after an amputation is a difficult journey. Even more so at that age, I’d say. She’s not going to put herself through any more pain if she can’t see the benefit of it. Take me as an example. I didn’t want a part of you or this clinic. I had no reason to believe you had anything to offer me of any benefit. Yet, the promise of a swimming pool and some privacy and I’m hiding on the back seat of your car.’

  In the end she’d wondered what he’d got out of the arrangement but after seeing him here in a quandary over a little girl, she knew. The satisfaction of knowing he’d done everything in his power to help. Georgiana was grateful for his perseverance and she knew Hannah’s parents would feel the same about his personal attention.

  ‘I’m not sure that would be appropriate in these circumstances.’ He twisted his body around in the water so he had his back to the wall beside her, kicking his legs out in front. From a distance they would’ve looked like any other two swimmers taking a rest and having a chat. That was all Georgiana wanted. To be unremarkable.

  ‘You’re going to have to work hard to get on her good side, the way you did with me.’ Georgiana was becoming increasingly involved in the story, since she knew what a difference it was having her prosthesis. If the child was to experience everything life had to offer it would be in her best interests to take advantage of everything being offered to aid her recovery.

  ‘I’m on your good side? Good to know.’ He looked pleased with himself at that snippet of information. Georgiana immediately had the urge to wipe the smirk off his face, lest he think he had won her over so easily.

  ‘For now.’ She pushed herself away from the side of the pool, accidentally on purpose splashing him as she kicked out.

  ‘Oh, you’re in for it now!’ Ed shouted after her, spurring her pace. That sudden competitive edge between them made her heart race that little bit faster too.

  The water swirled and moved alongside her as he launched himself after her. Georgiana went to give an excitable shriek, only to inhale a mouthful of water. It went up her nose and down her throat, making her choke. Panic swamped her and she dipped under the water. She lost focus, tried to get herself upright, forgetting she no longer had two feet to steady herself on the bottom of the pool. Now she was gulping the water, splashing desperately in an attempt to keep herself afloat.

  Arms caught around her waist, pulling her from the depths, hands holding her fast until she broke the surface and could breathe again.

  ‘I’ve got you. Just anchor yourself to my waist and take slow, deep breaths.’ Ed’s face was so close to hers she had nowhere to look but into his eyes, his mouth issuing instructions she was compelled to follow.

  She wrapped her arms around his neck, her leg around his middle, which she wouldn’t have done in any other circumstances save for the immediate threat of drowning.

  She was relying on him saving her, letting him feel her disability for himself. Yet he was calming her, taking her mind off everything that frightened her by maintaining eye contact and syncing her breathing to his. Deep breaths in and out. Until the panic subsided and they were left entwined, her chest heaving against his, their breath mingling, eyes locked. They’d moved on from potential drowning incident to...well, she didn’t know what.

  Eventually Ed spoke. His voice hoarse as though he were the one who’d inhaled half of the pool. ‘Are you okay?’

  She wanted to say no, she wasn’t okay with any of this. Either proving him right that she couldn’t be left alone in here or about this overwhelming urge to kiss him. She didn’t know where that thought had sprung from other than their sudden physical proximity. Yes, he was single as far as she knew. Why wouldn’t a woman want to snog the face off him? It was the knowledge that she wasn’t necessarily someone he’d want to kiss back that stopped her. At least, not any more.

  ‘Yes. Thanks. I lost track for a moment and panicked. Sorry. I’m all right now.’ She attempted to extricate herself from him but he held her fast.

  ‘You’ve had a fright. Let me—’ He started to tread water with her still attached.

  ‘No. I said I’m fine. I’m not an invalid.’ With that she shoved hard against his chest so he let go, then swam away. This time she was very well aware of her inadequacies. She’d had them wrapped around Ed’s waist.

  CHAPTER FIVE

  ED TOOK HIS time showering and changing, trying to get his head around what had nearly happened. When Georgiana had begun play-fighting, showing him a fun side he hadn’t seen before, all he’d wanted to do was encourage it and indulge his own. It seemed a lifetime since he’d really cut loose from work and his home life and let himself be free.

  That burst of spontaneity hadn’t come without cost. Both he and Georgiana had put her in danger with their game of one-upmanship. Their lack of judgement nearly causing a catastrophe.

  When she’d started floundering he’d cursed himself for putting her in that position. It had left her vulnerable and made him think of the time when she’d been hurt. Her pain, her strength, her courage and subsequent fight to live.

  Ed grabbed a towel and dropped it over his head, shutting out the world and leaving him in the dark with his jumbled emotions. What bothered him most about the incident in the pool was the aftermath. When the danger had passed and he and Georgiana were left entwined in the water. He hadn’t wanted to let her go. For a brief second he’d thought he’d seen the same hesitation in her eyes.

  Something had flared to life between them and he knew it was more than a primitive reaction to holding a beautiful woman so close. He’d wanted to kiss her, and not just some patronising peck on the lips to assure her she was still alive and breathing. Ed had wanted to taste the sweetness and passion of the woman who’d been constantly on his mind since they’d met and drink her in. Until he was the one drowning.

  A sharp rap on the changing room door dragged him out of his thoughts.

 
‘Are you still alive in there?’ It was Georgiana checking on him, letting him know he’d been lost in his reverie for too long.

  ‘Give me a minute.’ He dressed in double-quick time, his hair and skin still damp.

  She was leaning against the wall outside when he finally managed to gather his things. He felt guilty about keeping her waiting but at least she’d hung around. Given her reaction to him in the pool, he wouldn’t have been surprised if she’d made her own way back home. Perhaps she had no one to call for a lift or no money for a taxi.

  He hoped she’d forgiven him for the predatory way he’d surely been looking at her so they could put it behind them. After all, it hadn’t meant anything. It couldn’t.

  ‘You took your time. I thought you were suffering from delayed shock in there.’

  He had in a way.

  ‘No. Just shaving my legs,’ he deadpanned and shut the conversation down.

  * * *

  As they stepped out into the autumnal air, Ed was dreading the thought of taking Georgiana home and then going on to his parents’ house. Despite the complications, their time in the pool had given him a sense of release. A freedom he wasn’t yet ready to surrender.

  ‘Would you like to go for a coffee? There’s a place down the road that should still be open.’ What was more normal than having a chat over a cuppa? Making small talk in a public area should help erase whatever had almost happened between them.

  ‘Er...’ Her eyes darted everywhere but at him. She gave the impression she was uncomfortable at the thought but didn’t know how to break it to him.

  Ed wasn’t the sort of man who refused to take no for an answer. He’d bow out gracefully with what was left of his pride.

  ‘It’s not a problem. You want to get home. I understand.’ He pulled down the shutter on the door and locked it tight, not wanting to prolong Georgiana’s agony any longer than necessary if she wanted rid of him.

  ‘It’s not that. We’ve gone to so much trouble to keep my identity hidden on these visits it seems reckless to stroll into a coffee shop now.’

  ‘Of course. Sorry.’ He slapped his hand to his head. ‘I’d completely forgotten you’re supposed to be incognito.’

  He’d stopped thinking of her as a princess or someone he was doing a favour to. Which should’ve been insulting to a member of the royal family, to completely disregard her heritage or status, but Georgiana seemed delighted.

  ‘Really?’

  He took a good look at her. Free from the heavy kohl eye make-up she favoured and her hair soft, no longer spiky with product, she was simply a beautiful young woman to him.

  ‘Really.’

  ‘The truth is I’d love to do something as ordinary as order a latte and a pastry, but I could do without the circus which would inevitably follow if I was recognised.’

  ‘Get over yourself, Georgiana. You look as much like a princess right now as I do.’ He swept his hair back with a toss of his hand and made her laugh, the sound so moreish he wanted to make her do it again and again.

  She stuck her tongue out at him, then plonked her trusty baseball cap on her head. ‘You know, I do have an adrenaline buzz going on. I suspect it’s something to do with nearly drowning.’

  ‘You were never in any real danger. Although I might advise you to wear a life jacket for any future pool shenanigans.’ He was glad they were back to their vocal jousting best, any awkwardness consigned to the past. It meant he no longer had to obsess over what had happened or how he’d felt when he’d held her.

  ‘Or perhaps a lifeguard who does evening shifts?’

  A surge of something bitter swelled in the pit of his stomach as she floated the idea of another man taking over their secret swim sessions. He didn’t like it.

  ‘About that coffee...you might have to change your order to something decaffeinated. Perhaps a milky drink like a hot chocolate to help you sleep later.’ To his surprise she linked her arm through his as they walked down the street.

  ‘What? I thought it would look less suspicious if we pretend we’re together instead of walking in separately.’

  ‘Not because you want me to pay?’

  ‘Hey, you were the one who asked me out.’

  * * *

  ‘There’s a seat in the corner by the door. Try not to be too princessy until I get back.’ He directed her towards a small table for two crammed into the corner of the café.

  Georgiana chose to sit with her back to the rest of the shop to maintain a low profile, but it went against all her army training. She couldn’t see who was coming in or might be behind her. Blind to anyone who could approach. She’d have to rely on Ed for surveillance as well as security. He wouldn’t mind and, strangely, neither did she.

  Over these past days he’d proved she could trust him with her life and her secrets. Loyalty was highly prized now that her privacy meant everything.

  ‘One milky, adrenaline-free hot chocolate with extra cream and marshmallows for you and one for me.’ A tall glass mug layered with sugary goodness appeared in front of her and she inhaled the comforting aroma.

  ‘All calorie free too, I assume?’

  Ed tilted his head to one side. ‘I don’t think you need to worry yourself on that score.’

  There was something in his lowered tone that zapped her right in the danger zone and made her blush. He’d seen most of her, felt most of her pressed up against him, and the reminder made her burn with more than embarrassment. She didn’t think he was teasing her. He was missing the twinkle and the smirk she’d got used to when he was doing so. This time she swore his eyes had darkened and his voice got huskier, which only made her hotter.

  That moment they’d had in the pool had sent her hurtling away from him for this very reason. These sudden urges towards him scared her. She didn’t want to face what it meant when her life was already so complicated.

  After her operation, she hadn’t dared imagine having feelings for anyone again. Much less someone to be interested in her that way. Ed might tease her but he would never do anything ungentlemanly. Unless she asked him to.

  ‘Two cheese and ham toasties.’ The barista-cum-food-warmer set two plates down, disturbing the tense mood around the table.

  ‘I didn’t order anything,’ she whispered to Ed, afraid of upsetting the member of staff and causing a scene.

  ‘I know it’s not your usual haute cuisine, Princess, but I thought you might be hungry after your swim.’ Ed unfurled his cutlery from its paper envelope and sawed through his hot toasted sandwich.

  Georgiana wasn’t sure if hot chocolate and toasties were a food combination she totally approved of but her rumbling tummy made the decision for her.

  ‘I am. Thank you.’ It wasn’t the best meal she’d ever eaten but the sentiment and company made the evening better than any she’d ever had in even a five-star establishment.

  While she delicately cut her sandwich into bite-sized pieces, Ed attacked his with gusto. She noted his large hands, his eager mouth, and had to look away again. Horrified by the hormonal mess she’d become around him lately.

  She chewed and swallowed her food but no longer tasted it. At this point she thought it might have been a better idea to have gone home when she’d had the chance.

  Ed Lawrence was the wrong man for her on all sorts of levels. Probably. She was just having trouble remembering what those reasons were right now.

  After taking a healthy mouthful of his hot chocolate, he’d coated his top lip with cream and melted marshmallow. She was mesmerised by the tongue licking it off and savouring the taste.

  Goodness, they must’ve put the heating on in here because her temperature was spiking.

  ‘Did you get a chance to ask your folks about hosting the gala at the palace?’

  ‘Yes, they agreed. Sorry, I meant to let you know.’ Georgiana was keen to have something other tha
n Ed’s eating habits and her own libido on her mind.

  ‘That’s such a weight off my mind. Thank you. I can hopefully set a date and send out the invitations now. This is actually happening.’ He smiled as he shook his head as though he couldn’t quite believe it. Despite all the hard work he’d obviously been doing to bring it to fruition.

  ‘Yes, it is. Thanks to you.’

  ‘And you. I thought I’d come to the end of the road. You saved us.’

  ‘My parents aren’t going to be present, of course. That’s not part of the deal.’ She shook off his undeserved praise. It was Ed who’d put his heart and soul, not to mention the extra hours of work, into setting this up.

  ‘Understood.’

  ‘Although, Mother does want to do her bit by bringing in her own caterers and florists for the occasion.’ She’d been surprisingly keen to get involved when Georgiana had put the proposal to her. The cynic in her wondered if it was in some way to ease her conscience over her own amputee daughter.

  ‘That’s very generous of them.’

  ‘Yeah. To their credit, my parents haven’t been pushing me to go back to work yet. Speaking at the gala gives me something to work towards. It will be a test. I’m just holding out for that day when I, and the rest of the world, no longer care about my appearance.’

  ‘I understand you have hang-ups about your prosthetic. It’s a big change for you, but you lost a leg, not your life. What kind of existence are you going to have if you stay locked away from the rest of the world?’

  ‘A quiet one,’ she muttered, every inch the petulant child.

  ‘That’s what you want? I don’t believe someone who has travelled the world and been in life or death situations could be content to rot away behind four walls. What would make you happy, Georgiana?’