About the Authors

Cursed with a poor sense of direction and a propensity to read, ANNIE CLAYDON spent much of her childhood lost in books. A degree in English Literature followed by a career in computing didn’t lead directly to her perfect job—writing romance for Mills & Boon—but she has no regrets in taking the scenic route. She lives in London: a city where getting lost can be a joy.

Married to the man she met at eighteen, SUSANNE HAMPTON is the mother of two adult daughters, Orianthi and Tina. She has enjoyed a varied career path, but finally found her way to her favourite role of all: Medical Romance author. Susanne has always read romance novels and says, ‘I love a happy-ever-after, so writing for Mills & Boon is a dream come true.’

Also By Annie Claydon

Discovering Dr Riley

The Doctor’s Diamond Proposal

English Rose for the Sicilian Doc

Saving Baby Amy

Forbidden Night with the Duke

Healed by the Single Dad Doc

Stranded in His Arms miniseries

Rescued by Dr Rafe

Saved by the Single Dad

Also By Susanne Hampton

Unlocking the Doctor’s Heart

Back in Her Husband’s Arms

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Midwife’s Baby Bump

A Baby to Bind Them

A Mummy to Make Christmas

Twin Surprise for the Single Dco

White Christmas for the Single Mum

Discover more at millsandboon.co.uk

From Doctor To Princess?

Annie Claydon

The Doctor’s Cinderella

Susanne Hampton

www.millsandboon.co.uk

ISBN: 978-1-474-09588-4

FROM DOCTOR TO PRINCESS? & THE DOCTOR’S CINDERELLA

From Doctor To Princess? © 2018 Annie Claydon The Doctor’s Cinderella © 2018 Susanne Panagaris

Published in Great Britain 2018

by Mills & Boon, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF

All rights reserved including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form. This edition is published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, locations and incidents are purely fictional and bear no relationship to any real life individuals, living or dead, or to any actual places, business establishments, locations, events or incidents. Any resemblance is entirely coincidental.

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Version: 2020-03-02

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Table of Contents

Cover

About the Authors

Booklist

Title Page

Copyright

From Doctor To Princess?

Back Cover Text

CHAPTER ONE

CHAPTER TWO

CHAPTER THREE

CHAPTER FOUR

CHAPTER FIVE

CHAPTER SIX

CHAPTER SEVEN

CHAPTER EIGHT

CHAPTER NINE

CHAPTER TEN

CHAPTER ELEVEN

CHAPTER TWELVE

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

EPILOGUE

The Doctor’s Cinderella

Back Cover Text

Dedication

CHAPTER ONE

CHAPTER TWO

CHAPTER THREE

CHAPTER FOUR

CHAPTER FIVE

CHAPTER SIX

CHAPTER SEVEN

CHAPTER EIGHT

CHAPTER NINE

CHAPTER TEN

CHAPTER ELEVEN

CHAPTER TWELVE

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

About the Publisher

From Doctor To Princess?

Annie Claydon

He’s her reluctant patient...

But might she soon be his royal fiancée?

Dr. Nell Maitland escaped her unpleasant former boss to become private physician to Dr. Hugo DeLeon—who’s also a crown prince! But doctors make the worst patients—especially when they’re as distractingly handsome as Hugo. When her past catches up with her, Nell must fake an engagement with the prince who makes her heart pound! Might she become his princess for real?

CHAPTER ONE

THE LEATHER CAR seat creaked slightly as Crown Prince Hugo DeLeon shifted, trying to find a more comfortable position. There wasn’t one. He’d only been out of the hospital for twenty-four hours, and the pain in his left shoulder was normal. It would subside in a day or so, and he knew that impatience wasn’t going to make him heal any faster.

All the same, he was impatient. And if his father thought that he was helping Hugo to get back to normal, then he wasn’t.

There wasn’t a great deal of choice in the matter, though. The King of Montarino was accustomed to being obeyed, and when he had visited his only son in the discreet private ward of the hospital, he’d made it clear that he was taking no arguments. He’d smiled at Hugo, in much the same way as any father would, and told him that his duty to his country was clear and very simple. He had to get better.

In order to make sure that his son’s recovery went smoothly, the King had recruited a doctor who would stay with him at all times over the next month or so. Hugo had still been drowsy from the anaesthetic and his back hurt from having lain still while the pacemaker had been inserted into his chest, but he had got the message. His father didn’t trust Hugo to look after himself, and so he was appointing a minder to do it.

He hadn’t told Hugo much about this minder, other than that she was a woman, eminently qualified, and that she was due to fly out from London today. The last detail was another smart move on his father’s part, because Hugo knew most of the doctors in the small principality of Montarino, particularly those who were well qualified in cardiology. He might well have been able to wriggle out of the arrangement with any one of them, but this woman was an unknown quantity.

He wondered briefly whether she’d come equipped with tranquillisers and physical restraints. And, more to the point, whether she’d been briefed about the requirement for discretion. Hugo assumed that she had, because discretion was one of the codes that his family lived by, and his father never let anyone forget it.

‘That’ll be her...’ His bodyguard sat in the front seat of the car, and had the advantage of an unobscured view. Hugo squinted through the tinted windows, and saw the chauffeur walking across the forecourt towards the airport’s short-stay car park. Beside him was a young woman with mid-brown hair and a supple sway to her walk, which made the short hairs at the back of Hugo’s neck prickle slightly.

Probably another one of his father’s carefully reasoned choices. Hugo had to admit that he wasn’t known for saying no to beautiful women, but unusually the King had misjudged the situation this time. A career woman, particularly a doctor, wasn’t someone that he could contemplate giving any part of his heart to.

‘She doesn’t look too formidable.’ Ted spoke in English, turning slightly in his seat to display the hint of a smile.

‘I wouldn’t bank on looks. She’s managed to keep hold of her suitcase, and I imagine that Jean-Pierre did everything he could to wrestle it away from her.’ Hugo turned the corners of his mouth down. The first thing his father’s chauffeur would have done was to try to relieve their guest of her luggage and wheel her suitcase for her.

‘I must be getting slow, I missed that.’ Ted had done nothing of the sort; he just hadn’t seen fit to mention it. In the five years that he’d been with Hugo, since his retirement from the British police force, the two men had learned to read each other’s thoughts and trust what they saw. It had been Ted who had happened to mention that he’d heard that the doctor was being picked up from the airport this morning, and Hugo had made the expected decision to go with the car to greet her. Sizing her up before anyone else at the palace got the chance to speak with her couldn’t be a bad thing.

Ted got out of the car, walking to the rear passenger door and opening it. For all the world as if he were according Hugo the respect his position required, rather than helping him with the weight of the door. Hugo climbed out of the car, ignoring the tingle of pain that reached from his chest down his left arm.

Now that she was closer, Dr Penelope Maitland didn’t seem as formidable as her old-fashioned name might lead one to suppose. She was all curves and movement, looking almost girlish in a tan jacket over a cream summer dress, creased from travelling. Her light brown hair glinted in the sunshine, and bare, tanned legs gave her the fresh, outdoorsy look of someone going on holiday.

Maybe the gorgeous Dr Penelope was a rare mistake on his father’s part. This woman looked as if she was more likely to spend her time here enjoying the pleasures of Montarino, not nagging him about his health. When her honey-coloured gaze met his, there was a spark of recognition and she smiled. A carefree kind of smile that sent tingles down his spine and allowed Hugo to believe that she didn’t have it in her to make his life difficult.

Then she stopped in front of him, letting go of her suitcase long enough for Jean-Pierre to grab it and wheel it around to the boot of the car. ‘I’m Dr Maitland. I’m told that I shouldn’t curtsey.’

Her voice was like honey but her tone was like steel. Clearly Dr Penelope wasn’t going to be quite as much of a walkover as her appearance suggested.

‘Thank you. I’d prefer it if you didn’t.’ Hugo held out his right hand, glad that the pacemaker was on the left side of his chest, and didn’t hamper the movement of his right arm. Her grip was as firm as her tone. ‘Welcome to Montarino. I’m Hugo DeLeon.’

‘Yes, I know.’ She shot him a questioning look, and Hugo wondered whether she was going to rebuke him for coming to meet her. He mumbled the usual invitation to call him Hugo, wondering if he’d get to call her Penelope. The name seemed suddenly as if it would taste sweet on his lips.

‘Please call me Nell...’

Hugo smiled his acquiescence. Nell sounded soft and sweet too, even if it was a little shorter.

‘You must be tired from your journey. We should be going...’ Hugo’s discreet gesture to Jean-Pierre prompted him to get into the car.

She raised one eyebrow. ‘Yes, we should be going. I’m surprised to see you out and about so soon.’

Her words had an edge to them. If anyone should be feeling tired she clearly expected that it should be him, and Hugo had to admit that he was surprised at the effort involved in making a simple car journey.

‘I’m grateful for the fresh air.’

At the moment, the fresh air was making his head spin. Hugo stood back from the open door of the car and she hesitated and then got in, sliding quickly across the back seat before Hugo could even think about closing the car door and walking around to get in on the other side.

All the same, he welcomed the move. On this side, the seat belt wouldn’t need to rest painfully on his left shoulder. Hugo got into the car, and Ted closed the door before he could reach for it.

‘Have you been to Montarino before?’ Hugo had years of practice with small talk.

‘No.’ Nell shook her head, regarding him thoughtfully.

‘It’s very small, only eight miles across, but very beautiful. We have one city, half a mountain and, although we have no coastline, there are some beautiful lakes.’

‘That’s nice. I’ll have to come back sometime when I’m not working. I probably won’t have much time to see them this time around.’ Her mouth was set in a firm line, and Hugo’s heart sank. Clearly there was no hope of deflecting the redoubtable Dr Penelope from her intended purpose.

* * *

Four days ago, Nell Maitland had ridden home on the night bus, after the farewell party that her colleagues at the hospital had thrown for her. It had been the ultimate failure, after months of trying to work things out with the cardiac unit’s new head of the department, and save the job that she loved so much. And now...

She was riding in a chauffeur-driven car, sitting next to a prince. It was an object lesson in how dramatically things could change in so little time.

‘I gather you have a strong tradition of attracting the best musicians.’ She smiled in response to Hugo DeLeon’s indication of the Montarino Opera House, and the car obligingly slowed to allow her a more detailed look.

‘We like to think that we can hold our own with the rest of Europe when it comes to our appreciation of the arts. You do know a little about Montarino, then?’

Anyone could use the Internet. Although Nell had to admit that the photographs didn’t do the grand building justice. Its sweeping, modern lines, rising from the tree-lined plaza that surrounded it, would have made it a landmark in the greatest of cities.

‘Only as much as I could read in the last couple of days. In between packing.’ Nell wondered whether he’d mind that she hadn’t even known where Montarino was before she’d taken this job. It had just been a name, tethered somewhere at the back of her mind, along with a lot of other places that she knew nothing about.

Hugo nodded, smiling. ‘That’s one of the best things about living here. Most people have few preconceptions, and so we have the chance to attempt to surprise our visitors.’

And it seemed that Hugo DeLeon was giving it his best shot. Nell had been told that he was a doctor as well as a prince, and that her advice would be a matter of reinforcing a message that he was already well aware of. In other words, he reckoned that the physical limits that applied to ordinary people weren’t for the likes of a prince, and he needed to be kept in check.

Nell had no idea in which direction they were supposed to be going, but she was aware that the car seemed to be taking a circuitous route past a number of notable buildings, all of which Hugo was intent on pointing out. If he thought that was going to deflect her from her purpose, he was wrong.

‘I’m looking forward to seeing the palace.’ She smiled brightly, wondering whether he’d take the hint.

‘We’re nearly there now.’ Hugo raised his voice a little. ‘Jean-Pierre...’

The driver nodded, turning smoothly onto a wide, straight boulevard and putting his foot on the gas. It seemed that everyone here responded to Hugo’s every word, which was the first challenge attached to this new appointment.

The ambassador, who had interviewed her at the embassy in London, had said little but implied a lot. He’d got her medical qualifications and the fact that she spoke French tolerably well out of the way in the first five minutes. Then he’d turned the conversation around to her patient.

‘Hugo DeLeon, Crown Prince of Montarino, can be...’ The ambassador had paused slightly before coming to a conclusion about how to describe it. ‘He can be self-willed.’

Nell had read arrogant into his words and had smiled politely. She had experience of dealing with all kinds of patients, and self-willed wasn’t a problem. Neither was arrogant.

What the ambassador hadn’t warned her about was his smile. It was polite, appropriate, and yet it seemed to hold real warmth. His high cheekbones lent a touch of class, and his shock of dark blonde hair, no doubt artfully arranged to make it appear slightly tousled, added a boyish note. Green eyes gave a hint that Hugo DeLeon was capable of some pretty serious mischief. Nell would have to watch out for those eyes.

But however handsome he was, however his smile made her stomach quiver, Nell had a job to do. Her fingers tightened on the strap of her handbag, which lay comfortingly across her knees. A man had gotten between her and her job before, and no one, not even this handsome prince, was going to do it again.

* * *

White knuckles. Hugo was used to looking for the little signs that told him what people were really thinking, and he’d noticed that Nell was clutching her handbag on her lap like some kind of defensive weapon. Despite the firm tone and the clear hints that he shouldn’t have come to the airport, there was a chink in her armour. One that he may well need to find and exploit if it turned out that the restrictions she placed on him got in the way of his current plans.

They’d driven through the grounds of the palace and the car stopped at the ceremonial entrance to allow them to get out. She gave the high, pillared archways a glance and then turned to him as the car moved smoothly away.

‘My luggage...’

‘Jean-Pierre will arrange for it to be taken up to your apartment.’ A sudden flare of panic had shown in Nell’s eyes, and Hugo almost felt sorry for her. But keeping her a little off-balance, a little over-awed was exactly what he wanted.

‘Right. Thank you.’

‘Perhaps I can show you around.’ The palace was big enough and grand enough to disorientate her even further.

‘I think that’s best left for some other time.’ She was as sweet-smelling and soft as a summer’s day, but there was no getting over the determination behind it all. ‘This...apartment. I was told that it would be next door to yours.’

‘Yes, it is.’ If Hugo had had any say in the matter, he’d have put her on the other side of the building, but he hadn’t. His father didn’t often step into his life, but when he did, he did it thoroughly.

‘With a connecting door?’

So someone had told her about that, too. Or maybe she’d asked. Hugo had rather hoped that he could just keep the connecting door closed and that it would never occur to anyone to open it.

‘Yes, that’s right. It’s generally kept locked...’ Finding the key was an easy enough matter on the rare occasions that he brought a girlfriend with him to stay at the palace for a few days, but he was sure he could just as easily lose it.

‘I imagine someone has the key. Being a doctor yourself, you’ll understand the need to have access to your patient.’

‘And I’m sure you’ll understand where your duties begin and end.’ Since the pleasantries didn’t seem to be working all that well, it was obviously time to make things clear.

‘The ambassador outlined them, yes.’ She pressed her lips together and Hugo imagined that the British Ambassador had deployed all of the expected diplomacy in the matter. ‘The King’s letter of appointment, on the other hand, was a little less circumspect.’

Great. So his father had decided that he needed to weigh in on that as well. And even if the tiny quiver at the side of Nell’s mouth told Hugo that she was feeling over-awed and nervous, her cool gaze indicated that she wasn’t going to let that stop her from doing her job.

‘Perhaps we should talk, over some tea.’ Since deflection wasn’t working, maybe negotiation would. The next step would be outright battle, and Hugo would prefer to avoid that.

‘Yes. I think that would be a very good idea.’

CHAPTER TWO

HUGO HAD OPENED the door that concealed the lift, and when she’d seen the old-fashioned gates, she’d slipped in front of him, heaving them to one side. Part of him was grateful, but a greater part decreed that as a gentleman, and her host, he should have been quicker in insisting he open the gates himself. When he motioned her ahead of him into the lift, she hovered annoyingly next to the gates, giving him no opportunity to open them when they reached the third floor.

He showed her to her apartment, leaving her alone to freshen up. That would give him at least three quarters of an hour to rest before he had to submit to another onslaught from her.

Hugo sank gratefully into the chair in his private sitting room and closed his eyes. This morning he had woken feeling invigorated, and it had only been the pain in his shoulder that had reminded him he was unable to move mountains. Wide awake, his body feeling the immediate benefit of a heart that was now paced and doing its job properly, he’d jumped at the chance of getting out of the constriction of four walls, but it had worn him out. His own advice to pacemaker patients—that they might start to feel better almost immediately but must rest and get over the operation first—would be given with a lot more certainty in the future.

Fifteen minutes later, a quiet knock sounded on the main door to the apartment and he shouted to whoever it was to come in, keeping his eyes closed. If someone was here to make the tea or fuss over him, then he’d rather they waited until he was strong enough to smilingly refuse their help.

‘How are you feeling?’ Nell’s voice made his eyes snap open.

‘Fine. Thank you.’ Hugo’s eye’s darted to the clock above the mantelpiece. Surely he hadn’t been asleep...

Apparently not. She was pink-cheeked, as if she’d just got out of the shower, and Nell had changed out of her travelling clothes and into a slim pair of dark blue trousers with a white shirt, open at the neck and buttoned at the cuffs. She looked businesslike and entirely delicious.

He shifted, wishing that the ache in his left shoulder would go away, and Nell stepped forward. Without any warning at all, she caught up one of the cushions from the sofa and bent over him.

Her scent was... It was just soap. The soap that was placed in all the guest bathrooms at the palace. But Nell made it smell intoxicating. The brush of her hair, one soft curl against his cheek, almost paralysed him.

‘Is that a little better?’ She’d placed the cushion carefully under his left arm so that it supported his shoulder.

‘Yes. A lot better, thank you.’

Nell nodded, looking around the room as if she’d mislaid something. ‘Does your apartment have a kitchen? Or do you have to send out for tea?’

‘The kitchen’s through there.’ The desire to stay where he was battled with a strong disinclination to have her make tea for him. Hugo shifted, ready for the effort of standing up, and she reached forward, her hand on his right shoulder.

‘I didn’t go to all the trouble of arranging cushions for you to spoil it all by making the tea. Stay there.’ Her voice was kindly but firm. It occurred to Hugo that if he didn’t feel so tired he might have delighted in having Nell be kind and firm with him all afternoon, and then he reminded himself that business and pleasure was a very bad mix.

He heard her clattering around in the kitchen and closed his eyes. Listening to Nell was almost as good as watching her, because he could still see her in his mind’s eye. That was another thing that was going to have to stop.

* * *

Nell found a set of mugs in the kitchen cupboard. It was a surprise, since she’d expected that a prince would drink only out of bone china, but a good one. She’d been up very early this morning and could definitely do with a decent-sized cup of tea.

She looked in the cupboard for biscuits and found a packet of chocolate digestives. Things were definitely looking up. Next to them was a packet of painkillers, wrapped around with a piece of paper with a typed chart, each dose ticked off neatly. Hugo had taken this morning’s tablets but was past due for the lunchtime ones.

He was clearly overdoing things. And her letter of appointment had spelled out exactly what she was supposed to do in response to that likely eventuality. She had to make sure that he took the rest he needed.

She put the tea things on a tray and walked quietly into the sitting room. Large and filled with light, the furniture was stylish but comfortable, allowing the baroque fireplace and the gilded mirror above it to take precedence. Hugo seemed to be dozing, but when she put the tray down, moving a small side table next to his chair, he opened his eyes.

‘This is...quite unnecessary.’ He seemed quite devoted to the idea that there was nothing wrong with him.

‘And these?’ She raised an eyebrow, putting a glass of water and his tablets down next to him. ‘Pain’s generally the body’s way of hinting that you should slow down a bit.’

‘I thought I’d take them when I got back.’ He seemed to be watching her every move as he downed the tablets in one, then took some sips of water. ‘Please. Sit down. We really must talk.’

It was almost a relief. It seemed that Hugo wanted to make their relationship clear as much as she did, and it was a grey area that Nell was feeling increasingly uncomfortable with. She put his tea on the table next to him and sat down on the sofa, reaching for her cup.

‘The first thing I need to say is that your job here is strictly confidential.’ Nell took a breath to protest that she knew all about doctor-patient confidentiality and he silenced her with a flash of his green eyes. ‘More so than usual. I don’t want anyone to know what your role is here or that I’m your patient.’

Nell felt her heart beat a little faster. ‘Is there a reason for that?’

‘Yes, there is. A very good reason.’

‘I’d like to know what that reason is, please.’ She injected as much firmness into her voice as she could.

Hugo smiled suddenly. If he was unused to anyone questioning his decisions, it didn’t seem to bother him all that much. ‘I imagine you’ve done your homework and that you know I’ve been working very hard in the last few years to raise awareness about heart disease and promote early treatment.’

‘I know that you’re the patron of a charity that has done a lot of work in the field...’ How much work Hugo had personally done hadn’t been made clear in the article she’d read.

For a moment, it seemed that finally she’d managed to offend him. And then he smiled. ‘I’m a doctor and it’s my mission. You have a mission?’

‘Yes. I suppose I do.’

‘Then you’ll understand the compelling nature of it. Weakness on my part can only undermine the message I’m trying to give.’

Nell swallowed hard, trying to clear the rapidly growing lump in her throat. ‘Or...it might be seen as a strength. That you understand...’

‘My job is to make things happen. And I’ll freely admit that I’m a prime example of someone who hasn’t followed the most basic advice and sought help at the first signs of any problem with my heart. Which is inexcusable, since I have a very clear understanding of what those signs are.’

So he couldn’t allow himself this. In Hugo’s mind, his illness gave him feet of clay. Nell might disagree, but it was his decision.

‘What you choose to share about your own medical issues is entirely up to you. Of course, I’ll say nothing.’

He nodded. ‘Thank you. I see from your CV that you’ve taken an interest in the psychological aspects of recovery from heart disease.’

Something about his tone gave Nell the impression that this irritated him. ‘Yes, that’s right. I did a module on the psychology of recovery at medical school, and when I decided to specialise in cardiac medicine, it seemed very relevant. I co-authored a study on patients’ post-operative experiences, in partnership with doctors from five other hospitals.’

‘I’d be interested in reading it.’ He turned the corners of his mouth down, and Nell felt her muscles in her stomach twist. Maybe he’d decided that questioning whether he needed a doctor wasn’t enough, and that he’d take a leaf from her ex-boss’s book and undermine her by questioning her professional ability.

She stared at him, wordlessly, and Hugo smiled suddenly. ‘I’d be interested to know which category of patient I fall into.’

That charm again. That smile, which seemed calculated to make Nell’s head spin and throw her off guard. ‘Psychology isn’t a matter of putting people into boxes, it’s a way of understanding what’s there. I’m sure you know that already.’

Perhaps she should mention that understanding exactly why Hugo was so desperate to pretend that there was nothing wrong with him would be a good start in getting him on the road to recovery. Or maybe she should wait until Hugo was ready to voice that idea for himself, even if scraping through the layers of charm and getting him to admit to anything seemed likely to be a long process.

‘Yes, I do. And please forgive me if my welcome has fallen short of expectations. Your presence here wasn’t my choice, it’s my father who thinks I need a minder.’

Nell swallowed down the temptation to take the bait. ‘I’m a doctor. If my duty of care to you, as my patient, makes me seem like a minder then...’ She shrugged.

Hugo leaned forward, the cushion at his side slipping to the floor. ‘Why don’t you go ahead and say it? I can take it.’

If he thought that she couldn’t look into his green eyes and say exactly what she meant, he was going to find out differently. Nell met his gaze and felt shivers run down her spine. Okay, so it was difficult to do. But not impossible.

‘If you think that I’m here to be your minder, then that says a lot more about your approach to this than it does mine.’

‘I suppose it does. But I want to make one thing clear. Duty to my father and professional courtesy to you require that I listen to your advice. But I have specific goals, in connection with a project at the hospital, that need to be met over the next six weeks. I won’t allow anything to get in the way of that.’

‘Even at the cost of your own health?’

‘I can handle it.’

The battle lines had been drawn, and in the heat of his gaze it felt almost exhilarating. Then Nell came to her senses.

In the last three weeks, Hugo had faced a crisis. If that appeared to have had no effect on him, then maybe that just meant he was more adept at covering his emotions than most. He was hurting and unable to trust his own body any more, and if his reaction to that was stubborn failure to face facts, it was her job to get him to a place where he felt strong enough to admit how he felt.

His smouldering green eyes were suddenly too much for her to bear, and she looked away. ‘Compromising on the way you get there doesn’t necessarily mean you have to abandon your goals. Let me help you.’

He thought for a moment. ‘What kind of compromise did you have in mind?’

Nell took a deep breath. This might be the first of many hurdles, but she’d made a start. ‘I don’t know yet. I’ll need to examine you first and hear exactly what your commitments are. Then we can talk about it.’

‘All right.’ He smiled suddenly, as if he’d just remembered that he ought to do so. ‘I’ll make an effort to be a model patient.’

Somehow Nell doubted that. ‘I appreciate the thought. But you’ve a long way to go before you qualify for the title of my most awkward patient.’

This time Hugo really smiled. ‘Shame. I’ll have to try harder.’

‘Yes, you will.’ Nell rose from her seat, picking the cushion up from the floor and putting it back in place, behind his shoulder. ‘You can plan your strategy while I go and get my medical bag.’

Maybe his father knew him better than Hugo had thought. His doctor at the hospital had been highly qualified, deferential, and had treated the whole thing as if it were an afternoon at a health spa. Nell was something different. Honest, no-nonsense and quite capable of cutting him down to size when he tried all the usual diversionary tactics.

Dr Penelope. He didn’t dare call her that, she’d told him she preferred Nell. Which was charming in its own way but didn’t seem to sum her up quite so well. Fierce, beautiful and unstoppable.

It was a little easier to think when she was out of the room. A little easier to remind himself of the flat in London, right at the top of a tenement block, where the lift sometimes worked and sometimes didn’t.

A little pang of regret for times that had seemed altogether simpler. The sofa that had creaked slightly under the weight of two people too tired to move and yet happy to just be together. The awful green bedspread that Anna had chosen, and which hadn’t matched the curtains but which Hugo had liked because she had. It had been the one time in Hugo’s life when duty hadn’t weighed heavy on his shoulders. All he’d needed to do was work hard at medical school and love the woman who shared his life.

He’d brought Anna back to Montarino, two newly minted doctors, full of so many possibilities and dreams. The ring on her finger had been replaced by something more befitting a princess, but Anna had always preferred the old one, which Hugo had saved for out of his allowance. It wasn’t until she’d left that Hugo had stopped to think that maybe she had been unhappy at the palace.

And that had been his doing. Anna had trained to be a doctor, not a princess. She had fitted the bill well enough, but it hadn’t been her mission in life. Hugo had been too intent on pursuing his own mission to see that until it had been too late and Anna had been packing her bags, a ticket back to London with her name on it lying on the bed.

‘If you’d just looked, Hugo, you would have seen that this isn’t enough for me. I have a career, too.’

There had been nothing that he could say because he had known in his heart that Anna was right. He’d let her go, and had watched from afar as she’d risen to the top of her chosen field, like a cork held underwater for too long and bouncing to the surface of a fast-flowing stream. One that had taken her away from him, and had never brought her back again.

Since then, Hugo had confined himself to women whose career aspirations were limited to being a princess. And if he hadn’t found anyone who truly understood him yet, then one of these days his duty would outweigh the yearning for love and he’d marry regardless. It had never made its way to the top of his to-do list, though, and it could wait.

The sound of a chair being pushed across the carpet towards his broke his reverie. It seemed that the doctor was ready for him now.

‘Would you unbutton your shirt for me, please?’ Nell sat down opposite him, briskly reaching into a small nylon bag to retrieve a stethoscope.

Suddenly he felt slightly dizzy. At the hospital, he’d submitted to one examination after the other, distancing himself from the doctors and nurses who quietly did their jobs while he thought about something else. But Nell was different. She challenged him, demanding that he take notice of what was happening to him.

‘My notes are...somewhere...’ He looked around, trying to remember where he’d left the envelope.

‘I have them. They were emailed through to me yesterday. I’d like to check on how you are now.’

Whether he’d managed to throw any spanners in the works. Her meaning shone clear in her light brown eyes, almost amber in the sunshine that streamed through the high windows.

He looked away from her gaze. Hugo had no qualms about his body, he knew that it was as good as the next man’s and that he didn’t have to think twice before he allowed anyone to see it. But things were different now. The new, unhealed scar felt like overwhelming evidence of his greatest weakness.

Nell sat motionless opposite him, clearly willing to wait him out if need be. He reached for the buttons of his shirt, his fingers suddenly clumsy.

* * *

Hugo was finding this hard. Nell pretended not to notice, twisting at the earpieces of her stethoscope as if she’d just found something wrong with them. The very fact that he seemed about to baulk at the idea of a simple examination told her that Hugo wasn’t as confident about his recovery as he liked to make out.

That was okay. Nell would have been more comfortable if she could maintain a degree of professional detachment too, but that wasn’t going to work. The main thing at the moment was to maintain their tenuous connection, because if that was lost then so was their way forward.

‘What about official engagements?’ She’d pretty much exhausted all the things that might be wrong with her stethoscope, and perhaps talking would put him at ease.

‘My father’s beaten you to it. He’s taken care of all my official engagements for the next month. There are various members of the family stepping in.’

‘I’ll have to be quicker off the mark next time,’ Nell commented lightly, trying not to notice that he was slipping his shirt off, revealing tanned skin and a mouth-wateringly impressive pair of shoulders. She concentrated on the dressing on Hugo’s chest, peeling it back carefully.

‘There’s still the hospital project.’ He shot her a grin and Nell felt her hands shake slightly. Being this close to Hugo added a whole new catalogue of ways in which he made her feel uneasy. The scent of his skin. The way she wanted to touch him...

‘What does that involve?’ Nell did her best to forget about everything else and concentrate on the surgical incision on Hugo’s chest.

‘We’re building a new wing at the hospital. It’s going to be a specialist cardiac centre, with outpatient services, a family resource department and a unit for long-stay paediatric patients.’

‘That sounds like a very worthwhile project.’

‘Yes, it is. And there’s no alternative but for me to be out there, raising money for it.’

‘There’s always an alternative...’ Nell murmured the words, clipping the stethoscope into her ears and pressing the diaphragm to his chest.

‘The work’s already started and we’ve run into some unforeseen problems. There’s an underground chamber that needs to be investigated and made safe. With men and equipment already on-site, every day of delay costs money, even without the cost of the new works. If we don’t raise that money, we can’t afford to complete the project.’

‘And you’re the only one who can do it?’

‘No, but I have the contacts to raise what we need in the time frame we need it. We’re looking for large donations.’

Nell frowned. There might be a grain of truth in Hugo’s assertion that he was indispensable and couldn’t take a break, although she still wasn’t ruling out the possibility that pig-headedness and ego were also factors. ‘I don’t know much about these things but...couldn’t your father help out with a loan?’

‘I’m sure he would have made a donation, and I would have, too. But the Constitution of Montarino forbids it.’

‘Really? You can’t give money to charity?’ Nell’s eyebrows shot up.

‘We can and we do, but it’s very strictly regulated. The royal family is only allowed to donate five percent of the total cost of a public endeavour, and that ceiling has almost been reached already. You can blame my great-great-grandfather for that—he tried to buy up key parts of the country’s infrastructure in an attempt to maintain his influence, and so the legislation was rushed through. For all the right reasons, in my opinion, but at the moment it’s an inconvenience.’

‘But it’s okay if you raise the money?’

‘Yes. History and politics always make things a great deal more complicated.’

As a doctor, this wasn’t complicated at all. But Nell could feel herself being dragged into a world of blurred lines. Hugo’s charm, the way her fingers tingled when she touched his skin. That was one line she couldn’t cross.

‘So you have to rest but you can’t. We’ll have to be creative...’

Hugo chuckled. ‘I’m beginning to like the way you think.’

‘Don’t start liking it too much. If your health’s at risk, I’m going to do everything I can to stop you.’

‘Noted. Does that mean I can do everything I can to stop you from stopping me?’

‘If that means you’re going to get enough rest, and make sure you don’t compromise your recovery, then feel free.’ This war of words was fast becoming a little too intimate. A little too much like the delicious push and pull of meeting someone who could become a very good friend.

But it worked. Hugo nodded, his hand drifting to his chest. ‘So what’s the verdict, then?’

‘Everything looks fine. You can see for yourself.’

He shook his head, and Nell realised that she hadn’t seen him look down at his chest once. ‘I’ll take your word for it. So...the day after tomorrow...’

‘What’s happening then?’

‘It’s a lunchtime fundraiser. I get to sit comfortably in the sun and make a two-minute speech. Actually, you could come along if you like.’

‘There are spare tickets?’

‘I’m your ticket.’

Nell gulped down the realisation that she’d be there as his plus-one. What mattered was that she’d be there, which meant that Hugo would have a doctor, and hopefully a restraining influence, on hand.

‘Okay. Let’s see how you are tomorrow and make the decision then.’ Twenty-four hours and a night’s sleep might just be enough time to get her head straight.

‘Fair enough.’ His green eyes seemed to see right through her. And it was worrying that when he turned his gaze onto her, his lips twitched into a smile.

CHAPTER THREE

NELL HAD SPENT as much of the afternoon as she could unpacking. Laying things into neat piles and hanging dresses in the large wardrobe. Smoothing the already immaculate covers of the great bed, which would have dominated a smaller room but here was simply in proportion. It had been an exercise in restoring order, pushing back the chaos that seemed to follow Hugo like the scent of expensive aftershave.

He seemed intent on playing the host, inviting her for dinner in his apartment. Over a beautifully cooked and presented meal, Hugo talked about the charity that seemed so close to his heart. How they’d raised awareness about heart disease and increased the number of people who had regular ‘healthy heart’ checks. How they wanted to move forward and provide a centre of excellence, which would cater to both inpatients and outpatients, for all the people of Montarino.

It was a dazzling vision. And yet here, at the centre of it all, was a man who felt the need to risk his own health.

She returned to her apartment tired but unable to sleep. A long bath didn’t help, and neither did reading a book. Nell scarcely registered the words in front of her, because Hugo seemed to fill her mind, chasing everything else away. He’d said that he would be going straight to bed after she left, but when she went out into the darkness of the hallway she could still see a sliver of light escaping under the connecting door to his apartment.

She could hear Hugo’s voice, distant and muffled behind the heavy door. Either he was talking to himself or there was someone there.

Someone there. There were pauses, as if he was waiting for an answer and as Nell pressed her ear to the door she thought she heard another voice, this one too low and quiet for her to be even sure whether it was a woman or a man.

Whoever it was, they shouldn’t be there. It was midnight, and Hugo should be asleep by now. Nell’s hand trembled as she took hold of the door handle. Walking into his apartment and telling him to go to bed might be one step too far.

But they’d had an agreement. He’d promised. And Nell had believed him. The feeling of empty disappointment in him spurred her on.

‘Hugo...’ She opened the door an inch, and heard the soft sound of classical music, coming from the room beyond. ‘Are you still up?’

Silence. Then the door handle was pulled out of her grip as Hugo swung the door open, standing in the doorway and blocking her view of the sitting room.

‘This isn’t the time, Nell.’ He spoke quietly, as if he didn’t want the person behind him in the room to hear.

He obviously wanted some privacy and the thought struck Nell that his companion might be a woman. She felt her cheeks flush red. The last thing she wanted to do was come face-to-face with a girlfriend, who for some reason Hugo hadn’t seen fit to mention.

‘I’m...sorry, but we had a deal, Hugo.’

‘I’m aware of that. Something came up.’

‘That’s not good enough...’ Nell stopped herself from telling him that he should be in bed. In the circumstances, that might be a catalyst for even more exertion on his part. She felt her ears begin to burn at the thought.

‘It’s not what you’re thinking, Nell.’

‘Really? What do you think I’m thinking?’ If she really was that transparent then things had just gone from very bad to much worse.

‘What I’d be thinking. But on this occasion, we’d both be wrong.’ He stood back from the doorway, allowing her to see into the room. Two seats were drawn up to a games table, which had been set up by the fireplace, and an elderly man sat in one of them. He wore immaculately pressed pyjamas and held himself erect in his seat. When he turned towards Nell, his milky blue eyes seemed not quite to focus on her.

‘Jacob, we have a visitor. This is Nell.’

‘A pleasure, miss.’ The man spoke quietly, in heavily accented English. Despite his neat appearance, there was something vulnerable about him.

‘It’s a pleasure to meet you, Jacob.’ Nell went to advance into the room, but Hugo stepped back into her path.

‘Nell can’t stay...’ He threw the words over his shoulder, turning painfully to Nell and motioning to her to comply. She didn’t move.

Hugo took a step forward, and she took a step back, instinctively avoiding touching him. He pulled the door half shut behind them.

‘Jacob is...fragile.’ He was whispering, but Nell could hear both urgency and fatigue in his voice.

‘I can see that. But you need your sleep.’ Whispering back seemed rather too conspiratorial for Nell’s liking but having Jacob hear what was going on didn’t seem like a good idea.

‘I’ll take him back to his apartment as soon as I can.’

‘No, Hugo. You said we’d take things as they came and that you’d accept my help. Let’s give that a trial run now, shall we?’ Hugo hesitated and she glared at him. ‘I’m not going to walk in there and order him out.’

Silently he walked back through the doorway, and Nell followed him. Jacob turned to Hugo, a fond smile on his face. ‘Hugo, my boy... What’s going on?’

‘Nothing. It’s all right, Jacob. I’ve asked Nell to join us.’

‘Very good.’ Jacob seemed to approve of the plan, gesturing towards the draughts, which lay on the chequerboard tabletop. ‘You play, miss?’

‘Not very well.’ Nell smiled at him.

‘Jacob taught me to play thirty years ago.’ Hugo went to pull up a chair for Nell and thought better of it, allowing her to move it across to the table. ‘I used to sneak downstairs when my parents were out in the evening, and we’d play draughts and drink hot chocolate.’

‘Hot chocolate!’ Jacob’s eyes lit up suddenly, and he gestured towards the pot that lay on the coffee table, along with two gold-rimmed cups and saucers. ‘I remember now. Would you like some, miss?’

Maybe that would bring the evening to a close. ‘Thank you. I’ll get another cup, shall I?’

Nell glanced at Hugo, and he nodded, resuming his seat opposite Jacob. His smile barely concealed his fatigue and he was moving as if he was in pain. The sooner they could end, this the better.

As Nell walked to the kitchen, she heard the two men talking quietly in French behind her.

‘Who is she, Hugo?’

‘She’s a doctor, and her name’s Nell.’

Hugo repeated the words, no hint in his tone that this wasn’t the first time he’d told Jacob.

‘A doctor? What does she want?’ Jacob’s voice took on an air of perplexed worry.

‘She’s here for me. Not you, my friend.’ Hugo’s tone was smooth, reassuring.

‘Where’s she going?’

‘Just to get another cup. We’re having hot chocolate.’

‘Ah, yes. Hot chocolate and draughts...’

Jacob’s memory had become fragmented by time. Some things were still clear in his mind, but he was groping in the dark, trying to make sense of others. It was common in patients who had dementia, and it was clear that Hugo was trying to reassure Jacob by re-creating the sights and sounds of things he did remember. The sound the counters made on the draughts board. The taste of hot chocolate. But that was all coming with a cost to him.

She fetched the cup and re-joined the two men, wondering whether Hugo knew that she’d heard and understood their conversation. Smiling, she poured the hot chocolate and sat down. Jacob moved one of his pieces and Hugo chuckled quietly.

‘You have me...’ He made the only move possible, and Jacob responded by taking four of his counters in one go.

‘Another game?’ The old man still seemed wide awake, and Nell wondered how long this was going to go on before he tired and they could take him back to wherever he’d come from.

Hugo nodded, and Nell shot him a frown. He couldn’t do this all night, but it appeared that he was perfectly capable of trying if it kept Jacob happy.

‘Will you teach me, please? I know how to play, but I don’t know the tactics.’

‘Of course, mademoiselle.’ Perhaps Jacob had forgotten her name again, but he remembered how to play draughts, and that was the way that Nell could keep him occupied while Hugo rested.

Hugo stood, giving Nell his seat, and retreated to the sofa. As she and Jacob set out the pieces, ready to play, he seemed to be dozing.

At least Hugo was relaxing, now. As they played, Jacob became animated, suggesting better moves to Nell, slipping from French into English and then back again, sometimes in the course of one sentence. Finally he began to tire.

‘Hugo’s tired. He’s ready to go to bed now.’ Nell nodded towards Hugo. If Jacob had known him since he was a boy, then he would also remember taking care of him, and some part of that relationship would still exist somewhere in his head.

‘Is it time?’ Jacob glanced around the room and then at his own attire. ‘It must be. I’m wearing my pyjamas.’

That posed a second problem. Nell had no idea who Jacob was or where he’d come from. But Jacob turned, calling softly to Hugo.

‘Wake up, lad. Time to go to bed.’

Instantly, Hugo’s eyes were open and he roused himself. Jacob clearly came first, however tired he was. ‘Let’s go.’

* * *

Nell was perfect. Hugo had been prepared to exert his authority and order her out of his apartment, but she’d realised Jacob’s situation very quickly and had played along. More than that, she’d taken charge, allowing Hugo to relax and get comfortable. Despite all his efforts to conceal it, he had to admit that he was very tired.

He led the way through the quiet corridors of the palace, Nell and Jacob arm in arm behind him. As he ushered them through one of the back doors and across the small courtyard towards the neat row of cottages used by palace employees, he wondered whether she’d be quite as gentle and understanding when Jacob was no longer within earshot.

It took Celeste a while to answer the door, and when she did so she was bleary-eyed, pulling on her dressing gown. Looking after Jacob was becoming a twenty-four-hour-a-day task for her, and she’d clearly been fast asleep when Hugo had texted her to say that Jacob was with him. He waved away her apologies and said goodnight, hearing Nell’s voice behind him echoing the sentiment.

The door closed and he turned to Nell, watching as the smile slipped from her face. That capable, no-nonsense expression didn’t fail to send a tingle down his spine, even if he was far too tired to make the best of whatever conflict was brewing.

‘So, Jacob wanders at night?’ She walked next to him back across the courtyard.

‘Yes. I’d appreciate it if you didn’t say anything about it.’

He couldn’t see the flash of her eyes in the darkness, but imagined it there. ‘This place is full of secrets, isn’t it? How long do you think you can cover this up?’

‘I don’t need very long. Before I went into hospital, I was talking to Celeste about getting a carer for him at night so that she could get some sleep. I contacted her after I was taken ill and she said that things were okay and she was managing on her own.’ He turned the corners of his mouth down. Clearly things hadn’t been okay, and Celeste had just not wanted him to worry.

‘Celeste’s his daughter?’

‘Yes. Jacob came to work here at the palace when he was sixteen, it’s the only home he knows. My father’s always said that he and Celeste have a place here for as long as they want.’

‘So why all the secrecy?’ Nell frowned, clearly bothered by it.

‘When he heard that Jacob had been wandering at night, my father went to see Celeste and mentioned to her that a nursing home might be the right place for Jacob, and offered to pay the bills. Celeste took that as a royal command...’

‘But he was really just trying to help.’ Nell gave Hugo’s father the benefit of the doubt. Maybe Hugo should, too.

‘I’m sure he was. But Celeste doesn’t think it’s the right thing for Jacob and neither do I. Like I said, this is his only home and he’d be even more disorientated than he is now in a new place.’

‘Okay. Let me get this clear.’ Nell stopped suddenly in the middle of the courtyard, and Hugo felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. They were in full view of the palace, and he didn’t take anonymity for granted the way that Nell obviously did. He saw a light flip on, and then back off again. Probably nothing.

‘Your father thinks that the best place for Jacob is a nursing home, and you think it’s best for him to stay here.’ Hugo dragged his attention back to what Nell was saying. ‘So instead of talking to him about it, you’re going to get a night carer in, see if that works and then tell your father about it.’

When she put it like that it didn’t sound the best way of doing things. But then Nell didn’t know his father. ‘Yes. That’s essentially it.’

She held up her hands in a gesture of resignation. ‘Okay. You have an agency in mind, where you can get this carer?’

‘Yes...’ Hugo had wondered how he was going to break the news to her that tomorrow he’d be busy making those arrangements.

‘Right. Give the details to me. I can do an assessment of Jacob and talk to Celeste about what she thinks is best in the morning, and we’ll get things moving. If we can get someone in for tomorrow night, then Celeste can get some sleep and think better about her long-term options.’

Her tone brooked no argument, which was generally like a red rag to a bull where Hugo was concerned. But Nell was right. And although he’d only known Nell for a matter of hours, he trusted her. She’d take good care of his old friend.

‘Thank you. I’d appreciate that.’ He started to walk towards the back door of the palace, where they’d be out of sight of anyone who happened to be traversing one of the rear corridors.

‘That, of course, is dependent on your not taking advantage of my being busy elsewhere to do something you shouldn’t.’ Nell caught up with him.

‘Of course.’ He opened the door for her and she walked through.

‘I’d feel happier if you said it.’

He could see her face now, shining in the dim light of the corridor. A little humour mixed with the kind of determined compassion that he reckoned must make her a very good doctor.

‘My mother’s intending to cheer me up over lunch tomorrow. You can hand her the keys to the ball and chain if you want.’ Nell raised her eyebrows and he sighed. ‘If you’d be good enough to see Jacob in the morning, you have my word of honour that I’ll rest.’

A stab of guilt accompanied the thought that he’d been a little hard on Nell. For the last two weeks, he’d gritted his teeth and submitted as gracefully as he could to the authority of his doctors and nurses and the limitations his own labouring heart had put on him. Yesterday morning, when he’d arrived back at the palace, he’d resolved to leave all that behind. He had to get back to normal as quickly as possible if he was to achieve the goals he’d set himself.

None of that had anything to do with Nell, though. She had a job to do, and when she smiled at him, everything else seemed to retreat back into obscurity.

‘Thank you.’ She gave him a now we’re getting somewhere smile. Maybe they were.

CHAPTER FOUR

HUGO LOOKED RESTED and relaxed. Like someone who had spent yesterday in his apartment doing nothing in particular while Nell assessed Jacob and made all the arrangements for a carer to come and help Celeste. Which was just as Nell wanted things to be.

But today was sure to bring new challenges. Hugo had wished her a good morning, and Nell had responded by picking up his car keys and giving him a lecture about staying within his limits. Ted, his bodyguard, had flashed her a quiet smile and got into the front passenger seat of Hugo’s car, while she fiddled with the driver’s seat, pulling it forward.

‘Remember to drive on the left.’ Hugo’s quiet voice had sounded from the back of the car, and she’d ignored him, slipping off her high sandals and starting the car.

Ted directed her through the morning traffic to a large house, set back from the road and gleaming white in the sunshine. She’d followed the ushers’ signals and parked the car between two others, which would have cost her the approximate value of her own flat had she been careless enough to scratch them.

‘You look very nice.’ Hugo bent towards her as they walked together to the circle of awnings laid out behind the house.

‘Thank you.’ On the basis that she couldn’t compete with anyone here, Nell had decided on a plain dress with no jewellery. That seemed to fit well enough with Hugo’s approach, a grey suit with a white open-necked shirt. No signet rings, no diamond tie pins. He really didn’t need that kind of thing, he was striking enough already, tall and tanned, with an easy manner that marked him out as someone who would always be acceptable in any social setting.

She was introduced to their hosts, and Hugo kissed the lady of the house on both cheeks. A drink appeared magically in her hand, and Hugo shook his head when he was offered one, obviously feeling that the juggling of drinks and handshakes would be too much for him to accomplish while taking care not to compromise his recent surgery.

‘Prince Hugo!’ A middle-aged woman marched up to him, and Hugo responded to her greeting with a hug. His face and body showed no signs of the pain that it would have caused him, but Nell knew that his left shoulder must be pulling at the movement. Then someone brushed against his left side, and this time he jumped imperceptibly.

This was no good. Nell carefully slipped in between Hugo and the people on his left side, curling her fingers around his left elbow. She knew exactly which angle his arm would be the most comfortable at, and she made a show of seeming to hang on to his arm, while making sure that it stayed immobile.

A nod, and a smile in her direction. And then, just for her, a mouthed Thank you.

‘Nell’s here from London. A friend of the family.’

The woman who was with him smiled. ‘What do you do?’

‘She’s in between jobs.’ Hugo had obviously decided to speak for her, in case she got their story wrong. ‘Taking a well-earned holiday.’

‘I’m particularly interested in the work of Hugo’s charity.’ Nell decided that taking Hugo’s arm could be forgiven, under the circumstances. Acting like a glove puppet couldn’t.

‘Ah...’ The woman nodded. ‘Well, he’s risen to the occasion yet again. Are you going to make a bid for him in the charity auction? So generous of His Highness to donate a trip with him on the royal yacht as one of the lots!’

Nell gave her brightest smile. ‘He didn’t tell me that there was going to be an auction after lunch until yesterday evening. It would be rude of me not to put in a bid for him.’

The woman laughed, and Hugo smiled graciously. Nell gritted her teeth.

A seemingly endless amount of small talk was cut short by their hostess, and everyone found their places at the tables. Champagne was served, and Nell leaned towards Hugo.

‘What happens if the amount I have to bid for you goes over the limit you can donate to the project?’ She hadn’t thought that would be possible last night, but now she wasn’t so sure.

‘You over-estimate my desirability.’

‘Not really. These women all look as if they can spend a large amount on just a whim.’

‘I’m suitably crushed.’ He put his hand to his heart, not looking even slightly crushed. ‘Remember this was your idea.’

‘Were there any other options?’

‘There’s always another option. But your solution was the best.’

‘So you weren’t looking forward to entertaining some lucky girl on the royal yacht for the weekend?’

‘What makes you think it’s going to be a woman? The trip on the yacht is the point of it all—a family with children would enjoy it, too.’

Right. Nell would bet a pound to a penny that there wouldn’t be any men bidding for this particular lot. But telling him that would only add to the chorus of appreciation that surrounded him, and Hugo already seemed to be under the misapprehension that he could get away with almost anything.

‘What’s Montarino doing with a royal yacht, anyway? It’s completely landlocked.’ Nell hadn’t thought to ask last night.

‘It’s moored in France. Montarino has an ancient treaty that allows us safe harbour there. Unfortunately the treaty doesn’t mention bills for the marina, so we have to pay those.’

‘So you were intending a three-hour drive to the coast, in addition to swimming and sailing and...whatever else you do on a royal yacht? You do know that you’re not supposed to be driving for six weeks.’ Last night this plan had seemed a matter of pretending to pay a nominal amount to get Hugo out of a fix. Now the stakes were looking a lot higher.

‘I won’t be doing any of that, though, will I? Not if you win the bidding.’

* * *

The look that she gave him made the large hole that this afternoon was going to make in his bank balance seem more than worth it. Hugo could have changed his contribution to this afternoon’s auction to something that demanded a little less activity on his part, but the programmes were all printed, and somehow the idea of having Nell stake her claim on him publicly had made him lose touch with the more sensible options.

Lunch was eaten, and a frisson of excitement ran around the tables when the auctioneer climbed up onto his podium. Nell’s hand moved to her bidding card.

‘You’re sure there’s no limit?’ She smiled suddenly and the sunlight playing on the ornamental fountains, on each side of the group of tables, dimmed in comparison.

‘I trust you.’

‘That might just be your first mistake...’

She was enjoying this. It occurred to Hugo that Nell might be about to teach him a lesson, and the idea didn’t fill him with as much dismay as it should have done.

Premier tickets for a football match, courtesy of Montarino’s one and only football team. Seats for a hotly anticipated rock concert. Some silver jewellery, from an up-and-coming new designer, who had cannily decided that it would do her no harm to have her work seen by the guests here today, was snapped up after a bidding war.

‘That’s a beautiful piece. It’ll really suit her.’ Nell was completely caught up in the proceedings, leaning over to murmur the words in his ear as she watched the winner talking excitedly to her husband.

‘Would you like one? I can have another made...’ The abstract curves of the silver necklace would actually suit Nell far better than they would Monique LaTour.

‘Don’t you dare!’ She turned to him, a look of reprimand on her face. ‘For what she’s just paid, she deserves to have something unique.’

Hugo thought about telling her that Jacques LaTour was a multimillionaire and that Monique had enough jewellery to fill a wardrobe. But he doubted the information would make any difference to Nell, and anyway her attention was back on the auctioneer’s podium now.

‘Now, a special treat, ladies and gentlemen. Hosted by His Royal Highness Crown Prince Hugo DeLeon, a weekend trip on Montarino’s royal yacht.’ A gratifying buzz of excitement ran around the tables. Hugo smiled in acknowledgement, and then glanced at Nell. Her champagne flute was in her hand, and she’d just downed the whole glass in one.

* * *

Ted would have to drive back, or they could call for the chauffeur. Nell was sure that something could be arranged, and she needed something to calm her nerves. Bubbles hit the back of her throat and she almost choked.

This was it. She was about to spend an unknown sum of Hugo’s money just to have his company for the weekend and ensure he didn’t over-exert himself, something she was being paid to do anyway. The doctor’s common room would have had a field day with that, but suddenly she couldn’t have cared less. This felt like an adventure, one that might wipe away all the slights that had hurt her so over the last year.

As soon as the bidding started, three women held their cards up. The auctioneer managed to come to a decision over who had bid first, and as his finger moved briskly to and fro the price began to rocket upwards.

Nell saw Hugo’s head turn towards her, and caught a glimpse of his worried expression. Then she held up her card, waving it to attract the auctioneer’s attention.

‘Two thousand from the lady on the right...’ Nell felt slightly giddy at the idea that she was spending this much money.

There were many more rounds of determined bidding and one by one her rivals shook their heads. When the auctioneer rapped his hammer, an unexpected burst of exhilaration made Nell catch her breath. A few people looked round at her as Hugo leaned towards her, smiling.

‘I thought for a moment you were going to let me down. Do I detect an element of risk-taking in your approach?’

Let him think that. If this was an exercise in each keeping the other off-balance, it couldn’t do any harm. Nell gave him a smile and reached for her glass, which had been refilled at some point during the bidding. Clearly one of the attentive waiters had thought she might need it.

Hugo’s lot was the highlight of the afternoon. There were a couple more, to round things off, and then the ring of a silver spoon against a crystal glass called for quiet as their hostess got to her feet. She thanked everyone for being there, and introduced Hugo.

He got to his feet, smiling, and Nell saw more than one person smile back. Taking a sheet of paper from his pocket, Hugo scanned it and then tore it in two.

‘Ladies and gentlemen, I had a speech prepared, but I find that there’s little more I can do to add to this afternoon.’

Nell took a sip of her champagne. This sounded pretty much par for the course. This afternoon was all about delighting in smoke and mirrors, not getting to grips with the serious issues.

‘First, I’d like to thank Yvette, our hostess today...’ He paused as a round of applause ran around the tables, and Yvette nodded a smiling acknowledgement. ‘Second, I’d like to thank you all for your generosity.’

He paused. Five seconds’ silence, which was enough to catch everyone’s attention. Hugo’s timing was impressive.

‘You all deserve to know what that generosity means. Under your placemats, you’ll find a leaflet...’ He held up a glossy trifold, and Nell looked under her place mat and found one just like it. ‘We’re not in the business of bricks and mortar, or of reputation, although we’re rightly proud of Montarino Hospital’s record of excellence. We deal in people.’

Hugo’s gaze dropped suddenly to the trifold in his hand. Almost against her own will, Nell opened her own copy of the leaflet, seeking out the photograph inside that he seemed to be studying. A little girl in a pink dress, cuddling a battered teddy bear. She was smiling, reaching for someone or something behind the camera.

‘I’ll let these photographs tell you how much your kindness means. Thank you, ladies and gentlemen.’

Hugo sat down abruptly, seeming to be almost overcome by emotion. Applause ran around the tables, followed by a buzz of conversation, which seemed to be centred around the leaflets in everyone’s hands.

It was a great speech. Short and to the point, and tugging nicely at the heartstrings. Nell had noticed that he’d put the paper he’d torn in half safely back into his pocket. She wondered vaguely if there had ever been anything written on it.

It didn’t matter. If Nell had seen the reality of heart disease, and knew that it wasn’t all smiles and teddy bears, that wasn’t what today was about. She’d lost count of the amount of money that had been raised, and it seemed the auction was just the tip of the iceberg.

A middle-aged man in a silk suit had approached their table, and Hugo had turned in his seat to talk to him. He pressed a folded cheque into Hugo’s hand.

‘Thank you, Henri. We’ll use this well.’

The woman standing next to Henri spoke. ‘Next time, I insist on being the hostess, Your Highness.’

Hugo hesitated. ‘You’re too kind, Justine. Think about it...’

‘No, I don’t need to think about it. I’ve thought about things for too long and it’s about time I did something.’

‘I’ll have Nathalie contact you, then. She’ll talk through all the options with you.’

‘I think I have an idea that will be perfect.’ Justine brushed off any other options with a wave of her hand.

Henri smiled suddenly. ‘We must be going. It seems that my wife has a plan that needs my attention.’

‘You shouldn’t work so hard, Hugo...’ Justine frowned suddenly at Hugo and caught Nell’s eye, reverting to English. ‘Take him away, my dear. He is neglecting his responsibilities to you.’

Nell smiled, not knowing quite what to say, and Hugo bade the couple goodbye. When he turned, his face was suddenly ashen and drawn. This was the first time that Nell had seen Hugo betray any weakness, and he was obviously tired.

Nell leaned towards him, speaking quietly. ‘We’re going. Now.’ She injected as little room for argument into her tone as possible.

‘I think you’re right... Yvette will wrap things up.’

Nell glanced across at their hostess and saw that she too was accepting cheques, tucking them into a small designer clutch bag that lay on the table in front of her, which seemed to contain little else.

‘I’ll...go and make our excuses...’ Maybe something would spring to mind on the way over to Yvette’s table.

‘That’s all right. I said we might have to leave a little early.’ Hugo reached for an auction programme, taking a pen from his pocket and scribbling something on it, then beckoning to one of the waiters. The note was carried to Yvette, who read it and smiled over at them.

Whatever he’d written, it seemed that their hostess was now happy to allow them to leave with as little fuss as possible. Nell bit back the thought that they should never have been here in the first place. Perhaps this would serve as a lesson to Hugo, and he’d respect his own limitations a little better from now on.

He swayed a little as he stood, wincing in pain. Nell hung on to his right arm, supporting him as well as she could and ignoring the glances and smiles from the people who crossed their path on the way back into the house. If they wanted to jump to the conclusion that there was something between her and Hugo, then let them. She imagined that she was just the latest in a very long list, which had the virtue of rendering her unremarkable.

Ted appeared out of nowhere, and Nell breathed a sigh of relief. ‘Would you be able to bring the car round, please, Ted?’

‘Yes, Doctor.’ Ted flashed her a conspiratorial smile and hurried away.

Hugo almost stumbled at the bottom of the steps at the front of the house, and when she put her arm around him to steady him, Nell found herself almost in an embrace.

‘I’m sorry.’ He made to pull away, but Nell held him tight.

‘That’s all right. We’ll just get home, shall we?’ She could see his car now, moving towards them, Ted at the wheel.

He nodded, and she felt his arm curl around her shoulders. ‘Yes. Thank you.’

CHAPTER FIVE

HUGO HADN’T QUITE been feeling fine, but he had at least been in charge of himself. And then suddenly he’d hit a wall. The one that he told his own patients about and reassured them wouldn’t be there for ever.

If Nell hadn’t been there, he wasn’t sure how he would have managed. But she had, and he’d felt her next to him, holding on tight as he’d walked what had seemed like a marathon to get to the car. Somehow, her scent had strengthened him and stopped him from just sitting down right where he was and not getting back up again.

Ted had helped him back up to his apartment and Nell had fussed around, taking off his shoes and jacket and loosening the collar of his shirt, then making him lie down on the bed. He’d protested and she’d ignored him, and then suddenly a wave of fatigue had pulled him into sleep.

When he woke, the room was in semi-darkness. He could make Nell out, sitting by the window, reading in the last rays of the sun.

‘Do you want me to say it?’ When he spoke, it felt as if his mouth was full of cotton wool.

She looked up from her book. ‘You can if it makes you feel any better.’

It did. Hugo pulled the bedspread down from his chest, sitting up slowly. ‘I overdid it today. I felt okay and I was sure I could manage it but... I couldn’t.’

She smiled and suddenly overdoing things and proving Nell right didn’t seem such a bad thing after all.

‘You know, of course, that this happens. After the shock of being taken ill and then going through a surgical procedure.’

‘Yes. Primitive instincts. We fight to survive, and then, when the danger’s passed...’

She nodded quietly. ‘And now you have to come to terms with it all.’

‘What if I don’t want to?’ The words escaped Hugo’s lips before he had a chance to stop them.

Nell shrugged. ‘That’s just too bad. You can command it to go away all you like, but it’s not going to listen.’

Maybe. But if he couldn’t rule his own feelings, then he could return the favour and not listen to them. Not let anyone know his weakness.

He swung his legs slowly from the bed. They seemed strong again. All he’d needed had been to sleep for a while.

‘You’re getting up?’ Nell was looking around the room as if she was trying to figure something out.

‘I feel much better now. What are you looking for?’

‘Your wardrobe.’

‘Through there.’ Hugo nodded towards the door to one side of the bed, and Nell got to her feet. It seemed she’d decided to lay out a change of clothes for him. The idea that she might stay and help him into them didn’t seem quite as deflating as it had when the nurses at the hospital had done it.

‘Oh...’ She’d opened the door and put her head inside the dressing room. ‘Sure you have enough to wear here?’

‘I go out a lot.’ Hugo chuckled. ‘Casual is on the left, at the end.’

She disappeared inside the dressing room, and Hugo heard her opening drawers and closing them again. Then Nell reappeared, with a dark polo shirt and a pair of pale chinos over her arm. ‘Will this do?’

‘That’s great, thanks.’

‘Bathroom?’

‘Through there.’ Hugo indicated another door, staying put. He wondered how far Nell intended to go with this.

She disappeared into the bathroom and he heard the sound of water running. Then she popped her head around the doorway. ‘I’ll take a look at your chest and then leave you to it.’

Hugo heaved himself from the bed and walked into the bathroom. She’d moved the shower chair in front of the basin, and motioned him to sit down.

‘How do you really feel?’ She bent down, unbuttoning his shirt.

He wanted to say that he felt fine. Hugo meant to say that he felt fine, but in her quiet, fragrant presence he couldn’t.

‘As if I’ve been hit by a truck.’

Hugo closed his eyes, feeling her slip his shirt from his shoulders and carefully threading it off his left arm. Coming to terms with the piece of cutting-edge technology that was now implanted in his chest was the easy part. It was the thought that he was somehow flawed that he just couldn’t shake.

More flawed. He hadn’t been perfect to start with.

He felt her carefully remove the dressing over the surgical incision. It was hard not to shiver at the touch of Nell’s cool fingers.

‘It’s looking good. A little bruising, still, but there’s no infection and it’s starting to heal. It’s a nice job.’

Nice job. She’d said that before and he’d wanted to turn his back on her and tell her that he didn’t need that doctor-to-doctor reassurance. If he’d still had a gaping wound on his chest, a scar that would never heal, it might reflect the way he felt a little better.

‘Take a look.’

Hugo had purposely not removed the dressings to see what was underneath. But it seemed that parts of his body answered to her and not him, and his eyes flipped open. The first thing he saw was her face, composed in a reassuring smile, and even though he knew that smile was probably something she wore for all her patients it did its job. He smiled back.

‘What do you think?’ She stepped out of the way, and Hugo found his gaze on the mirror above the basin.

‘It’s...’ Hugo tried for a shrug, and felt his left shoulder pull. ‘You’re right. It’s a neat job.’

She nodded and turned to the basin, leaving him alone for a moment with his own reflection. Hugo didn’t like the way it made him feel and he concentrated on watching Nell instead.

Her hands were gentle but capable as they dipped a flannel into the basin, twisting it to wring out the excess water. In his experience, that was only a short step away from tender. She laid the flannel over his shoulder, her entire concentration on what she was doing. It felt warm and comforting.

‘That feels good. Thank you.’

She nodded, removing the flannel and dipping it back into the water. Wiping it across his skin, careful not to allow any drops of water near the wound. He’d seen this so many times before at the hospital, and had always felt that this was one thing that no amount of technology or learning could replace. When the nurses washed a patient, there was a tenderness about it that spoke of the kind of care that only human beings could give one another.

And now he felt it. The warm touch of water against his skin calmed Hugo, and the suspicion that everything would be all right floated into his consciousness, with all the reassurance of a forgotten friend.

She leaned towards him, rubbing the flannel across his back. Stopping to rinse and then repeat, her movements slow and thoughtful, like those of a craftsman plying his trade. Hugo closed his eyes, not ready to let go of this feeling just yet.

She finished with the flannel and gently patted his skin dry with a towel. Then he felt her fingers on the top of his left arm, gently massaging. He knew what Nell was doing. He wasn’t supposed to lift his left arm above shoulder level for six weeks, and it was common to get a frozen shoulder during that time. It was just straightforward care, but it felt like so much more.

‘Would you like help to shave?’ He opened his eyes and saw that Nell was now opening one of the sterile dressings from the box that lay on top of the bathroom cabinet.

It had been a while since he’d let a woman shave him, and then it had been purely for pleasure. Anna had done it, but since then he hadn’t let a woman get to know him that well. Hugo regarded the shaving cream on the shelf above the mirror and decided against it.

‘Thanks, but I’ll go with the designer stubble.’

Nell gave him a half smile. ‘It suits you.’

It was the one thing she’d said that betrayed some kind of emotion locked behind the caring, and it sent tingles down Hugo’s spine. Nell checked that the new dressing over his wound was firmly anchored, and then turned abruptly, leaving him alone in the bathroom.

* * *

If it worked, then it worked. Society lunches and bidding for a weekend in the presence of a prince wasn’t a strategy that Nell had been called on to adopt before, and neither was washing a patient. But talking to someone, learning what made them tick and suggesting ways of coping was. And if the sudden closeness with Hugo had left her wanting to just touch his skin, simply for the pleasure of feeling it under her fingertips, then that could be ignored in the face of a greater good. Her job here was not really to look after him in a medical sense but to get behind his suave, charming exterior, and find out what drove him so relentlessly that he was willing to risk his health for it.

Nell rang down to the palace kitchen, wondering if anyone was there at this time in the evening, and found that not only was the phone answered immediately but there was a choice of menu. She ordered a salad, on the basis that it was probably the least trouble to make.

Apart from raiding the fridge, of course. Nell had suspected that the top-of-the-range fridge in Hugo’s kitchen was pretty much for show, and when she’d opened it, she’d found a selection of juices and other drinks. Nothing that involved any culinary activity other than pouring. She could have made him a milkshake, but that was about all, and a decent meal would help him recover.

The formal dining room in his apartment seemed a little too much like keeping up appearances, when that was exactly what she was trying to encourage Hugo not to do. A small table on a sheltered balcony was better, and she opened the French doors at the far end of the kitchen and arranged two chairs beside it. It would have made an excellent place to cook and enjoy food, and it was a pity that Hugo’s gleaming kitchen didn’t look as if it saw too many serious attempts at cooking. Nell wondered what he would say if she expressed the intention of baking a cake, and smiled to herself. Maybe she’d try it, just to see the look of bewilderment on his face.

Their meal arrived, and Nell directed the young man who carried a tray loaded with two plates and various sauces and condiments through to the balcony. He looked a little put out that she’d laid the table herself, and adjusted the position of the knives and forks carefully.

She called Hugo, and he appeared from the bedroom, looking relaxed and rested. When Nell had chosen his clothes, she been considering comfort, and hadn’t spared a thought for how well they might fit or how her eye was drawn along the hard lines of his body. Chest. Left arm. It was permissible to allow her gaze to linger there, on the grounds that she was checking up on him. The strong curve of his shoulder, the golden skin of his arm, which dimpled over bone and muscle, were both visual pleasures that Nell could pretend not to have seen.

‘Thank you. This is nice.’ Hugo pulled one of the seats away from the table, waiting until Nell sat down before he took his own place. Even now, he couldn’t quite let go and let her look after him.

‘I just made a call down to the kitchen. Is someone always there?’

‘No, not always. My parents are hosting a dinner party tonight.’ He smiled at her, and in the muted lights that shone around the perimeter of the patio his face seemed stronger. More angular and far more determined, if that was even possible.

‘So calling down for a midnight snack is usually out of the question.’ Nell picked up her fork, stabbing at her food.

‘Yes.’ He grinned. ‘If I want a midnight snack, I usually have to walk all the way down there and make it myself. Life at the palace can be unexpectedly hard at times.’

Nell couldn’t help smiling in response to the quiet joke. Hugo knew exactly how lucky he was. Maybe not exactly, he probably hadn’t ever battled his way around the supermarket on a Saturday morning, but he understood that he was privileged.

‘If we’d been at my place, this might have been cornflakes. With chocolate milk if you were lucky.’

‘You think I haven’t done that?’ Hugo looked slightly hurt. ‘I trained as a doctor, too. You’re not the only one who’s eaten cornflakes with chocolate milk at three in the morning then fallen asleep on the sofa.’

Probably a nicely upholstered sofa, and not too much like the lumpy one that had been in Nell’s shared digs, when she had been training. She wondered if Hugo’s memories of medical school were quite as good as hers were.

‘Where did you stay in London?’ Holland Park, perhaps. Somewhere near the embassy.

‘Shepherd’s Bush. We had a flat over a pizza place for a while, and it always smelled of cooked cheese. Then we moved to Tottenham. That was a great flat, in a high-rise. You could see right across London.’

Perhaps his experience had been a little more like Nell’s than she’d thought. ‘It must have been a bit of a culture shock for you.’

He laid down his fork. ‘People are people. That’s what every doctor learns, isn’t it?’ He said the words as if he was explaining a simple concept that Nell had somehow failed to understand.

‘Yes, of course. But some people find things easier than others.’ Waiting lists. Doctors who had enough time to see to the physical needs of their patients but not always the opportunity to talk for as long as was needed... The list could go on.

‘You met Justine and Henri earlier today. What did you think, that they were a couple of privileged people who like a nice lunch?’

‘They...’ Yes, that was exactly what Nell had thought. ‘They were very generous.’

‘Yes, they always are. They lost their son to heart disease when he was only two years old. Justine became very depressed and it was years before she would even talk about him. Holding a lunch event is a massive step for her. It’s not all about the money. Yvette lost her father to heart disease when she was fifteen.’

Nell felt herself flush. ‘I’m sorry. I did think less of what they were doing because they’re rich, and that was wrong of me.’

Hugo shook his head. ‘You’re not entirely wrong. A lot of the people who were at the lunch today were there because they wanted to be seen in the right places. But many of them have a real and personal commitment to what we’re trying to do.’

‘The little girl in the leaflet. She’s really a heart patient?’ Nell had had her doubts, wondering if the leaflet was principally an exercise in PR. It was important now, to know whether she’d been wrong.

‘Yes, she is. One of my patients, in fact. She had her ninth operation a few days ago. She wanted to help me build her new clinic.’

Nell laughed. ‘Her new clinic.’

‘Yes, it’s hers. She might let a few other patients in if she likes them. No boys. And she wants it to be completely pink, like a giant marshmallow.’ He was smiling now.

‘Sounds like my kind of hospital.’

‘So what are you doing here?’ He asked the question quietly. ‘You don’t strike me as the kind of person whose ambitions lie in the direction of keeping errant princes in check.’

Hugo had a way of dropping the charm and cutting right to the chase. It was uncomfortable. ‘I’m...in between jobs at the moment.’

‘I saw your curriculum vitae. Someone with your talents isn’t usually in between jobs unless she wants to be.’

He’d seen what the employment agency hadn’t, and there was no explaining it away with clichés. Nell wanted to tell him the whole truth, but that probably wouldn’t be all that wise.

‘My last job was challenging, both professionally and personally. I want to spend six months looking around for another that will...’

‘Just be challenging professionally?’

Nell caught her breath. How did he know so much about human nature, when he seemed so protected from it? ‘Something like that.’

‘So you thought that one patient might be a bit of a holiday.’ He was taking her apart, piece by piece, and Nell felt powerless to stop him. ‘But I imagine you’re someone who gets a little bored on holiday.’

She could feel her cheeks heating up. She wasn’t going to give Hugo the satisfaction of admitting that he was absolutely right. He held her gaze for a moment longer, and then leaned slowly back in his chair. Maybe he’d already seen what he wanted to see, and her reply was unnecessary.

‘Then maybe I should consider diversionary tactics. To keep you from feeling that you’re wasting your time here.’

He reached for the bottle of water on the table, and Nell took it from him. ‘How can I be wasting my time when there are bottles to be opened?’

If he could hide his innermost feelings under a layer of charm, then so could she.

CHAPTER SIX

THE SUMMONS HAD arrived first thing the following morning, and Nell had followed the messenger to the King’s study. Despite the early hour, he was already working at his desk. He had offered her a cup of coffee and then pushed the morning paper towards her.

The King hadn’t expressed the horror that Nell had felt when she’d looked at the pictures on the front page. It was just one of those things, an innocent action could be misinterpreted under the glare of scrutiny that the royal family were subjected to. But he had taken issue with a number of other things.

Nell had felt her heart close. Unable to look at him, she’d given no reason as to why she and Hugo had been seen at the back entrance to the palace at one in the morning. How could she? She’d promised to keep silent about the business with Jacob and Celeste until Hugo had had a chance to approach his father.

The King moved on to why exactly she’d been seen bidding for Hugo’s company at the auction yesterday. This time Nell did have an answer, even if it wasn’t a very good one.

‘It was my idea. I thought that...well, it’s too much for him to be hosting a weekend like that so soon after the operation. And Hugo wouldn’t back out.’

‘And you didn’t consider how it might look?’ The King’s tone wasn’t unkind, but it was very firm. He tapped the paper with one finger. ‘My real concern though, is that it’s clear to me that this photograph does not show an embrace, as the papers seem to believe, it shows Hugo leaning on you. Your one responsibility was to ensure that he didn’t take on too much, and damage his health.’

Nell nodded her assent, her hands clasped tightly in her lap. How could she object to the King’s request that she submit a written account of Hugo’s activities and medical condition every day, when she had already failed so spectacularly? And how could she complain when he hinted that unless things changed, he would be finding another doctor for Hugo.

She was trembling by the time the King dismissed her. Hurrying back to her apartment, Nell blinked back the tears. They were her own business, fit only to be seen by the four walls of her sumptuous bedroom.

Nell sat down on the bed, gulping for breath. She was just being stupid. The King had every right to ask questions, and if he’d been unfair, it was because he didn’t know about Jacob’s visit to Hugo’s apartment, and Nell hadn’t enlightened him. This wasn’t a re-run of all that had happened in her last job.

All the same, it had a similar sting to it. Nell had rejected Martin’s advances, and he’d taken advantage of his position as her boss to deliver payback. She’d come to dread seeing him on the ward, because there had always been some barb or put-down. And she’d learned to sit in silence when he’d called her to his office, because replying to his catalogue of her faults and flaws had only made things worse. She’d thought his anger might subside over time, but if there was one thing that Martin knew how to do, it was hang on to a grudge.

This wasn’t the same. In some ways it was worse, though. The King had been painstakingly correct, and in his own way he’d been almost kind, but his concerns were justified. She couldn’t put his criticism down to spite, the way she’d been able to with Martin. And she’d hardly looked back when she’d left the hospital, but leaving Hugo...already he was quite a different proposition.

There was nothing else for it. She had to get the crying over and done with, pull herself together, and do better.

* * *

She was expecting the knock on the connecting door between their apartments. Hugo would have finished his breakfast, and would be ready for another battle of wills over whether he was well enough to do whatever he pleased. Nell had dried her tears and was ready for him.

She opened the door, trying not to look at him, just in case he happened to be smiling. Hugo’s smile was his most effective weapon.

‘You did too much yesterday. You need to rest today.’

He raised one eyebrow. ‘All right. Now that you’ve got that off your chest, would you like to join me for coffee?’

Maybe she could have waited a little longer than two seconds to say it. ‘Yes. Thank you.’

‘You’ve had breakfast?’ He moved away from the door, leaving Nell to follow him into his sitting room.

‘No, I...’ Saying that she felt sick with apprehension wasn’t the best way of appearing strong. ‘Coffee’s fine.’

‘Right.’ The tray was standing ready on the table, and he filled two cups, watching silently as Nell added milk to hers. ‘What’s the matter?’

‘Nothing.’ She smiled breezily at him, and he frowned.

‘So I’m going to have to make a guess, am I?’

Nell puffed out a breath. Maybe she should tell him, he’d probably hear about it anyway. And perhaps Hugo would respect his father’s wishes better than he did her advice.

‘The King called me to see him this morning. He’s not happy.’

‘He isn’t happy about a lot of things. Ignore him.’

‘I can’t ignore him. Apart from the fact that he happens to be the King, he’s also my employer.’

‘I’m Crown Prince, don’t I get a say?’ Hugo grinned, and Nell ignored the temptation to forgive him anything and everything.

‘This isn’t a game, Hugo. If you want to bait your father then go right ahead and do it, but don’t put your own health at risk just because you won’t admit that he’s right.’ Nell pressed her lips together. She could have put that more tactfully, but right now she wasn’t in the mood to do so.

He was suddenly solemn, his gaze searching her face. Nell felt herself redden, the tears that she’d only just managed to control pricking at the corners of her eyes.

‘What did my father say to you?’

‘He heard about you being up so late the other night. There was nothing I could say to him in response, without telling him about Jacob.’

‘So you took the blame yourself.’ His frown grew deeper.

‘What else could I do? He heard about my bidding at the auction as well. And there are photographs of me supporting you to the car in this morning’s papers.’

‘He can’t hold you responsible for that.’ Hugo pressed his lips together, obviously aware of the conclusion that the papers had drawn.

‘He doesn’t. But he holds me responsible for the fact that you’re doing too much. He says that things have to change and that from now on I have to submit a daily report to him.’

‘Nell, I’m sorry. I’ll make it right.’ His jaw hardened into a determined line.

‘No, you won’t. You can’t. But if you’re reckoning on carrying on like this, then tell me now, because I’d rather leave than be fired.’

‘No one’s going to fire you, Nell.’

She shook her head silently. Hugo didn’t understand, he’d never been squeezed out of a job or bullied by a boss. He was the golden boy, who everyone wanted.

Even Nell wanted him. Despite all her exasperation, she’d started to enjoy their battles, almost to look forward to them. And in doing so, she’d forgotten the reason why she was here.

‘There’s a meeting arranged for this afternoon at my charity’s offices. It’s only going to be for an hour, the construction company is going to update us on how things are going. If I asked everyone to come here instead, I’d find it less taxing.’

Hugo’s tone was almost contrite. When Nell looked up at him, there was a trace of concern on his face.

This was a start. ‘That sounds like a good idea, Hugo.’

* * *

Shame was something that Hugo usually tried to avoid. If he worked hard, and met the standards that he set, he generally found that he could live with himself. But now he felt thoroughly ashamed.

Being ill had made him crazy. It had stripped away the feeling that he was in charge of his life, and he was struggling to find the man he’d once thought himself to be. But in trying to pretend that it hadn’t happened, he’d hurt Nell, and that was unforgiveable.

He knew exactly where his parents would be during the week, they were creatures of habit. As he expected, he found them sitting at the twin desks, placed back to back to allow murmured conversation and smiles while they completed their correspondence for the day.

‘Mother...’ He smiled, and his mother rose for a hug, made awkward by his lame shoulder.

‘Hugo, darling. How do you feel today?’

‘Much better, thank you.’ Hugo’s relationship with his mother was an effortless synergy of respect for her position and warmth. The one with his father involved rather more effort. ‘I’d like to speak with Father.’

His mother sat firmly back down, waving her hand towards his father, who had looked up from the papers in front of him. Her smile told Hugo that she knew exactly what all this was about, and she wasn’t going to give either of them the chance to argue in private.

‘Go ahead, darling. He’s right here, in case you didn’t notice.’

Right. Hugo turned to his father, and found himself locked in the familiar combative stare that was their usual greeting to each other. He sat down, knowing that it probably wouldn’t defuse the situation. Pacing up and down wasn’t going to help much if he wanted to imply that he was taking things easy.

‘It’s not Nell’s fault, Father.’

His father turned the corners of his mouth down. ‘I’m inclined to agree with you. It is, however, Dr Maitland’s responsibility to make sure that you rest.’

‘And she’s doing that.’

‘I disagree, Hugo.’

The silence between them wasn’t broken by his mother’s voice. Usually her intervention avoided conflict between father and son, neatly suggesting a solution that everyone could live with. But this time there was just a silence.

‘My behaviour isn’t her fault. Nell’s a good doctor, and...she’s exactly what I need at the moment. In the future, I’ll follow her instructions.’ This was a climb-down of gargantuan proportions. But Hugo had seen humiliation and rejection in Nell’s face this morning, and they haunted him.

‘So things are going to change, are they?’

‘They will. Don’t punish her in order to get to me.’

His father leaned back in his chair. ‘You’ve seen the papers this morning?’

‘It’ll blow over. How many other young women have been photographed in my company in the last year?’

‘Goodness only knows. I don’t know where you get the time,’ his mother interjected suddenly, and both men turned on her, frowning. ‘It’s just an observation, darling. It would make things a great deal easier if you decided that your health wasn’t such a secret.’

‘I want it to remain private.’

That was one of the few things that Hugo and his father had agreed on lately, even if it was for different reasons. His father had always drawn a line between his family’s personal lives and their public duties, and that had allowed Hugo to grow up outside the glare of publicity. For Hugo, it was more a matter of not wanting to be seen as irrevocably flawed.

King Ferdinand nodded. ‘You know I have no argument with you there, Hugo. But you have a duty...’

Hugo nodded impatiently. ‘I know what my duty is. To be strong enough to serve the people.’

His father nodded. ‘I assume from your presence that Dr Maitland wants to stay.’

‘I have no idea. But she gets that choice.’ Hugo felt his heart quicken and he ignored it. He would have to stop gauging everything by the beat of his own heart.

‘There’s only one person who can make sure that Dr Maitland keeps her job. That’s you, Hugo.’

Hugo got to his feet, making an effort to swallow his anger as he turned to his mother. He bade her goodbye, omitting the same gesture towards his father, before turning and walking out of the room.

* * *

Hugo had been oddly compliant all day. It was as if he’d suddenly come to his senses, or at least decided that it was more politic to appear to have done so. He’d spent the morning reading through the reports from the construction company, and the meeting was a short one. Nell had been able to relax a little and take an interest in the plans for the clinic. She could see why the project excited Hugo, and why he was willing to give up almost anything to see it come to fruition.

‘What did Celeste say?’ Nell had gone to speak to Celeste alone, while he stayed in his apartment.

‘She said that last night, when the carer was with them, she got the first good night’s sleep she’s had in months.’

Hugo nodded. ‘That’s something. It’s working, then?’

‘It’s early days. But, yes, I think it’ll work very well.’

‘Good. I’ll speak to my father...’

‘Not yet, Hugo. I... I’ve already taken the blame for the other night, and I’m still in one piece. Let’s wait a week and make sure that the arrangement’s working for Celeste first. Then you can speak to him.’

‘He should know now. That you weren’t to blame for that either.’

Either? ‘You’ve already spoken to him, haven’t you?’

‘Yes. I told him that yesterday was entirely my fault and that it wouldn’t happen again.’

The sudden feeling of warmth in Nell’s chest caught her by surprise. Nell didn’t dare wonder if she was really that important to Hugo, that he’d comply with his father’s wishes for her sake.

‘You didn’t need to do that... But thank you.’

‘My pleasure. There are always plenty of other options when it comes to defying my father. You’d be surprised at the scope his position affords.’

He was making light of it, but the look in his eyes said something different. That she could trust him and he’d be there for her.

The sound of the bell, at the front door of the apartment broke the silence. It couldn’t have come at a more inopportune time, and Nell willed him to ignore it, but he didn’t, rising from his seat. Maybe he was glad of the interruption.

She heard voices in the hallway, and jumped to her feet when Queen Margaux entered the room. She was more casually dressed than in the pictures Nell had seen on the Internet, wearing a pair of tan trousers and a matching shirt, but she was still immaculate.

‘I’m glad to see that you’re here, resting, Hugo.’ Queen Margaux bestowed a smile on Nell that seemed to indicate she thought Nell had something to do with that. ‘Penelope. I’m very glad to meet you.’

‘She prefers Nell, Mother. Nell, meet my mother.’

Nell wondered whether she should curtsey, and remembered she didn’t know how. Queen Margaux held her hand out and gave Nell’s a surprisingly firm shake.

‘I’m very glad to meet you, Your Majesty.’ Nell hoped that was something close to the right form of address.

‘Margaux, please.’ The Queen dropped a slim file that she was carrying onto the table and sat down.

‘Would you like some tea...?’ Hugo’s mother was obviously here to speak to him, and it was a good means of escape. It might be rude not to address the Queen by name, as she’d instructed, but Nell couldn’t quite bring herself to call her Margaux.

‘Thank you, but no. I’ve come to speak with both you and Hugo.’

‘What about? If you’re here to try and talk some sense into me, Nell already has that covered.’

Margaux flashed another smile at Nell. ‘Then I won’t go to the trouble. Anyway, this is far more pressing. I think you should both read this.’

She slipped two sheets of paper from the folder, holding them out. Hugo took them both and started to read.

‘What is it?’ Nell reached across, and he threw the papers down on the coffee table.

‘It’s rubbish. Outrageous... You don’t need to see it.’

‘If it’s rubbish then it can’t do any harm to look.’ She picked up one of the sheets.

‘You have to understand, Nell, that the papers will pay for stories, and people will make things up. It gives them a misplaced sense of importance.’

‘All right. Let me read it, will you?’ How bad could it be? Nell turned her attention to the paper and started to read. She immediately recognised the name involved. Three sentences in, she realised that it was worse than she could have possibly imagined.

‘This is a request for comment.’ Queen Margaux’s voice broke through her horror. ‘It’s from one of the more responsible papers, and if I speak to the editor I can refute the claims and at least delay publication. If they can’t get any corroboration then it’ll stop it completely. But if the man making these claims goes somewhere else, that might not be so easy.’

‘Is...there any indication he might?’ Nell felt her cheeks redden at the thought.

‘I had my secretary examine his social media pages, and it seems he’s already shared the story that was in the paper this morning and made a few comments. Nothing of any substance, they’re more of the I know something you don’t variety, but it shows an intention. But you know this man, Nell, he’s your ex-boss. What do you think?’

‘I don’t think he’s going to give up.’ Nell shook her head miserably. The one thing that neither Hugo nor Queen Margaux had asked yet was whether the allegations were true. It didn’t appear that Hugo was going to, and his mother was clearly taking his lead.

She took a deep breath. ‘I want to say...that it’s not true. I didn’t make any passes at my former boss, he was the one who propositioned me. And I’d never offer sexual favours in return for covering up my mistakes. The previous Head of Department knew me well, I worked for him for three years, ask him—’

‘Don’t, Nell.’ Hugo interrupted her. ‘You shouldn’t have to defend yourself.’

‘I want to. It’s the truth.’

Queen Margaux turned to Nell, laying her hand on hers. ‘I didn’t doubt it, Nell. But thank you for clarifying things. This is a situation where we must be clear and direct in all of our dealings.’

‘Yes, we can be clear and direct in completely refuting these allegations.’ Hugo’s brow was still dark.

‘Of course, Hugo. But if you’d read the whole piece, you’d see that there’s a reference at the end to a romantic entanglement between the two of you. If Nell’s real relationship with you were known, then it might well defuse the situation.’

Nell shook her head. ‘I’m sorry but...no. I’m Hugo’s doctor, and it’s my responsibility to make sure that if he wants to keep the details of his medical condition private, that’s what happens. I can’t allow it.’

‘Nell, that’s up to me.’

If Hugo was about to make an abrupt about-turn on the question of his own privacy, Nell wasn’t. ‘You’ve already expressed your wishes, Hugo, and while I don’t altogether agree with them, it’s my duty to uphold them. I won’t have it.’

‘But—’

‘There’s always the Royal Agreement,’ Queen Margaux cut her son short.

‘That doesn’t apply here, Mother.’

‘It might. Since the papers seem already to be jumping to conclusions...’ Queen Margaux reached for the folder, taking off her reading glasses. ‘I’ll leave you both to consider the options. But in the meantime, Nell, I want you to understand that you have my full support in this. We will do whatever it takes.’

Nell stammered her thanks, and Hugo rose to see his mother out. While they were gone, Nell concentrated on keeping breathing. Because it appeared that was about the only thing that Martin could never take away from her.

CHAPTER SEVEN

‘I HAVE TO EXPLAIN.’ Hugo had returned to the sitting room and was regarding her silently.

‘No, you don’t. I don’t make a habit of explaining what the papers say about me...’ He broke off, seeing the tears that ran down Nell’s cheeks.

‘I do...really.’

Hugo came to sit next to her on the sofa. ‘If you want to tell me something about this, then I’ll listen. All you need to say is that you want this stopped.’

‘It’s good of you to say that. I want to tell you.’

‘Okay.’ He was sitting close, but still not touching her. The temptation to ask for Hugo’s comfort was almost too much to bear, but Nell couldn’t do that. Not until he knew all the facts, and he believed her.

‘When I was a student, Martin was a visiting lecturer. He was brilliant, he has a very fine mind.’

‘Okay. I’ll take your word for that.’ Hugo didn’t look very convinced.

‘I went to speak to him after the lecture and he asked me for coffee. One thing led to another...’ She glanced at Hugo and he nodded. ‘I was dazzled. He was older than me, of course, and very handsome. He knew about loads of things that I didn’t. Introduced me to a lot of new experiences.’

She expected Hugo to nod and understand. Instead, he rolled his eyes. ‘I’ve seen that type. No feeling of self-worth, so he has to pick on someone in a subordinate position to impress.’

His words chipped away at the dream. The feeling that Martin had been all-knowing and that it was she who’d done the wrong thing. She had done the wrong thing, and maybe Hugo would think a little differently when she told him.

‘He was based in Newcastle, and he came down to London every couple of weeks. I saw him then and I used to count the days...’ Nell shook her head at her own stupidity. ‘It went on for six months and then he told me that he was married. He said it didn’t matter, that he and his wife had some kind of understanding, but I broke it off immediately.’

Nell looked into Hugo’s face, wondering if he could understand. ‘I thought he loved me. And even though I loved him, I couldn’t do it.’

‘Sounds as if you were the one who was the adult in that relationship.’

He thought so? Nell had always considered herself as the silly little girl, blinded by love. Slowly Martin was developing feet of clay.

‘I don’t know about that. But I stuck to it, even though he contacted me a few times afterwards. Finally he left me alone, and I reckoned that it was just a life lesson and I should chalk it up to experience. I graduated, and got a job at the hospital and things were going well. Then the head of department retired, and...’ Nell felt herself start to shake. That feeling, that she couldn’t escape and that her mistakes would always come back to bite her, had turned out to be about the only true thing in this whole business.

‘And when the new head of department showed up, it was him?’ Hugo was filling in the gaps now. ‘Any reasonable man would have spoken to you privately, admitted that he’d acted very badly and hoped that you might find the goodness of heart to draw a line under the whole business. I’m guessing he didn’t do that.’

Nell shook her head, finding herself smiling grimly. ‘No, he didn’t. There were a couple of weeks of extreme awkwardness, and then I couldn’t bear it any longer. I spoke to him and apologised...’

‘You apologised?’

‘It seemed reasonable. I had been one very willing half of the affair.’

Hugo let out a short, sharp breath. ‘Are you saying it was all your fault?’

‘No, I...’ In truth, after the last six months, Nell had been reduced to not knowing what was and wasn’t her fault.

‘We talked a bit and I thought we’d come to an understanding, but the following day he said he wanted to talk a bit more and could he meet me for coffee that evening.’

Nell still didn’t understand how she could have been so stupid. But when she looked at Hugo, there was no sign of reproach in his face. Perhaps he was just waiting to hear everything before he made a final decision on that.

‘I went, and he started telling me about how his marriage had broken up because his wife had found out about our affair. I don’t know if that was true, but I was horrified. Then he said that the least I could do was give things another try. I said I didn’t think that was a good idea and he offered to take me home. He walked me to my door and then he told me he knew I wanted it really and pushed me inside. Somehow I fought him off...’ The words had tumbled out, and Nell was suddenly breathless with shame.

‘I hope you hurt him.’

‘I... Actually, I had a copy of Welman’s Clinical Procedures in my bag. I managed to get free of him and hit him with it.’

Hugo grinned suddenly. ‘Good girl. The full edition, I hope.’

‘Stop it, it was the abbreviated edition. It still hurt him, though. He made some comment about my obviously not being in the mood tonight and left.’ She was shaking. Not so much as she had that night, but she still couldn’t stop.

‘Did you report him?’

‘No, I...’ Nell shrugged miserably. ‘I was the one who asked him in. And it wasn’t as if we’d just met, we had a history.’

‘No means no. Nothing trumps that.’

It seemed so simple when he said it like that. Hugo’s sense of honour made it simple. She wished that he’d reach out to her, but knew that he wouldn’t. As far as Hugo was concerned, one touch now would make him as bad as Martin and she wished she could find a way to tell him that wasn’t true.

She had to finish the story. Get this over with as quickly as possible. If she could do it without breaking down, that would be a bonus. Nell squeezed her hands together in her lap, feeling her nails dig deep.

‘He...tried it on a few times after that. I rejected him and started to make sure we were never alone together. Then one day he called me into his office, and went through a very comprehensive list of all the things I was doing wrong. All from a clinical point of view, there was nothing personal.’

‘Payback time?’

‘Yes. That went on for a few months, and I started to wonder whether there really was something wrong with the way I did my job. Then he blocked my promotion.’

‘On what grounds?’

‘He said I was an excellent doctor but that realising my full potential meant staying in my current post a little while longer.’ If Martin had criticised her performance, Nell could have fought it. But this had been impossible.

Hugo thought for a moment. ‘He’s done this before.’

‘What? What makes you say that?’

‘He always put you in a position where you felt you were in the wrong, he was married, then his divorce was because of his relationship with you. And he was always in a position of power, your teacher, and then your boss. I’m not saying he engineered all that, but he exploited it. He’s an abuser, and he probably didn’t just do it to you.’

‘But...’ Nell had thought she was alone. The idea that Martin might have done this to other women was horrific, but it did make her feel as if it wasn’t so much her fault. ‘Maybe you’re right.’

Hugo got to his feet, starting to pace. ‘We’re going to stop him, Nell. My mother will refute the allegations and we’ll release the details of my operation. That’ll keep the papers busy for a while, and in the meantime we’ll find a way to shut him up permanently.’

‘No, Hugo. I know that’s not what you want, and this is my battle. You shouldn’t be dragged into it...’ The heat in her heart, at the idea that Hugo was prepared to defend her, was burning too hot and threatened to consume her. He couldn’t be allowed to do this.

‘It’s what works.’ Hugo had obviously made his mind up about this.

‘No, it won’t work. Martin will just find another way to make these allegations...’ If Hugo was so determined to make this sacrifice, Nell needed to find a different approach.

‘If he does, then we’re in a good place to refute them.’ A grim smile quirked his lips. ‘You underestimate the power of good contacts.’

‘It’s not about having power, Hugo, it’s about what’s right and wrong.’

He shook his head slowly. ‘It’s about picking a side, Nell. Allow me to pick mine.’

She stared at him. Hugo was on her side. The thought that he would protect her washed every objection she had to the idea away for a moment. He took full advantage of that moment, turning and walking out of the apartment.

* * *

It was done. Hugo had spent an hour with his mother and the palace press advisor, and a call had been made to the managing editor who had contacted them for comment. The promise of a press release within the next twenty-four hours had oiled the wheels, and Martin Jarman’s story was suddenly dead in the water.

‘I’m proud of you.’ His mother had stopped him as he’d gone to leave, murmuring the words.

‘It’s a matter of principle.’ Hugo had been telling himself that. He was doing this for everyone caught in this kind of situation, and not just for Nell. Not because he wanted to hold her close and keep her safe.

‘Yes, it is. Anyone in your position has a duty to defend someone who...’ His mother paused. ‘You are quite sure that Nell is innocent of these allegations, aren’t you?’

‘Of course I am. I’m perfectly capable of noticing when a woman is trying to seduce me. Nell’s a good doctor, and she acts appropriately.’ His thoughts might touch on the delights of the inappropriate from time to time, but that was his business.

His mother nodded. ‘Your judgement is always sound, Hugo. And whatever you say, I’m still proud of you.’

That was something. Hugo reflected that he wasn’t all that proud of himself at the moment. The idea of having his most humiliating secret blazoned across the front pages of the papers was something he was trying not to think about. While he was still obviously recovering, people might look at him with sympathy. But sooner or later, they’d come around to seeing him as a hypocrite. How could he advocate for a heart clinic when he—a doctor no less—hadn’t seen the signs of his own heart issues?

That was just something he’d have to put up with. Maybe Nell was right. Maybe an admission that he’d made the mistakes that he was urging others not to make would emphasise his human side. But right now Hugo’s human side was cowering somewhere in a corner, and it felt far more comfortable to pretend that there was nothing wrong with him.

He walked back to his apartment, pondering the question. Things had to change—there would be no more battles of will with Nell, no more creative solutions. Even though the alternative sounded dull in the extreme, their relationship from now on would be entirely professional. If he were blameless, that would give Nell the opportunity to prove herself blameless, too.

* * *

Nell had waited for Hugo in his apartment. She’d made a cup of coffee, leaving it untouched while it had gone cold, and then emptied and washed the cup. Then she’d retreated to her own apartment, leaving the connecting door wide open, and switched the television on, hoping it might drown out the clamour of her own thoughts.

This was wrong. She’d been unable to say conclusively that she was entirely blameless in the business with Martin, but Hugo was different. No part of this was his fault, and yet in defending her he was the one who would feel humiliated.

Nell thought for a long time. When he came back, she’d put a stop to all this.

She heard the front door of his apartment close quietly, and hurried to the connecting door, stopping short at the threshold. When Hugo walked into the sitting room and saw her, he smiled.

Nell imagined that this was the smile he reserved for the most formal of occasions, devoid of any emotion other than the one he wanted to project. ‘It’s done, Nell. I’m going to...get some rest now.’

Normally she would have applauded the sentiment. Now, keeping Hugo awake until he’d told her exactly what had been done, and how it could be unravelled, seemed far more important.

‘What’s done?’

‘Our press officer has stopped the story. We’ve promised a press release on another matter during the next twenty-four hours.’

Things had moved faster than Nell had thought they might. But it still wasn’t irrevocable. ‘We can undo it then. I can find another way.’

He paused for a moment, just long enough for Nell to wonder whether he was reconsidering. But he was just choosing his words. ‘As I said, Nell, this is my battle too, and you don’t have to find another way.’

This was too much. Standing, yards away from each other, trading appropriate conversation. They should be past this by now, but somehow Martin had inveigled his way in between them, and Hugo no longer felt comfortable with the relationship they’d started to build.

It was obvious that Hugo wasn’t going to ask her into the apartment, but she couldn’t say what she wanted to say from the doorway. Nell took the initiative, walking over to the sofa and sitting down.

‘What did your mother mean by the Royal Agreement?’ Hugo had dismissed the idea quickly, but maybe this was an alternative.

He shook his head. ‘It doesn’t apply here. When my parents were first married, they were keen to bring up their family without the constant press attention that my father had when he was young. They made an agreement with the press, and until I was eighteen, the only news stories published about me were official press releases from the palace.’

Nell frowned. That didn’t seem to apply, but Queen Margaux had obviously thought it did. ‘There’s something you’re not telling me.’

‘My mother showed a great deal of foresight in negotiating certain extensions to that protection. My grandmother was allowed privacy during her final illness. And an engaged couple can expect the same privacy.’

An engaged couple?

What was the Queen thinking? Nell swallowed down her own objections to the plan, because it was something, anything, that would provide an alternative to what Hugo was planning to do now.

‘So your mother’s suggesting that...if we got engaged then there would be no difficulty in stopping this and other stories about us.’

‘Yes, that’s exactly what she’s suggesting. But I won’t put you through that...’

‘You make it sound as if you’re committing me to the palace dungeons. It’s not as bad as that, is it?’

The flicker of a smile crossed his face. ‘No. Not quite.’

‘Well, can’t we consider it? I don’t have to actually marry you, do I?’

‘No, you don’t. We’d have to make a show of being together for a few months, but after that we’d break the engagement off quietly... But look, Nell, your career is at stake here. There’s no point in saving it, only to have it ruined by being engaged to me.’

He had a point. Leaving her job and getting engaged to a prince might not look great on her CV, but it wouldn’t be as disastrous as having Martin’s story in the papers, and it wouldn’t hurt Hugo as much as his current plan would.

‘I don’t have to spend all my time just pretending to be engaged, do I? I could do some work with your charity, if that’s okay with you.’ He shook his head and Nell puffed out a breath. ‘This isn’t doing my ego any good, Hugo. Is it that bad to have to pretend you’re engaged to me?’

He laughed suddenly, all his reserve dissolving in his smile. ‘I’d be very honoured to be engaged to you. Even if I was just pretending.’

‘Then stop this nonsense about having to release the private details about your surgery. It’s not necessary, we can find another way.’

* * *

Nell had started to boss him around again and his resolve to keep her at a distance had melted. But at least she didn’t seem so beaten and dejected as she had when she’d recounted how she’d been treated by her last boss.

He’d begged her not to go through with this, and had told her that it was no sacrifice to allow his own medical details to be released to the papers instead, but she’d seen straight through him. So he’d called his mother, hoping that she might regret her mention of the Agreement, and talk some sense into Nell.

Fat chance. His mother had made a comment to the effect that she wished he’d make up his mind, and had gone on to embrace the idea. She appeared at the door of his apartment within minutes, and it seemed that she saw eye to eye with Nell over this compromise solution.

The details were worked out over a glass of wine. Nell insisted on giving up her employment, which seemed only sensible to Hugo. He insisted on her being involved with his work for the clinic as much as possible, so she’d at least have something to show on her CV later on. Even if that hadn’t worked out so well with his real engagement to Anna, it seemed that it could at least be accomplished in the context of a fake engagement.

‘This will work well, Hugo. You’re obviously already good friends.’ His mother’s habit of not leaving before she’d made some private comment about the situation could be trying, even if it did usually elicit her real thoughts.

‘We’re...’ Hugo shrugged. ‘Good friends doesn’t happen in the space of four days.’ Even if it did feel as if he’d known Nell for much, much longer than that.

‘You want to protect her. She wants to protect you.’ His mother turned on her heel, leaving Hugo to think about the implications of her statement.

He was too tired to think about anything very much. Nell cleared away the glasses, and thankfully skipped any examination of the healing incision on his chest. Perhaps she knew that the intimacy would be too much for him to bear tonight, when he was fighting to remain detached, now that they were alone.

He slept deeply, not remembering his dreams. In the morning, a package sent from his mother set the seal on the agreement that had been made last night, which was itself the stuff of crazy dreams.

He tore open the package and, looking inside, found a short handwritten note from his mother.

Treat her with the greatest respect, Hugo.

Right. He didn’t need to be told. He reached into the envelope again, finding a bundle of tissue paper wrappings and another note. He looked at both briefly, before putting them in his pocket.

CHAPTER EIGHT

NELL HEARD THE knock on the connecting door between their apartments, just as she was putting the last of her clothes into her suitcase. When she answered it, Hugo was looking rested, which was a great deal more than she felt.

‘You’ve had breakfast?’ He grinned at her and she felt her stomach lurch. That would have been entirely appropriate if the engagement they were planning wasn’t all a fabrication.

‘No, I’ve been packing my bags. I was going to get that done first.’ They’d agreed last night that it would be best for them both to leave the palace. Hugo’s house in the country had no staff and was small enough that Ted and his team could maintain close security.

‘Would you like to join me, then?’

She nodded. ‘Yes. That would be nice, thank you. Just toast...’

An awkward silence accompanied the arrival of the tray from the kitchen, and Hugo motioned towards the balcony table, indicating that the tray should be set down there. Nell sat down, reaching for the coffee and pouring it.

‘You still want to go through with it?’ He didn’t need to say what.

‘Yes, I do. I’m even more sure this morning.’

He nodded, taking a tissue paper package from his pocket, undoing it and laying four rings in a line on the table. ‘These are my mother’s. She’d like you to have something nice to wear.’

In Nell’s book, something nice didn’t necessarily have to cost as much as the average house. ‘They’re real?’

‘Yes, of course they are.’

‘I can’t wear any of these, Hugo, they must be worth... I can’t even think how much they might be worth. Can’t I wear a fake?’

He shook his head. ‘No fakes, Nell, please. This engagement may not be real, but I want to say to you now that my promise to protect you is. I believe that you want to protect me, too.’

It wasn’t the proposal that every girl dreamed of. But suddenly Nell felt that there was something real about this. Hugo was a better man than she’d thought he was, not just a spoiled prince who could destroy her if he wanted, the way that Martin had tried to.

‘I will protect you, Hugo. I promise you that.’

He nodded. ‘Then I’d like it if you would choose whichever ring you like the best.’

That sounded like something she could put her heart into. She looked at the rings, not daring to touch any of them. One had a massive ruby at the centre, and it looked far too opulent. The other three were all large diamonds.

‘That one...’ She pointed awkwardly to a diamond solitaire that flashed blue-white in the morning sunshine.

‘That’s a very good choice. It’s the best stone.’

Nell went to protest that the only thing she’d seen was that it was the smallest stone, and he silenced her with a laugh. Picking up the ring, he held it out towards her. ‘Will you wear it now?’

‘The announcement hasn’t gone out yet. I shouldn’t wear it until tomorrow, should I?’

‘We’ve made a promise. I’d like it if you would wear the ring now, because that’s what it is to us. You can wear it on your right hand until tomorrow.’

Still he wouldn’t touch her. It was as if this new arrangement had blotted out any possibility of an innocent touch, and anything physical was now laden with some kind of meaning. Nell reached out, putting her hand in his.

‘Then...would it be appropriate for you to put it on for me, please?’

‘I think that would be entirely appropriate.’ His voice sounded inappropriately husky, and Nell avoided his gaze. Looking into his eyes wasn’t necessary.

She felt him slip the ring onto her finger, twisting it a quarter turn to get it past the knuckle. ‘It looks nice.’

Nice was a bit of an understatement. It looked amazing, and far too good for Nell.

‘It’s beautiful. I’ll take care of it and return it to your mother in good condition.’

He wrapped the remaining three rings in the crumpled tissue paper, and then put them back into his pocket, withdrawing a piece of folded notepaper. He handed it to Nell and got to his feet. ‘I’ll leave you to read that.’

Nell read the note. Queen Margaux would be most grateful if she could accept whichever ring she and Hugo chose, as a gift. It would be a symbol of gratitude and of enduring friendship between them.

Nell put the letter down on the table. It was too generous, and she’d have to ask Hugo if there was some way she could express her gratitude to his mother, whilst refusing the gift. She had the feeling that wearing it after the arrangement was over wasn’t going to be a particularly comfortable option.

But while she had it on her finger, she’d do her best for Hugo. She’d take care of him, and help him raise the money he needed for the clinic. That was a promise.

* * *

Hugo was aware that this arrangement had to be treated with the utmost delicacy. He must show how much he valued Nell as a friend. Slipping into anything more would be horribly easy, and something that he had promised himself he wouldn’t do.

All the same, their departure from the palace seemed like the start of something new and exciting. With the top of his convertible rolled back, and Nell at the wheel, it felt as if he was making an escape with a beautiful woman at his side. Who knew what might happen when they were finally alone, away from the bustle of the palace?

Ted’s voice from the back seat jerked him back into reality. ‘Left-hand side...’

Nell obligingly swerved to the left of the palace driveway, and came to a halt, waiting for the palace guard to open the gates.

‘Thanks. I nearly forgot.’

She waved to the guard, the ring flashing bright on her finger. Then she turned out of the gates into the anonymity of the busy city on a warm summer’s morning.

* * *

Their destination was only half an hour’s drive away, which was about as far as anyone could go from the capital of Montarino and still remain within its borders. There was no suburban sprawl, just a sudden change from houses to open countryside. And the countryside in Montarino was beautiful.

Hugo directed Nell through rolling hills and around the edge of a wide, blue lake. Another mile and they reached a high wall, built of weathered bricks, driving the length of it until they reached an archway, protected by a heavy wooden gate.

The gate swung open and Ted got out of the car, speaking briefly to the man who had opened it. He waved the car through, and Nell drew up outside the house. It was small by the standards of the palace, built in stone and shaded by trees. A small garden at the side was overlooked by arches, the weathered stone now housing state-of-the-art single sheets of glass.

‘It’s lovely. This has been in your family for a long time?’

Hugo quirked his lips downwards, shaking his head. ‘No. I bought this place with my doctor’s salary. Since I have almost everything else provided for me, it seemed like a good idea to have my own bolthole.’

Nell wondered what it must be like to have to take your own independence that seriously. She took it for granted that everything she had was the product of her own work, but Hugo seemed to need to make a distinction between what he’d been given and what he’d earned.

Inside, the house was light, airy and simple. None of the folderols of the palace, just plain furniture in neutral colours, exposed wooden beams and a utilitarian kitchen. Upstairs, there were three bedrooms, one of which was clearly Hugo’s. He directed her towards a second, which commanded stunning views of the hills stretching off into the distance.

‘I suppose I’ll have to keep away from the windows when the news breaks.’ Nell wasn’t exactly sure what to expect.

‘Not really. Because of the Agreement, the paparazzi won’t be able to sell any pictures they take, so it’s not worth their time. And Ted’s team will make sure that no one disturbs us here.’

‘You usually have this much security?’ Nell had counted four men outside.

‘No, it’s usually just Ted, and he generally doesn’t have all that much to do. He stays in the guest house at the back.’

Nell walked over to the window, looking out. Beyond the garden, and shielded by trees, was a small cottage, nestling against the perimeter wall.

‘It all sounds reassuringly normal.’

‘Not quite. But we try to make it so.’ Hugo was watching her speculatively. ‘There is one thing I want to ask you.’

‘What’s that?’

‘Nadine, the little girl in the brochure, wearing a pink dress. I told you she’d had an operation recently...’

‘Yes, I remember.’

‘Dr Bertrand, the head of department, is the only one there who knows that I’ve been ill—everyone else thinks I’m taking a leave of absence for fundraising. He told me that he’d have me removed by security if I went in to see Nadine earlier than seven days after my own operation.’

Nell grinned. ‘He sounds like a good man...’

‘He’s a very good man. You’d like him.’

‘And since this is the seventh day, you’d like to go and see Nadine.’

‘It would be best to go today. After the news of our engagement breaks, my turning up on the ward might cause a bit of a stir.’

‘Where is the hospital?’

‘On this side of the city, so it’ll only take twenty minutes to get there. I’m feeling better every day, and I’d really like to see Nadine.’

If this was normal, then it was a new normal that Nell hadn’t experienced before. Hugo asking her whether or not he could do something. ‘It sounds like a lovely idea. May I come along? I’d like to see the hospital.’

Hugo smiled. As time went on that smile was surfacing more and more, and it convinced Nell that everything was going to be all right. ‘I was hoping you might. You’ll have to drive.’

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