The Surgeon and the Princess Karin Baine (websites to read books for free .TXT) 📖

Hannah. I’ll talk to her for you.’ She didn’t have time to consider the implications of another commitment she’d made as Ed grabbed her into a bear hug. It was good to be back in her rightful place.

CHAPTER SIX

ED HAD HELD his tongue the whole way back to the palace last night. Afraid to make a song and dance about Georgiana’s decision in case she changed her mind in the cold light of day. After all they’d just been involved in a medical drama.

He was sure it had been a long time since she’d been involved in anything like that but Georgiana was on the phone first thing. Literally as soon as dawn broke.

‘Hello?’

‘Hello, Ed? This is Georgiana.’ Her perky voice instantly made him sit upright in his bed so he didn’t sound as though he’d been fast asleep only seconds before.

‘What can I do for you?’

‘I wanted to let you know I’m still available for that chat with Hannah if you can sort something out with her parents.’

‘That’s great. I’ll call them when it’s a more reasonable hour.’ He yawned, but waking up to the sound of her excitement wasn’t the worst thing to start the day.

‘Sorry for waking you. I haven’t slept much.’

‘It was a lot to deal with. I was going to call you anyway to see how you were after last night. You beat me to it.’ She’d certainly been on his mind. Enough for Ed to wonder if he’d been dreaming when he’d heard her on the other end of the phone.

‘Is it awful of me to say I got a real buzz out of it?’

‘There’s nothing like an emergency to get the heart pumping, is there? No need to feel bad about it. Ethan’s going to be fine.’

‘Now if we can do something for Hannah too...’

He liked the sound of ‘we’. It denoted a bond as well as forgiveness for omitting to tell her from the start about her mother’s involvement.

‘Can I ask what prompted your decision to help?’ He finally blurted out the question that had been on his lips since she’d mentioned it last night. She seemed in such good spirits and lacking that usual defensive attitude; he was curious about what had brought it about.

‘It was Ethan actually. I’d forgotten what it was like to be useful. I thought about what you said and you were right. My army days are behind me but I could have a new path waiting for me. It might take some adjusting but I want to do something other than being a burden to people. I want to make a difference.’ Ed could hear the passion in her voice and it was intoxicating. Everything he’d wanted for her. Coming to terms with the end of her life as she’d known it was no small feat but after seeing her in action he knew she had so much more to give.

‘I’m one hundred per cent behind you, Georgiana. You know that.’ Ed was perched on the edge of his bed now.

‘All I’m doing is talking to a little girl. One step at a time. Excuse the pun.’ She was laughing at herself. Something else new and positive. Things Ed didn’t want to be responsible for ruining.

‘Thank you for agreeing to speak to Hannah. I know how much it took for you to agree to do that. I’ll arrange a time with her parents and get back to you. Anything after that is totally in your hands, Georgiana.’

She wasn’t someone who could be rushed into things. She moved at her own pace and made her own decisions.

Ed was hoping the clinic and he would be a part of any of her future plans.

Meeting a member of the public, no matter how young, brought all sorts of dilemmas for Georgiana. First of all, she’d had to decide if she wanted to make it an official engagement. Which would have entailed informing security, staff and making special arrangements at the clinic.

She’d gone for option B instead. The sneaking-out method.

There had also been the question of what to wear. It wasn’t a diamonds and pearls event where she’d be expected to wear haute couture. No, this was worse. In order to get Hannah to relate to her she had to go with something to show off her prosthetic leg.

It was the thought of Ethan and the effusive thanks they’d received from his parents for helping that sealed her decision. She’d donned her usual casual gym kit that she was comfortable in.

Now she was waiting in Ed’s office to be introduced to Hannah and her parents. As she paced the floor, her pulse was doing the samba, her skin was clammy and she wasn’t altogether steady on her feet. Anyone would think she’d just run a marathon.

To keep herself busy she began to tidy the mess that was supposed to be Ed’s desk. It was a curious insight into the man who’d put all this into motion. The dirty coffee cups lying around suggested someone too busy to be bothered with a trivial thing such as washing up at work.

What struck her most was the lack of personal touches in his workspace. There were no photos of family or items from home she’d expect to have crept into an environment where he spent most of his time.

She no longer thought of Ed as some beach bum who drifted through life. He was devoted to his job and patients if Hannah was any indication. With no obvious signs of his personal life, she wondered if this was because of his dedication to his career or something else. He knew a lot about her and she realised she wanted to find out more about Mr Lawrence beyond the job.

She heard voices in the corridor outside, saw the door handle move and her heart leapt into her throat. This wasn’t a public event and as far as she knew there were no photographers around to capture the moment but she was just