An unexpected inheritance...

When Geri Collins learns she’s the daughter of a lord her world changes in an instant. Running from a relationship gone wrong, she seizes the opportunity to help her gravely ill father by running his Harley Street clinic.

If only she didn’t have to deal with the sensual temptation of her new partner—the notorious “Dark Duke”! Thomas Ashwood unnerves her with every burning look and suggestive word. And as Christmas approaches Geri finds herself contemplating the consequences of a kiss under the mistletoe...

He had to make his excuses and get out of here.

It was best if he kept his distance from her. They were business partners and nothing more. That was all they could be. And the fact that he had to keep reminding himself of that was not a good sign.

“Well, I have some other surgical patients to make my rounds on. I’ll leave you to your work.”

It was a complete lie. There was no one else to do rounds on, but the more Thomas lingered here the harder it was to leave. He found himself enjoying her company.

“I’ll see you later. I should head back to the office.”

Geri nodded and walked away, doing what he couldn’t do. And he watched her walk down the hall toward the elevators.

This was bad.

When had she gone from being someone he loathed—someone he’d planned to put through her paces because he wanted Charles’s practice all to himself—to being someone he wasn’t able to tear himself away from, admiring the flush of her skin, the red of her lips and wondering what it would be like to take her in his arms and kiss her?

The moment you saw her.

Dear Reader,

Thank you for picking up a copy of Unwrapped by the Duke.

London, England, has always been a destination at the top of my bucket list. I’ve been in love with everything British since I was a young girl and was forced to watch countless hours of Fawlty Towers, Monty Python and Blackadder. ‘Forced’ is not the right word... I highly enjoyed spending that time with my father, and it started my lifelong love of anything British.

My love for and fascination with the British monarchy stems back to that magical moment when I was only five years old and I stayed up to watch Princess Diana marry Prince Charles. I was in a sleeping bag on the floor, staring up at the television in wonder and awe.

I had so much fun writing about Thomas Ashwood, Duke of Weatherstone. He was a delightfully dark and delicious hero to write about—although he has a hard time believing in love after a very lonely childhood. Dr Geraldine Collins comes from a very different world from Thomas’s—but only different in situation. She’s also had a very lonely childhood, with a cold, detached mother and a father she doesn’t know exists until the start of our story.

Thomas and Geri don’t believe in love. They think they’re fine on their own—until they meet and realise just how lonely they both are. I hope you enjoy Thomas and Geri’s story just as much as I enjoyed writing it.

I love hearing from readers, so please drop by my website, amyruttan.com, or give me a shout on Twitter @ruttanamy.

With warmest wishes,

Amy Ruttan

Unwrapped by the Duke

Amy Ruttan

www.millsandboon.co.uk

Born and raised just outside Toronto, Ontario, AMY RUTTAN fled the big city to settle down with the country boy of her dreams. After the birth of her second child Amy was lucky enough to realise her lifelong dream of becoming a romance author. When she’s not furiously typing away at her computer she’s mum to three wonderful children who use her as a personal taxi and chef.

Books by Amy Ruttan

Mills & Boon Medical Romance

The Hollywood Hills Clinic

Perfect Rivals...

Sealed by a Valentine’s Kiss

His Shock Valentine’s Proposal

Craving Her Ex-Army Doc

Melting the Ice Queen’s Heart

Pregnant with the Soldier’s Son

Dare She Date Again?

It Happened in Vegas

Taming Her Navy Doc

One Night in New York

Tempting Nashville’s Celebrity Doc

Visit the Author Profile page at millsandboon.co.uk for more titles.

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This book is dedicated to my aunt Margaret. She is the one who got me interested in everything to do with the British Royal Family. She sent me books, newspaper articles, magazines. Thank you, Aunt Margaret. So glad you shared your interest with me.

This book is also dedicated to my dad, who set me on the path to loving anything British or British comedy–related. So, Dad, and the rubber button is...?

Praise for Amy Ruttan

‘Amy Ruttan delivers an entertaining read that transports readers into a world of blissful romance set amidst the backdrop of the medical field. Sharp, witty and descriptive, One Night in New York is sure to keep readers turning the pages!’

—Contemporary Romance Reviews

‘I recommend Perfect Rivals... as a place to start for those who haven’t thought of trying the Medical line before, because this will be an absolute treat... I give it five stars because of the characters, the plot, and the fact I couldn’t put it down... Please read this book—stat!’

—Goodreads

‘The secrets, the rivalry and the electrifying chemistry... His Shock Valentine’s Proposal is a treat for fans of Medical romances!’

—Goodreads

Contents

Cover

Back Cover Text

Introduction

Dear Reader

Title Page

About the Author

Dedication

Praise

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

EPILOGUE

Extract

Copyright

CHAPTER ONE

“AND THIS IS WHERE you can change into your lab coat while you make rounds on our patients.”

Geri nodded her head as she followed her father into the lounge all the surgeons and physicians at the hospital used. There were overstuffed sofas and a sparkling kitchen area. It was a comfortable enough room, more than comfortable, a lot different from the rooms in the inner-city Glasgow hospital where she’d done her residency. Those rooms usually had a couple of vending machines and a ratty old settee. Not that she’d spent much time in the doctors’ lounge. She’d spent most of her time on the surgical floor.

Until a month ago when she’d given up her chance to be a surgeon.

She’d had every intention of finishing her surgical residency, but circumstances had changed after her last year on rotation and her father’s offer to become a cardiologist had suited her just fine.

She’d been surprised at the opulence she found herself suddenly thrust into.

Of course, her father was a prestigious cardiologist, with a practice in Harley Street. Being a member of the peerage, he was used to working in more comfortable surroundings.

She was finding it all a bit overwhelming.

It had only been last year that her estranged father had reached out to her and she’d gone from that young girl who’d grown up in a poorer district of Glasgow, studying hard to get scholarships and working two jobs to pay her way through medical school, to heiress.

Geri had spent her whole life doing everything in her power to make a better life for herself, to distance herself from her cold, detached mother who was now living in some commune in Israel. A mother who had no interest in a connection with her daughter anymore.

Which also suited Geri just fine.

So it had been a complete shock to her system to finally meet her father and find out that he was an aristocrat—a lord—and that she was a lady and the heiress to a family seat that stretched back to the time of King George III. And it wasn’t just that. Her father was retiring and he was leaving his practice to her.

When he’d offered her the practice last year she’d turned him down. She’d been involved with Frederick and on her way to becoming a cardiothoracic surgeon.

Besides, she hadn’t really wanted to get to know the man who hadn’t given two figs about her existence until it had suited him.

Then Frederick had broken her heart and because of her relationship with him she’d became the laughing stock of the surgical program in Glasgow. She’d decided to take the easy way out and take her father up on his offer.

A secret shame she’d have to bear. Which was only fitting punishment for thinking herself in love with a surgeon she’d been learning from. For letting her emotions rule her heart.

Her mother had told her time and time again to hide away her feelings. Feelings served no purpose. They were a form of weakness.

So she’d left Glasgow for London to take over her father’s share of the practice.

Surgery was the price she had to pay for her indiscretion.

It wasn’t a solo practice, as her father shared his practice with a cardiothoracic surgeon, but that didn’t matter. It’s what made her father’s practice one of the top ones in Harley Street. In the same office you could meet with your cardiologist and one of the best cardiothoracic surgeons was just down the hall. Geri had yet to meet the infamous Mr. Ashwood, but she had read some of his research papers when she’d been doing her surgical residency. He was certainly an impressive and accomplished surgeon.

“Geraldine, you looked a little flustered. Are you sure you’re well, my dear? We can save this walk-through for another time. You’ve only just arrived from Glasgow. Perhaps you should go back to my house and unpack. Rest.”

“No, I assure you I’m fine.” Geri smiled. “Please do continue.”

She couldn’t bring herself to call him “Father” just yet. He was still Lord Collins to her. She was staying at his home for now. Just until after Christmas when she could find her own place. It was awkward, to say the least. He walked around her like she was delicate china and was going to shatter.

They’d been together for a month and she felt like she didn’t even know him. And she wasn’t all that sure she wanted to.

Her father nodded, though he looked uncomfortable. Sometimes it was hard, being alone with him. It was awkward. They were too polite, but then there were other times when they enjoyed each other’s company. Still, those times were few and far between.

He looked down at his pager. “Ah, a spot of trouble. One of my patients has just been admitted. Would you like to come meet her or would you rather stay here?”

“I’ll stay here, I think. Just get my bearings. I’m sure I’ll meet her soon enough.”

Her father nodded. “I won’t be a moment.”

Geri breathed a sigh of relief when her father left her alone.

She was still trying to process it all. She couldn’t quite believe she was here. It had always been a secret dream of hers to meet her father one day. Until each year had passed and those secret dreams of her father coming to rescue her from a lonely childhood had faded into nothing. At the age of eighteen she’d had his last name, known his first name was Charles, but had had no idea that he was a member of the aristocracy. And she couldn’t be bothered to find out anything about him.

She’d had no idea he was a physician in Harley Street with a home at the posh end of Holland Park.

It was all a bit overwhelming. She sat on the edge of a couch and took a deep breath.

What am I doing here? I don’t belong here.

“Excuse me, but are you lost?” It wasn’t totally a question. It was a question mixed with annoyance.

Geri stood and turned around. She was taken aback by the tall, dark, handsome surgeon standing in the doorway, his face like thunder as he glared at her, letting her know in no uncertain terms she didn’t belong there.

“Thank you for your concern, but I’m not lost.”

He cocked his head to one side. “This room is for surgeons only. I think you’re in the wrong place.”

His voice was deep and husky, which sent a shiver of anticipation through her. She always fell for dark, brooding men. Frederick had been dark and brooding and look how that turned out.

Don’t get carried away.

“I can assure you I’m not lost,” she said again. “I was accompanying my father and he asked me to wait here until he returned. Besides, this is the physicians’ lounge. Not the surgeons’ lounge.”

He snorted and moved past her into the room. “I’ll have to have a talk with them, they’ll let just about anyone in here.”

“My, we’re in a foul mood, aren’t we?” She was tired of pompous, arrogant, rude people.

He poured himself a cup of coffee and then turned to look at her. “You’re not from around here, are you?”

“Oh, and what was it that gave it away?”

He grinned. “That delightful accent you have. Somewhere in Scotland, I assume.”

He was right, of course, but she wasn’t going to let this holier-than-thou surgeon off the hook. He was presumptuous, conceited and haughty. And handsome, but never mind that. He needed to be taken down a peg or two.

“You know what they say about assumptions,” she muttered under her breath.

He crossed his arms and leaned back against the counter, his eyes twinkling. “No, what do they say? Enlighten me, miss.”

Darn.

He’d heard her. Well, two could play at this game.

“It’s ‘Doctor,’ actually,” she said, correcting him.

He cocked his eyebrows. “Is it really? Are you going to be working here, then?”

“In a manner of speaking.” She tried to be evasive and end the conversation with him, but she wasn’t that lucky. The way he’d asked if she was going to be working here made her feel nervous. Like suddenly she was a mouse and he was a cat, closing in for a kill.

He grinned, a lazy sort of grin that Geri knew all too well from the rogues she was used to dating. That smile was wolfish, almost predatory in nature, and as he set his coffee mug down and moved away from the counter towards her, Geri knew she was in deep, deep trouble.

“Well, my apologies, then. I had no idea that you were a new surgeon here.”

“Just a doctor, actually. I’m not a surgeon.” It stung to say that, but she didn’t let it show. Her mother couldn’t tolerate any show of emotion and she had learned well.

“I just naturally assumed you were a surgeon. You have an authoritative air about you.”

“And only surgeons have the right to be authoritative?”

“Yes. I mean, lives are in our hands.”

Geri rolled her eyes. Good lord, he was arrogant. “You’re unbelievable.”

“Why, thank you.” He made a bow with a flourish.

“It’s not a compliment. You’re the most conceited, prideful man I have ever had the displeasure of knowing.”

“Oh, come, now, darling. Surely not the worst?” He winked. “You’ve only known me for a few fleeting moments. Spend some more time with me and you’ll no longer feel displeasure.”

“Don’t call me darling. I’m most definitely not your darling.”

He leaned over and whispered in her ear, his hot breath fanning her neck, “Ah, but you could be.”

It took all her strength not to slap him hard across the face or let him kiss her. It had been a long time since Frederick. A long time since she’d felt any kind of desire for a man.

“Geraldine, I’m sorry I took so long,” her father said, coming into the room. She jumped back, silently thanking her father for his timing. “Ah, I see that I no longer have to seek you out, Thomas. Geraldine, I would like you to meet Mr. Thomas Ashwood. Thomas, this is my daughter, Geraldine Collins. She’ll be taking over my position in the practice when I retire.”

* * *

“Pardon?” Thomas said, sounding a bit dumbfounded. He was sure he’d heard the enchantress say the same thing the moment Charles Collins had dropped the bombshell on him. “What was that?”

“My daughter, Dr. Geraldine Collins. She’s the cardiologist who is taking over my role in the practice. She’ll be your partner.”

Oh. God.

He’d been hitting on Charles’s daughter? His competition, the bane of his existence since Charles had announced that he was retiring and leaving the practice. Thomas had thought that he was going to take over the practice in its entirety. He’d planned to hire an up-and-coming cardiologist and expand the surgical side of the practice. Take it to new heights, ones that he’d never been able to meet before.

But now he found himself with an unwanted new partner. The daughter of the great Charles Collins. He knew the type. Debutante. Spoiled, selfish and she would be all over him in a trice when she learned of his aristocratic background. Society women were out for money and blood.

It was all the same with women from the circles he moved in and he’d expected nothing different from Collins’s daughter.

Until now.

She was nothing like he’d expected. She stood up for herself. She exchanged banter with him and didn’t back down. He liked matching wits with someone. Not only was she a beauty, she was intelligent to boot. It was kind of exciting and also a bit bothersome. To her credit, Dr. Geraldine Collins didn’t look exactly thrilled at the prospect of being his partner either.

“This is Mr. Ashwood?” Geraldine asked. Thomas couldn’t help but notice the mild disgust in her voice. “This is the Mr. Ashwood who is your partner in your practice?”

Thomas bowed slightly at the waist. “One and the same, dear lady.”

Geraldine’s eyes shot daggers at him.

“Have I missed something?” Charles asked, apparently confused.

“No, nothing at all, Charles. I didn’t exactly make my presence known to your enchanting daughter when I arrived. I’m afraid I took her a bit by surprise.”

Charles Collins cocked his eyebrows. “Oh. Well, that explains everything.”

“Aye?” Geraldine blushed and cleared her throat. “I mean, I suppose it does.”

Thomas had been charmed the moment the “Aye” had slipped past her lips. She seemed refined, but she had obviously not been raised in the world he was used to, the world that both he and Charles came from.

And that intrigued him all the more, which was a dangerous thing indeed. He had to make an expeditious exit or he might do something he’d regret. And he thought too highly of Charles to besmirch the good name of Collins.

“Well, if you’ll both excuse me...” As he was trying to make his excuse his pager and Charles’s both went off. It was their patient, Lord Twinsbury. He was on his way to hospital and E.

“Blast,” Charles said. “I have an office full of appointments.”

“I can handle this, Charles,” Thomas offered.

“I can assist,” Geraldine said to her father. “You can head back to the practice and I can assist Mr. Ashwood.”

No.

“That’s an excellent idea,” Charles said. “You met Lord Twinsbury last week when he visited. You’re familiar with his file. What say you, Thomas? I mean, you’ll eventually have to work together when I retire officially, so why not take the plunge now?”

“I don’t think I’ll need Dr. Collins’s assistance in this matter.” He was grasping at straws, but he really needed to get away from Geraldine. She piqued an interest in him that he hadn’t felt in some time and he didn’t like the way it made him feel.

“With all due respect, Mr. Ashwood, we don’t even know if this is a surgical case,” Geraldine said firmly. “And I will be present as we both examine Lord Twinsbury.”

She had spirit. He liked that.

“You don’t have hospital privileges.”

It was a weak excuse.

“I do, as a matter of fact. I was granted them this morning.” Geraldine crossed her arms, smiling very smugly.

“Now, instead of standing here and arguing, why don’t we meet Lord Twinsbury in A and E and give him the attention he needs?”

Thomas was stunned as Geraldine moved past him and headed out into the hall. Even Charles looked a bit shocked but Thomas didn’t have time to sit there and hash it out with him. Instead, he ran to catch up with Geraldine, who was marching away, her back ramrod straight and honey-brown strands of hair escaping that severe bun that was pinned at the back of her head. He couldn’t help but admire her backside as she marched down the hall.

Don’t think about her like that. She’s off-limits.

“Do you even know where the A and E department is?” Thomas asked as he fell into step beside her.

She rolled her eyes at him. “Don’t be silly. Of course I do.”

“Good, because right now you’re headed to the operating theater floor and A and E is this way.” Thomas motioned over his shoulder in the opposite direction. He should’ve just let her go and get lost. Then he could deal with Lord Twinsbury himself, only something deep inside him, that nagging conscience he tried so often to ignore when it came to the opposite sex, was yelling at him to do the right thing.

She skittered to a stop and looked down the hall, her hazel eyes sparkling with determination, annoyance and possibly embarrassment, her red lips pressed together in a firm line.

“Are you going to show me the right way, then, or am I to find the way myself?”

“If I was going to let you fend for yourself I wouldn’t have stopped you and told you were going in the wrong direction.”

Geraldine’s shoulders relaxed and a small smile crept onto her face. “Thank you. I didn’t think you would... That is to say...”

“There’s no explanation needed.” Thomas knew what she was trying to say, that she didn’t think he would help her, and part of him was telling him not to. To let her flounder. She was, after all, the competition. Only he couldn’t do that.

He might go by “the Dark Duke” in his social circle, the rake who seduced debutantes and left them the next day, but he was, after all, a gentleman above all else. Only, since the moment he’d first begun arguing with her, he’d been trying not to think about all the ungentlemanly things he wanted to do to her.

“It’s this way,” he said, motioning with his head.

She nodded and they walked side by side down the hall, not saying a word. He was truly impressed that she was able to keep up with his long easy strides in her tight pencil skirt and heels.

She was graceful, refined, but there was something hidden beneath that polished, emotionless surface. Something quite different from the women he was used to. She was tough, hardened but he had no doubt she was soft and feminine under that facade. He would like to find out, she intrigued him.

But he would not seduce Charles’s daughter and since settling down was out of the question for him, he would just have to keep a safe distance from Geraldine Collins.

They entered A and E and were waved over by the consultant in charge.

“He insisted on having his cardiology team come and look at him,” Dr. Sears said, looking over at Geraldine, confused, before turning back to Thomas. “Where is Dr. Collins?”

“I am Dr. Collins.” Geraldine pushed past him and Thomas shrugged, smirking. He had to admire her tenacity.

Lord Twinsbury was quite pale and lying back on the gurney. He smiled, though, when Geraldine came in.

“Ah, I thought I would be seeing your father but I assure you this is a better substitute.”

Geraldine smiled. “Lord Twinsbury, you’re a flirt.”

“How many times do I have to insist you call me Lionel?”

Thomas cocked his eyebrows. Never in the thirty-odd years he’d known Lord Twinsbury personally and the five years he had been the man’s surgeon had he been permitted to call him Lionel.

And Lord Twinsbury was one of his godfathers.

“Lionel, then.” Geraldine smiled. “What seems to be the matter?”

Lord Twinsbury craned his neck and looked at Thomas. “Young fellow, they paged you as well. That’s good.”

“I would certainly hope that they would page me as well, my lord, or perhaps you’ll allow me to call you Lionel, as well?”

Lord Twinsbury fixed him with a stare, much like his own dear departed father used to do. “I think not. You’re not an attractive lady, like Geraldine is.”

The stern smile softened as he looked over at Geraldine, who was taking Lord Twinsbury’s blood pressure and frowning.

“Look at this, Mr. Ashwood,” she said. Thomas leaned over to look at the reading and grimaced.

“Well? What’s wrong? I can tell by your faces that my blood pressure isn’t good.”

“No, it’s not, my lord.” Thomas pulled out his stethoscope. “Do you mind if I have a listen?”

Geraldine helped Lord Twinsbury sit up as Thomas listened to the erratic sound of Lord Twinsbury’s heart trying to pump blood through his clogged arteries. He had been warning Lord Twinsbury for years that his clogged arteries would only get worse. They had done several angioplasties at different times, but Thomas knew and had told him that one day it would come to open heart surgery.

It looked like that day had come.

“I can tell by your face, Thomas, that you’re going to tell me something I really don’t want to hear,” Lord Twinsbury said.

“You can call me by my given name but I can’t call you Lionel?”

“Your father would have a thousand fits knowing you’re being so informal with me,” Lord Twinsbury warned.

Thomas rolled his eyes. “My lord, you know what has to happen. I’ve told you this day would come. You need a coronary artery bypass graft and you need one today. Now. Or the next time you’re speaking in the House of Lords you’re liable to drop dead.”

Geraldine gasped. “You have a terrible bedside manner, Mr. Ashwood.”

Lord Twinsbury chuckled and patted Geraldine’s hand. “Nonsense. I’m used to his behavior. I like his frank talk, my dear. It keeps me on my toes.”

Geraldine frowned and Thomas winked at her.

“I’ll have you admitted, Lord Twinsbury, and then we’ll get you ready to go up to the operating theater today.”

Lord Twinsbury nodded and then turned to Geraldine. “I do hope you’ll stay, my dear. Your father has been treating my heart for so many years and I want to make sure I have someone I can trust in there.”

Thomas groaned and walked out of the room.

Lord Twinsbury was an eccentric character. He was also pompous and arrogant. Never took his advice. Probably because he still saw Thomas as that little boy who’d destroyed his Tudor hedge maze during Royal Ascot when he was ten.

“Mr. Ashwood, can I speak with you a moment?”

Good. Lord.

His day had been going so well. He’d done a great LVAD surgery to extend the life of a patient and was planning on returning to his office to get some charting done. He had not planned to deal with Charles Collins’s daughter today.

He turned around. “How can I help you, Dr. Collins?”

“Do you treat all our patients in such a manner?”

“I do, as a matter of fact, because most of them I’ve known for quite some time. I haven’t had any complaints yet.”

“Do you think that he warrants a coronary artery bypass graft? Wouldn’t another angioplasty or perhaps an endocardectomy work in this case? Is surgery really the answer for a seventy-three-year-old man in poor health?”

This was a little too much.

“Have I missed something, Dr. Collins? Are you or are you not a surgeon?”

Red tinged her cheeks and he’d hit a tender spot on her hardened walls. A chink in the armor, as it were. So perhaps there was a weakness, a crack in her icy facade. “I am a cardiologist so, no, I am not a surgeon.”

“Then do not question my surgical opinion.”

“Lord Twinsbury is as much my patient as yours.”

“Your father would never question my surgical decisions,” Thomas snapped.

“Perhaps he should.”

Thomas took a step closer to her. “How long have you been treating Lord Twinsbury, Dr. Collins? A few hours, perhaps. I have been treating him for five years and over that five years I’ve done numerous angioplasties and made a failed attempt at a carotid endocardectomy, which almost killed him. I have informed my patient that he would need a coronary artery bypass graft. I have tried to keep the procedures as minimally invasive as possible for the sake of my patient, who has been in congestive heart failure for a long time, but there is no other option, so unless you’re able to perform in the operating theater and have discovered a new, minimally invasive way of doing a coronary artery bypass graft, I would suggest you head back to our surgery in Harley Street and leave the surgical procedures to the qualified individuals.”

He turned on his heel and left her, hating himself for taking her down like that in the hallway, in front of the A and E department and other physicians. Physicians she’d be working with.

He hated himself for making her feel that way.

If it had been anyone else, he wouldn’t feel as bad as he did now. He’d given dressing-downs like that before and they had never eaten away at his conscience, but this was different.

He didn’t know why, but it was and he didn’t like it one bit.

CHAPTER TWO

I SHOULD LEAVE.

Geri bit her lip as she paced the viewing gallery of the operating theater where Thomas Ashwood was currently performing a coronary artery bypass graft on Lord Twinsbury. How she wished she could be in there, assisting. She’d read so many papers Mr. Ashwood had written. A few hours ago she would have given anything to learn from him.

Now she knew that would be a mistake. Just like Frederick had been a colossal mistake. She was here to start afresh. To prove herself. There was no way she was going to become entangled in a dalliance at work because the last time it had cost her her surgical career.

It didn’t have to.

Geri shook that thought away and closed her eyes, thinking about the surgery and how she wished she was in that operating theater. Only Mr. Ashwood had made it perfectly clear that he did not want her around.

She’d been embarrassed and after her temper had cooled she’d realized he was right. She wasn’t a surgeon; she may have seen and done surgeries during her residency, but she wasn’t a full-fledged surgeon and she never would be. Besides, she’d only known Lord Twinsbury for a week and even though she read over his file she hadn’t worked with him as long as Mr. Ashwood had.

She wanted to apologize to him.

“Apologizing is a sign of weakness.”

Geri shook her mother’s voice from her head. Apologizing in this case was not a sign of weakness but respect. She’d been wrong.

Geri had been less than thrilled to learn that the arrogant, pompous surgeon who had come sweeping into the doctors’ lounge, making assumptions about her, was her new partner. And she’d been taken a little off guard by the fact that he was a devilishly handsome, well-spoken man of breeding. As well as a surgeon she admired.

Which meant he was completely off-limits.

Definitely.

She had been hoping that she wouldn’t have to see him again, but to find out that he was the cardiothoracic surgeon and partner in the practice was too much to bear. She’d been expecting Mr. Ashwood to be someone like her father. Older and possibly on the verge of retirement.

If Mr. Ashwood was venerable she’d eat her hat and try to find out where he kept the youth elixir. She couldn’t help but wonder what her father saw in him. Her father only seemed to associate with those of his own class, members of society, what would’ve once been affectionately referred to as “the ton” if all those historical romance novels she’d read as a girl were correct.

She had been surprised to see her father’s partner was someone so young and his complete opposite. Her father was reserved, awkward and well-bred. Mr. Ashwood had a relaxed, devil-may-care attitude. A definite rogue. Then again, her father had partnered with her mother, a common daughter of a Glasgow teacher, and had produced her.

Yeah, but that didn’t last too long, did it?

Geraldine paused in her pacing to look down at him, operating on Lord Twinsbury. Even in the operating theater he had a commanding presence and she couldn’t help but admire his technique. She may not be a surgeon, but she’d watched many surgeries and Mr. Ashwood knew exactly what he was doing and he was doing it with finesse.

“There you are, Geraldine.”

Geri turned to see her father enter the observation room.

“I thought you went back to the office?” she said.

Her father shrugged his shoulders. “I was going to, but then I heard a rumor that Thomas gave you quite a dressing-down in the hall.”

Heat bloomed in her cheeks. Great. She was already making the rumor mill here. She swallowed her pride. “And rightfully so. I stepped out of line.”

“I should say so.” A smile played on her father’s lips and she couldn’t help but smile secretly to herself. He was still handsome. Even at sixty-nine she could see why her mother had fallen for her father. Or had at least stuck around long enough to conceive her.

She just didn’t see what her father had seen in her mother.

“I’m hoping he’ll allow me to apologize to him,” she said, rubbing the back of her neck.

“It’s best not to bring it up. Don’t let him see your soft underbelly. You gave an opinion, and though not the right one, it was still an opinion nonetheless. Thomas is ruthless. It’s why I asked him to be a partner. He’s talented but ruthless. If you want to survive in a successful practice with him you have to stand by everything you say. You have to bite back.”

Geri cocked an eyebrow. “Bite back?”

Her father nodded. “It will blow over and you’ll both find a rhythm of partnership. So why don’t we head home? I had Jensen bring the car around.”

Even though she was sorely tempted to leave and not expose her soft underbelly to Mr. Ashwood, she couldn’t leave things like they were. She had been wrong to question him.

And she wasn’t going to run this time. She was here for the long haul.

“I think I’ll stay if it’s all the same to you.”

“Are you sure, Geraldine?”

She nodded. “Positive.”

Her father reached down and squeezed her shoulder. “Just call for the car when you need it, then. Jensen won’t mind.”

“Of course.”

Only she wouldn’t. She’d take the tube to Holland Park. She may not be from London, but she knew her way around public transportation just fine. She just wouldn’t tell her father that. He would have a thousand fits if he knew that she was taking public transportation like a commoner. Only that was what she was.

She may talk in a refined way, because she worked hard to drop the rough accent she’d had since childhood, but she didn’t belong in this world she’d just been thrust into.

The first time she’d had a formal dinner at her father’s large Holland Park home she’d been so confused by the number of forks she’d made an excuse about not being hungry and had left the table.

Her father had been less than thrilled to find that she’d walked down the street to the local pub and had had something to eat there.

What am I doing here?

She tried to tell herself that she was getting to know her estranged father, taking the opportunity of a lifetime of inheriting a lucrative practice in Harley Street, but she wasn’t sure that was it.

There was a buzz on the intercom, snapping Geri out of her reverie. She got up and pushed the button.

“Dr. Collins, I’m surprised to see you up there,” Thomas said, not looking up at her.

“Well, Lord Twinsbury did mention that he wanted me close by.”

Thomas glanced up and there was a twinkle in his eyes. “So he did. Why don’t you scrub in and come down here? You can keep me company.”

“I thought since I wasn’t a surgeon my place wasn’t in the operating theater.”

He chuckled. “So I did, but I think this once I can make an exception for my new partner. Will you come down?”

“I’ll be right there.” Geri let go of the buzzer and made her way down to the change room, where she found some scrubs. A nurse led her to the scrub room, where she scrubbed down and then entered the operating theater. She kept a discreet distance so she didn’t contaminate the sterile field. She’d missed being in the operating theater. It had been so long.

“I wanted to apologize, Mr. Ashwood,” she said.

“Whatever for?” he asked absently, in that haughty way that drove her insane.

“I think you know.”

He shook his head. “No apology needed. I might’ve been too harsh on you. You’re allowed to have an opinion.”

Geraldine was shocked. Frederick would’ve never admitted that to another surgeon or doctor.

“I really think—”

“No. It’s done. More suction, please.” Thomas didn’t look at her as he continued the surgery. “Lord Twinsbury is a friend of my father’s. I’ve known him for quite some time. I get a little overprotective of him.”

“I see. Is your father friends with my father?”

Thomas smiled behind his mask, she could tell by the way his eyes crinkled. “No, in fact they were nemesis...or is that nemeses?”

Geri chuckled. “Rivals?”

“In some respects,” Thomas said. “Although my father was not in the medical profession. I believe they were both rapscallions in their youth. Playing the field and going after the same women.”

Geri’s stomach twisted in a knot and she had a hard time picturing her father as a rapscallion. “Is that a fact?”

“Yes. I was surprised when your father brought me on when I completed my surgical residency. He had the most prestigious cardiology practice in Harley Street and I was willing to give my eyeteeth to work with him. I had to convince him that taking on a surgeon was a good business decision.”

That was more believable. In the short time she’d known her father she’d gathered he wasn’t one to take chances.

“Well, you seemed to have won him over.”

“He never told me about you, though, not until a couple of months ago when he said you were joining us.” This time he looked up from the surgery to fix her with those dark eyes that seemed to see past her facade into her very soul.

“My father and I don’t have the best relationship. Or at least we didn’t. I’m hoping to rectify that now.” She hoped he didn’t know she was lying through her teeth and under his hard stare she felt a bit uncomfortable.

“You’re not even listed in Debrett’s.”

“Should I be?” Geri asked, hoping her voice didn’t rise with her nervousness.

“Your parents were legally married.”

“Briefly. I believe the divorce was finalized just after I was born. My mother left before she knew she was pregnant with me.”

“So you should be in Debrett’s, given that your father has a seat in the House of Lords.”

“You seem to know a lot about me.”

“I know nothing about you and that’s the problem.” He held out a hand while a scrub nurse passed him an instrument. “You’re a complete mystery.”

“Why are you even looking me up in Debrett’s? What does it matter if I’m listed in there? It’s a pretty useless publication, if you ask me.” She crossed her arms, hugging herself, as if that would hide the fact that she was the estranged daughter of an aristocrat.

She’d read this story a million times in the romance novels she cherished. Only those novels were fiction and fantasy. This was real life.

And she was a doctor, a darned good doctor who was specializing in cardiology, and she had no interest, at the moment, in anything beyond medicine and helping her patients.

“It is that,” Thomas agreed. “I mean, who needs to know who is thirty-seventh in line to the throne?”

“Exactly. I don’t know and I really don’t care.”

“So what do you care about?” he asked.

“Medicine. It’s all I care about.”

He chuckled and shook his head. “You should’ve been a surgeon.”

“And why is that?”

“You’re cold. Detached. Vicious.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment,” she said.

“I meant it as one,” Thomas said. “But surely you have some interest beyond medicine. Reading, travelling...crochet?”

“Crochet?” she asked, trying not to laugh at the absurdity.

“It’s good for the hands. Keeps the fingers strong and the mind sharp.”

“Do you crochet, then?”

“Good lord, no.”

“Then who told you that crocheting keeps the fingers strong and the mind sharp?”

“My grandmother, but then again she was a bit batty.”

Geri couldn’t help but smile. “So what do you do, then?”

“I paint.”

Now she was intrigued. “What do you paint?”

“Nudes mostly.” And he waggled his eyebrows at her over his surgical mask. She couldn’t help but laugh along with the others in the room.

Frederick would never joke like this.

It was beneath him and Geri found herself liking this laid-back camaraderie. There was a light in the darkness of a serious surgery.

“I read a study once that said patients, although under general anesthesia, are aware of what is going on around them. Subconsciously. Better outcomes when the surgeon is happy.”

Thomas stared at her and she regretted opening her mouth. Was he going to berate her again?

“I heard that too. And I believe it.” He returned to his work and Geri watched him. Thomas was just as impressive as she’d always thought he would be.

Thomas laid down his instruments. “Dr. Fellowes, would you close up for me?”

“Yes, Mr. Ashwood.” Dr. Fellowes stepped into the lead surgeon spot and began to close up the patient.

Thomas moved past her to the scrub room and Geraldine followed him as he peeled off his gloves, mask and surgical gown, placing them in the receptacle, before he began to scrub his hands.

Geraldine did the same.

“That was textbook surgery, if I do say so myself.” There was a smug, satisfied smile plastered across Thomas’s face.

“I’m glad it went so well.”

“Well, the surgery went well. The next twenty-four hours will tell me the entire picture.” Thomas dried his hands. “It’s still touch and go. Recovery will be the key to success or failure.”

“Will I see you tomorrow at the office?” Geri asked.

“No,” he said. “I plan to stay close to Lord Twinsbury tonight. I will be monitoring him in the intensive care unit.”

“Is it because he’s a family friend or do you do that for all your patients?” She was teasing, she didn’t really expect such a high-class surgeon to remain by his patient’s bedside. Especially an elderly one like Lord Twinsbury, who, given his health, probably wouldn’t have much of a shot of pulling through.

“All of them. Every last one.”

She was stunned and was positive her mouth was hanging open by the way he grinned at her.

“Have a good evening, Dr. Collins.”

Geri watched him walk down the hall. She shook her head. Every time she tried to fit Mr. Ashwood into a certain slot in her mind, he completely and utterly didn’t fit.

And just as she’d surmised before, he was a danger.

A very sexy, tempting danger that she wanted no part of.

* * *

“You took the tube again didn’t you?”

Geri hung up her coat on the coatrack in her father’s office. “Well, you didn’t wake me when Jensen took you to work.”

“You got in late. I thought you’d appreciate the lie-in.”

She had actually. “Yes, but today is clinic day. How am I supposed to get to know my new patients if I spend half the morning in bed?”

“Why didn’t you call Jensen to bring you in?” her father asked. He sounded tense, as if he’d been worrying about her the whole time. Which was nice, but unwarranted. She was an adult.

“The Westway is jam-packed or didn’t you hear about that?” she asked.

“Jensen could’ve taken the Bayswater Road. The Westway is always jam-packed at this time of day.”

“I’m quite used to taking public transportation.”

“I know, Geraldine, but your situation is different now.” He returned to his work.

She took a seat in front of her father. “And how is it different? I still am the same person and no one knows me from Adam.”

“You’re a lady of means. An heiress,” he said, not looking up.

Geri wrinkled her nose. “I’m a doctor.”

Her father ran a hand through his hair and then sighed. “You’re just as stubborn as your mother.”

Geri shrugged. “I’ll take that as a compliment.” Though she really didn’t think it was much of a compliment as she didn’t want much association or comparison with her mother.

“Hmm.” Her father then pulled out a cream-colored envelope and handed it to her. “You’ve been invited to your first social gathering.”

She took the envelope and stared at the fancy calligraphy. “What’s it for?”

“It’s for a party after the London International Horse Show. We’ve both been invited. It’s formal attire as the Duke of Weatherstone has been invited. You know he’s in the line of royal succession.”

Geri cocked her eyebrows and stared at the invitation. “How do I turn it down?”

“You can’t turn it down.”

“Why not?” she asked, flipping it over. “It’s for this weekend.”

“And what plans do you have for this weekend?”

She shrugged. “Christmas shopping.”

“You’re going. I’ve already told our hostess we’d be attending. Besides, it’s a good way to get to know some of our patients. A lot of them will be there.”

Before she could argue there was a knock at the door and Thomas stuck his head in. There were dark circles under his eyes, as if he’d been up all night, but that didn’t deter from his general svelte and put-together appearance.

Good lord, he was handsome and a brilliant surgeon to boot.

Why did he have to look so good?

He’s off-limits. Off. Limits.

“Am I interrupting?” Thomas asked.

Yes.

“No, Thomas, come in,” Charles said.

Thomas opened the door and came in, jamming his hands in his finely tailored trouser pockets. “I wanted to report that Lord Twinsbury made it through the night.”

Her father nodded and smiled. “That’s excellent news.”

“Wonderful,” she said.

Thomas glanced at her briefly, his gaze landing on the cream-colored envelope. “Ah, I see the invitations for the Gileses’ party have arrived.”

“Yes, apparently the Duke of Weatherstone will be there,” Geri teased.

A strange look passed across his face. “Well, I can tell you who won’t be there—Lord Twinsbury. He’ll still be in hospital for another week at least. At least he’s out of the intensive care unit, but he’s demanding to see his cardiologist.”

Her father sighed. “I’ll get Jensen to bring the car round.”

“No, Charles. He wants the good-looking one.” Thomas grinned at her. “He’s asking for you, Dr. Collins.”

Her father chuckled. “You’d better go, Geraldine. And please take Jensen.”

“The Westway is completely jammed, though,” Thomas said. “She could always take the tube.”

Geraldine couldn’t help but laugh at that, especially when her father glared at Thomas. “Only if you accompany her.”

“Of course. I am a gentleman after all.”

“That remains to be seen,” her father mumbled.

Geraldine set down the invitation and grabbed her coat, heading out into the hallway with Thomas.

“So much for getting to know patients today.” Geraldine followed him down to his office, where he grabbed his own coat and wrapped a scarf around his neck.

“You are getting to know a patient by going to the hospital and attending Lord Twinsbury. By doing so you’re letting your other future patients know that you care.”

“He just had surgery, you should be the one attending to him. Not me. I’m not the surgeon.”

Which was a bitter pill to swallow.

“And I will be. I am accompanying you after all.” Thomas cocked a head to one side. “You’re not wearing a hat?”

“No, should I be?”

Thomas shrugged. “It’s cold outside.”

“I’m from Scotland. This is not cold for December. This is balmy,” she teased.

“Balmy?”

“Yes. Exactly.”

Thomas just shook his head. “Come on, then, my lady, I’m to be your escort to the tube.”

Geri fell into step beside him and they walked down the street toward Regent’s Park Underground Station.

“You know, it’s been some time since I’ve taken public transport,” he said offhandedly.

“Don’t tell me you have a driver as well.”

“Good lord, no. I find it a particular challenge to wrestle my way along the motorways on my daily commute.”

“You’re an interesting character, Mr. Ashwood,” Geri remarked. “Wrestling motorways and painting people in the nude.”

“Oh, yes, which is why you should get to know me better,” he whispered huskily.

“Hmm, that remains to be seen.”

“You still never told me what interests you beyond medicine, Dr. Collins.”

“I do like reading.”

“I do hope it’s racy novels.”

“Naturally,” she teased, completely forgetting herself.

What’re you doing?

“Actually, I love Jane Austen.”

“Most ladies do. I prefer Chaucer myself and Icelandic skalds.”

“You’re a man of many hidden depths.”

“I could say the same about you, Dr. Collins. Except the man bit.”

“I think since we’re going to be partners you can call me Geri.”

He cocked an eyebrow. “Geri? No, I think I’ll call you Geraldine.”

“Why? Only my father calls me Geraldine. No one else calls me Geraldine.”

“Except me. Now. Geraldine. I like the sound of it. It’s elegant.”

“Hardly. I always hated the name.”

“You shouldn’t. It suits you.”

“So what do I call you?” she asked.

“You can call me Thomas.”

“Not Tom?” she teased.

“If you expect me to answer, no.”

“You’re so frustrating.” Geri walked ahead of him. “I don’t need an escort to the hospital.”

She was hoping that he would take the hint and head back to the practice, only he didn’t. He kept pace with her.

“Go back to the practice, Mr. Ashwood.”

“I’m hurt. What happened to using our given names?”

“You became pedantic and annoyed me,” Geri said, but a smile hovered on her lips. She was enjoying herself immensely. Which was a bad thing.

“I’ve been called many things, annoying especially, but never pedantic. That’s a new one.”

Geri couldn’t help but laugh as they headed down to the underground at Regent’s Park Station. When they were on the tube, crammed close together as they rode in silence, Thomas glanced down at her.

“Why don’t you like Geraldine? It’s a lovely name,” he asked.

A hot flush crept up her cheeks. No one had ever called her name lovely before. She’d always hated it. Men would usually call her Geri. Geraldine was an old-fashioned name.

“I thought I’d name you Geraldine after your father’s mother since that’s the only thing you’ll be getting from him.”

Of course, Geri had never met her namesake.

“It’s an old-fashioned name.” It was an excuse. She did like her name, but preferred to be called Geri. When she’d learned Geraldine was a connection to her long-absent father who had never come to rescue her, she’d wanted to cut that tie.

She’d learned the hard way that she could rescue herself.

He shrugged. “So is Thomas, but I quite like it. Geri makes you sound like a singer in an all-girl pop band.”

She laughed. “Well, I like Geri.”

“And I like Geraldine. You’ll see it my way soon enough and you’ll be begging me to say your name over and over.” His voice was deep, like thick honey. Honey, which she pictured smearing over his body and licking off.

Blast.

“Are you propositioning me?”

He grinned, a smile that was dangerous and made her feel weak in the knees. “And if I was?”

“I would tell you to keep looking.” She turned her back on him, but couldn’t help but smile. It had been a long time since a man had flirted with her. When Frederick left her, no one had had anything to do with her. It had been as if she’d been a pariah.

And she’d known there had been a rumor going around that she was a cold fish in bed. Unfeeling. And that could be true. She’d never particularly liked sex. Yet when Thomas flirted with her, her pulse quickened and her body reacted to being so close to him.

He had some kind of spell over her. He was so tall, standing next to her on the tube, that longish dark hair styled so fashionably, the twinkle to his eyes and saucy smirk on his mouth. He was so confident.

She’d forgotten how much she liked the attention and she wished she had half the confidence and appeal he was oozing.

Don’t think like that.

She wasn’t going to get sucked in. She wasn’t going to let another man affect her. This was her chance at something great. Geri was going to prove that she earned this partnership, just as much as she’d inherited it.

And nothing was going to get in her way.

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