From Doctor to Princess?

by Annie Claydon

  He was cold, and the long wait had given all his fears the chance to settle heavily around his heart. But Hugo had found out what he wanted from life, and he wasn’t going to give it up without a fight.

  Nell’s warmth hadn’t changed. He still felt it, binding them together the way it always had. If her voice was tempered with sadness, it was the sadness that he felt in his own heart, too.

  She pulled off her knitted hat, putting it in her lap with her gloves. She was staring at the steering wheel, as if that was safe middle ground. Not straight ahead, Nell was never that cold. Not at him, because he’d broken her heart. She didn’t need to say it; he could see it in her eyes.

  ‘Nell, I’ve thought about this a lot, and there are only four things that truly matter.’

  She glanced at him, turning her gaze away quickly. ‘Four?’

  ‘Yes. That you follow your calling as a doctor. That I follow mine. That’s two. The third, and most important, is that I love you.’

  ‘But...you don’t want me.’

  ‘I’ve always wanted you, Nell. I sent you away because I thought I couldn’t have you without you having to sacrifice number one. Now I know better.’

  She turned suddenly, wide-eyed. ‘And the fourth?’

  ‘That’s up to you. If you love me, then we can work everything else out.’

  Her lip began to quiver. If she cried now he wouldn’t be able to stop his own tears. Maybe that was just yet another proof of the connection that he felt with Nell.

  ‘What about Montarino?’

  Hope thumped almost painfully in his chest, and he ignored it. It was just his heart beating, and that was proof that he could live long enough to show Nell how much he loved her.

  ‘There are people who will oversee the building of the clinic, just as well as I can. The royal calendar can do without me from time to time, my parents have it all pretty well tied down. Montarino doesn’t need me, it was me who needed Montarino. I needed something to dedicate myself to.’

  ‘And you don’t now?’ She frowned, shaking her head. ‘Hugo, you love the place.’

  ‘Yes, I love it. It’ll always be my home. But you’re the one and only love of my life, Nell. You’re a lot more important to me.’

  Her gaze searched his face. Then one tear dropped from her eye, tumbling down her cheek. ‘You’re the one and only love of my life, too.’

  He reached for her, wishing that they were somewhere less cramped so he could hold her properly. But it didn’t matter. Hugo knew what really mattered now, and that was being able to look into her eyes. Wipe away her tears and brush a kiss onto her lips.

  ‘Where are you staying?’ Finally she broke the warm silence that curled around them like a blanket.

  ‘At the Grand.’

  ‘That’s right across town!’

  ‘I booked it from the lamppost. There wasn’t a great deal of choice.’

  Nell chuckled. ‘Okay, so we can drive across town and have room service, or it’s ten minutes to mine. Fifteen if we stop for pizza on the way.’

  ‘Pizza sounds great.’

  * * *

  Crown Prince Hugo Phillipe DeLeon, only son of the King of Montarino, had to carry the pizza up three flights of stairs because the lift was broken. He looked around her flat, which didn’t take long, because there were only two rooms and a bathroom, and pronounced it delightful. He kept his coat on while the heating took the edge off the chill in the sitting room.

  They ate pizza and drank coffee, and her small flat became the centre of the world. The one place where they could both be happy, because it was the place they were together. Curled up on the sofa together, talking about plans and dreams, futures and possibilities.

  ‘That’s what we’ll do, then?’ The sun was rising but Nell didn’t feel tired any more.

  ‘You’re sure that’s what you want?’ Hugo leaned over, kissing her.

  ‘I’m sure. You’re sure you really can take a holiday for the next month? So that I won’t let the clinic here down?’

  ‘Positive. I’ll be waiting here for you every evening with a smile on my face and a tasty meal in the oven.’

  Nell snorted with laughter. ‘You will not. If you’re staying here, you can earn your keep. I’m sure the clinic will take you on, they could do with more doctors. And being a prince has its advantages.’

  ‘They don’t have to pay me?’

  ‘Yeah, they don’t really have the funds for that. You’ll spread a little happiness, though.’

  ‘That sounds great. Can’t wait to start.’ Hugo got to his feet, stretching his limbs, and walked over to the window, looking out at the glow on the horizon. ‘Come with me.’

  ‘Where are we going?’

  ‘See that little park down there? It looks a nice place for an early morning stroll. We can watch the sunrise.’

  They pulled on their coats, tiptoeing down the stairs so as not to wake any of the neighbours. Across the street and through the park gates, into a cold, fresh morning. Hugo seemed to know exactly where he wanted to go, and Nell followed him over to a small playground, sitting next to him on the swings.

  He grinned, feeling in his coat pocket. Then he opened a box, holding it out for her to see the ring inside, flashing bright in the new day. ‘Nell, this is a symbol of love between the two of us. That you’ll love me, and I’ll love you. That we can make happen the things we both want.’

  He’d said almost those same words before. This time it was real. Nell began to tremble with excitement, as he fell onto one knee in front of her. ‘Will you marry me, Nell?’

  ‘Yes, Hugo.’ She leaned forward, kissing him. Holding on to him tightly, in case this was just a beautiful dream.

  ‘This isn’t a royal jewel. If you’d prefer one of those, there are plenty to choose from...’

  ‘No. No, Hugo, this is much better. I want this one, please.’ It wasn’t some anonymous jewel. Hugo had chosen this just for her. It was exquisite, a gold band with square cut diamonds set all the way around it. Clearly expensive, but not so bulky that it would tear a pair of surgical gloves.

  ‘You don’t need to take this one off when you’re at work.’ Hugo had obviously been thinking exactly the same as she was.

  ‘Hugo, thank you for coming for me. Thank you for believing in me. I’ll never take it off.’ Nell could feel tears streaming down her cheeks. He pulled at her glove, tugging it off, and she held out her hand.

  ‘I’ll be taking it off on our wedding day. Just for long enough to slip your wedding ring on.’ He kissed her, sliding the ring onto her finger.

  ‘Come home with me, Hugo. I have a three-quarter-sized bed, and I want to see how well you fit into it.’

  ‘I’ll fit. Particularly if I have you in my arms. Are you tired?’

  ‘What? No, I’m not tired. Are you?’

  ‘Not even slightly.’ He got to his feet, wrapping his arm around her shoulders. Then Nell walked her prince back up to the tiny flat that now contained every dream she’d ever had.

  EPILOGUE

  THEY’D STAYED ON at the clinic in Germany for two months, working for nothing so that other doctors could be recruited and paid. Hugo bade the little flat goodbye with more regret than he’d ever left anywhere before. It held the best memories of his life.

  But there was more to come. Nell was a quiet force to be reckoned with, planning a wedding and a reception that didn’t follow any royal protocol that Hugo had ever heard of. The idea was received with hardly a murmur from his father, and warm approval from his mother.

  Everything went off without a hitch. Nell’s father and his had become friends over a shared interest in gardening, and Hugo’s mother had finally managed to persuade Nell’s mother that her outfit was perfect for the occasion. They were married in the presence of close family and friends in a small private ceremony. Nell
looked more beautiful than he could ever have imagined, wearing a knee-length fitted dress in cream silk, her only concession to royal splendour being a small diamond tiara, which held a shoulder-length veil in place.

  There was nothing but love. When he recited his vows, and she said hers. When he slipped the ring onto her finger. But the moment that made Hugo proudest was the one when his new bride took his arm and he walked into the children’s cardiac unit at the hospital. She sat with each of the children, letting them hold her bouquet and even taking off the tiara so that the little girls could try it on.

  Then there was cake in the children’s playroom, which for some reason that Hugo couldn’t fathom had candles on it. It turned out that one of the children had a birthday today, and Nell duly helped her to blow out the candles, to cheers and clapping from the parents. The nurses supervised the cutting and distribution of the cake, while Nell managed to retrieve the tiara, finding a handkerchief to wipe the sticky finger marks off it.

  ‘Oh, dear.’ She held it up to the light, twisting it back and forth. ‘It’s got icing on it.’

  ‘Probably the best use it’s ever been put to.’ Hugo grinned, sitting down next to her on one of the plastic chairs that lined the ward. ‘I dare say my mother will know the best way to clean it.’

  ‘I can’t give it back to your mother like this. She’s already been so good about delaying the start of the reception so that we could come here first.’

  ‘I thought it was rather a good idea. Gives everyone a chance to put their feet up and loosen their ties.’

  ‘Like you’ve loosened yours?’ Nell gave him a mischievous look. ‘What will people say?’

  ‘They’ll say I’ve married the most beautiful woman in the world. The most dedicated doctor and...’ Hugo brushed a crushed petal from her dress ‘...the best person I know.’

  ‘And I’ve married the most handsome prince in the world. Actually, I should widen the scope a bit. The most handsome doctor in the world.’

  ‘I like that a lot better.’ Hugo kissed her hand, and heard a camera shutter click. He turned and smiled, his arm around his new wife. A picture for the hospital scrapbook.

  ‘I’m so proud of you, Hugo. Last week, a man told me how much your speech about having a pacemaker had meant to his wife. She said that if it was good enough for you, then it was good enough for her.’

  ‘And I’m proud of you, too. Your project is going to make a big difference to a lot of people.’

  He and Nell had decided that they would work together, but each concentrate on different special projects. Nell had already formed a partnership between the hospital in Montarino and the London hospital where she’d worked, to create a joint initiative to promote research and care for elderly patients with heart disease.

  ‘I hope so. It’s early days yet.’

  ‘We have plenty of time. All our lives.’

  Nell smiled at him. ‘I’m so happy, Hugo. You’re my one true love.’

  ‘And you are mine.’ Hugo kissed his wife, and a cheer went up around the room.

  ‘Do it again!’ a child’s voice piped up from somewhere, and everyone laughed.

  There was nothing else he could do but kiss Nell again.

  * * * * *

  If you enjoyed this story, check out these other great reads from Annie Claydon

  Healed by the Single Dad Doc

  Forbidden Night with the Duke

  Saving Baby Amy

  English Rose for the Sicilian Doc

  All available now!

  Keep reading for an excerpt from The Doctor’s Cinderella by Susanne Hampton.

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  The Doctor’s Cinderella

  by Susanne Hampton

  CHAPTER ONE

  MOLLY MURPHY WAS sad and irritated in equal amounts and she was barely awake. Clanging sounds followed by thuds in the street outside had woken her from a deep and much-needed sleep. Soft frown lines formed on her forehead as she rolled over and pulled the pillow around her ears but the harsh sounds continued. She gave up trying to block them out. The pillow was far too thin and no match for the noise.

  It was officially the first day of winter in Australia and unrelenting rain had been teeming down for five days straight. Molly could hear that hadn’t abated overnight. The tin roof was still being hammered by the downpour but the other sounds were even louder. She rubbed her eyes, then closed them again as she contemplated whether she should get up. Her alarm hadn’t sounded so she decided to stay put.

  Pleasant dreams were hard to come by for Molly and she wasn’t happy that one had been cut short as it had been far better than her reality of late. As she lay in the cosiness of her bed, her immediate recollection was a little scattered but it had included a sun-drenched, sandy beach, a cocktail with a tiny paper umbrella...and no overdue bills on the kitchen counter.

  Suddenly her musing stopped as she peeked through her heavy eyelids in the direction of the window. Winter sunlight was streaming in through kinks in the ageing venetian blinds. The intensity of the light saw irritation turn to panic. Even half-asleep Molly knew her room should not have been that brightly lit at six-thirty. It was the first of June. It was officially winter and it should have been dark outside. Feeling her heart begin to pick up speed, she anxiously reached over for her mobile phone on the nightstand. The screen was black. The phone was flat. The alarm was never going to sound. She tried to focus on the clock hanging in the hallway opposite her door. It was almost eight o’clock. She had overslept by an hour and a half.

  ‘Oh, God...no, no, no, not today...’

  Her reality was now even further from dreams of a cocktail on a beach.

  Molly sat bolt upright in her bed. Only to collapse back down again in pain. Her head had collided with the ridiculously placed wooden bookcase that jutted out from the vinyl-covered bedhead. Hideous decorating from the sixties had sent her crashing back onto her pillow. Her knees instinctively lifted up to her chin and she rocked as her fingers gently rubbed the smarting skin underneath her mop of messy curls. Through tired and now-watering eyes, she looked upwards at the heavy wooden structure inconveniently protruding only twelve inches over the top of her bed.

  ‘Damn you,’ she spat as a few tears began spilling from her eyes and trickling down her cheeks. Molly surmised her crying was partly from the shock of hitting something so hard, partly from the pain that followed and maybe more than a little from what had led her to be sleeping in a bed with such a goddamn ugly bedhead.

  Love. Naive, stupid love.

  Molly had lost almost everything
because of it.

  And she still blamed herself.

  But the new, resilient, heart-of-stone Molly Murphy would never fall in love again. Not ever. It hurt too much.

  Taking a deep breath and wiping away the tears with the back of her hand, she attempted to calm herself. She didn’t have time for self-pity, not even a few minutes of it. She had to put on her big-girl panties and get going because she was running late. Very late. And since she had been sleeping in the same bed for close to a year with the horrific bookcase bedhead hovering over her, she had no choice but to assume at least part of the responsibility. Each time she had knocked her head on the oak eyesore, and there had been numerous times, she had vowed not to do it again. But then, half-asleep, she would go and do it again. If the house were hers, she would have ripped the monstrosity of a bedhead from the wall. But as a tenant she had no choice but to be the victim of it. And that unfortunately happened with annoying and painful regularity.

  Insomnia had been her only bedtime companion since her fiancé had disappeared into the night without warning. He had just scribbled a five-line note that, after stripping away the narcissistic wordsmithing, had explained nothing. It had also provided Molly with no inkling of the mess that she would be left to face alone, including the last-minute cancellation of their winter wedding.

  Since that dreadful day she had been tossing and turning alone in her bed, so the evening before the anniversary of the day on which she should have been walking down the aisle, she had gone to her room early. Trying desperately not to throw herself a full-blown pity party, she had listened to her female empowerment playlist on her mobile phone. Hours of the edgy, no-holds-barred lyrics had finally allowed her to fall asleep under the security of the heavy woollen blankets. And had also allowed her phone battery to go flat. If it hadn’t been for the relentless clanging of each bin being emptied into the truck then dropped back to the kerb in her narrow rain-soaked street, she might well have slept until midday. The sound of the trains shuttling past so close to her tiny home that her windows rattled had become white noise over the months and something she could easily sleep through. And she now knew the rain pelting down had joined the same category.