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

‘After the fact...’

‘I didn’t get much notice myself, to be fair, but she needs this. It’s what we do.’ He grabbed his car keys off the desk and shrugged on his jacket. There was no point in picking holes in things now, when he’d made arrangements. He simply needed Giles gone before he brought Georgiana here.

‘So, you’re doing chauffeur and personal trainer?’ Giles shifted himself off the desk with a sigh of resignation. This was happening whether he liked it or not.

‘I’m not sure how much input she’s going to want from me or anyone else with regard to her training, but she doesn’t want anyone to know she’s attending. That makes me chauffeur, escort and bodyguard, I guess.’

They both headed for the exit. Ed decided against turning the lights off since he’d be back within the hour.

‘Are you sure you can manage this on your own?’ Giles asked.

Ed thought about the fearsome Georgiana, who looked permanently ready to go into battle, and shrugged his shoulders. ‘I guess we’ll find out.’

Georgiana checked her watch for the umpteenth time. He was late. Every extra second she waited here, the more her stomach somersaulted and her breathing quickened.

It had been weeks since she’d been beyond the palace gates and if Mr Lawrence didn’t get here soon there was every chance she’d change her mind about doing this. She supposed it wasn’t a big deal to him; she doubted anything was. To her, though, this could be the start of her new life. Or the first time her secret might be exposed to the outside world.

She texted him.

Where are you?

Since the initial phone call to confirm her attendance, she’d kept contact limited to text messages with instructions of when and where to pick her up. Though she was keeping her nocturnal visit quiet from the public, she was keen to keep it from those inside the palace too. There was no way they’d agree to her leaving without security. Whether Edward didn’t realise the risks they were taking, or he didn’t care, he’d gone along with the plan. Which entailed smuggling her out under the noses of security and the staff. The logistics of which were not easy and only added to her swelling anxiety.

I’m here. Out the back. Where we arranged.

She’d got him security clearance, citing a medical consultation so he wouldn’t seem suspicious turning up here. The plan was for her to slip out the back unseen and he would drive her out, leaving security none the wiser. It was very cloak and dagger but she’d rather do it this way than go through formal procedures to authorise the visit.

She’d dressed down, in dark clothes so she didn’t draw attention to herself. With a baseball cap pulled low, she crept out into the courtyard where Edward was waiting for her.

He was standing with his hands in his pockets staring up at the night sky. His profile was romantically lit by the moon, defining his strong jaw and the sparkle of his eyes. He’d ditched his tie and his shirt was open at the collar. Clearly it hadn’t occurred to him to keep up appearances once he’d clocked off work.

Her breath hitched in her throat but it was due to the thrill of sneaking out, nothing else. The last time she’d done anything like this was with Freddie when they were kids. He’d been the bad influence then and she should’ve encouraged that independent streak instead of trying to tame it along with everyone else. If they’d all simply let him be who he was without imposing stupid restrictions on him he might still be here.

The crunch of gravel under her feet drew Edward’s attention, a genuine smile on his face appearing when he saw her. Thinking about her brother and all the time they should have had together made her too sad to return it. She was angry Freddie wasn’t here to make jokes at her expense and be the light during the darkest time of her life. At least, the darkest one since her dear brother had ended his life.

That hadn’t been the official cause of death but she knew, as did her parents, that he’d killed himself rather than continue living a lie. The tragedy of that being that they were still living that lie to save face. That betrayal of Freddie’s memory had proved the final straw and the turning point in her own life. Determined not to end up in the same position as Freddie, forced to be someone she wasn’t, Georgiana had joined the army. It was the best decision she’d ever made but she hadn’t counted on being injured and forced to return home, in a more vulnerable position now than when she’d left.

‘You’re late,’ she snapped, unwilling to let him see any weakness in the tears she was holding back at the thought of the injustice done to her and Freddie. Edward’s smile narrowed by the second.

‘Only by fifteen minutes. I had to run things by my business partner before I left. This was a bit last minute, you know. I do have a life away from here.’ Apparently, it was his turn to vent some irritation and she knew she deserved it. Georgiana found it reassuring that she could ruffle his feathers as much as he could hers. She might’ve disturbed him on a date or a night out with the lads. Whatever counted as a life for a single man in his late thirties.

‘Let’s go before someone spots us.’ She went to open the back door of his car but Edward hovered beside her.

‘You’re getting in there?’

‘I’m not about to climb into the boot.’ She rapped her knuckles on her lower leg, letting the hollow sound explain the reason why.

‘Oh. Yes. Sorry.’ Thankfully he went to retrieve something from the boot so she was able to get into the back seat unseen. Although she’d mastered the art of walking again, things such as climbing into the