by Karin Baine
Despite her obvious disability she still had that in-built alertness that came with being a soldier. One false move and he had no doubt she’d battle anyone or anything that threatened her. She certainly looked like a warrior, as well as having that defensive attitude that emanated from her in waves. Her slight frame was toned with defined muscles that would put most people to shame. Eyes blazed with green fire in her heart-shaped face, her defiant chin tilted upward. The flowing brunette locks he’d seen in newspaper features had been shorn into an edgy cut. One side of her head was shaved close to the scalp, while the other was choppy and non-conformist. He wouldn’t be surprised if she’d done it herself in a fit of pique. It made her look like the rebel she was reputed to be. The addition of a prosthetic right leg only added to that intimidating impression of someone who was not to be messed with.
Georgiana Ashley was unlike anyone he’d ever met, though he’d come across many other wounded veterans unwilling to appear helpless or weak by accepting help.
‘Even if I did agree to scoping the place out, there’s the small matter of leaving here unnoticed. It’s impossible. I’m sure you’ve witnessed the crowds of tourists and press assembled outside waiting for a glimpse of life beyond the palace gates.’ She clutched her hands to her heart in mock dramatic fashion. Ed was sure the deprecating humour was an attempt to undermine the high esteem the family name drew rather than making fun of those who looked up to them.
‘You are the country’s main tourist attraction.’ He couldn’t help adding fuel to the fire and wasn’t surprised to receive her narrow-eyed glare in response.
‘My point exactly,’ she said, letting him get away with the insolent comment that could have seen him lose his head a few centuries ago.
‘If you were serious about attending the clinic, I’m sure we could find some way to get you there.’
‘I don’t see how, unless you’ve got an invisibility cloak on you.’ She turned her back on him to retrieve a garish set of pink headphones from the treadmill, losing interest in the conversation. Clearly underestimating the heights of his own determination.
‘If you’re serious, I could sneak you out in my car. No one seems interested in my comings and goings. It shouldn’t be too hard to smuggle you out under cover of darkness. That way you could be sure to have the facilities to yourself too, if you attended in the evening.’ It might sound like the plot of a farcical movie but Ed was a problem-solver and this seemed the easiest way out of her predicament. If she wasn’t simply making excuses.
‘Are you joking?’ It did manage to grab her attention again and when she faced him, he could see the trace of a smile on her lips.
‘I never joke about my work,’ he replied in complete seriousness. This wasn’t about having a little excitement in his life. Goodness knew he had his hands full already, taking care of his parents and his little brother.
‘You would actually try and sneak me out?’ She was openly laughing at him now but he didn’t care. He would do whatever it took to get her to agree to some sort of aftercare. Not only had he made a promise to her mother but, having spoken to Georgiana, he knew she needed this. A space away from the pressures of her life here and somewhere she could be comfortable in her own skin. To reach the limits he knew she could be capable of now he’d seen her in action. It was their job at the clinic to encourage patients back to full health physically and mentally. Shutting herself off completely from the rest of the world wasn’t conducive to that recovery.
‘Sure. It’s not as if I’d be kidnapping you. If we got stopped, I’d expect you to say as much. I’m not getting locked up for attempted regicide or treason or whatever trumped-up charges they’d come up with.’
‘What are we talking here? A blanket over the head or full trench-coat-and-moustache disguise?’ At least she’d stopped scowling at him as the idea seemed increasingly to amuse her. It shouldn’t be this hard for a person to leave their own home.
‘Wear what you want. I’m not your stylist.’ He shrugged, unwilling to make such a big deal of things that she might become wary.
‘You have no idea, do you? I mean, why should you? You can just swan around the place as though you’ve every right to be here simply because your father got you this job.’
‘That’s not—’ His father had mentioned his name for the consultation but he was sure his reputation and experience would have secured the queen’s trust in him regardless.
‘It must be nice to go where you want, do as you please, with no one expecting anything from you.’ She was unleashing some of her frustration on him. It was good, he supposed, for her. Except she knew nothing about his life or the demands upon him. He had no more freedom than her, the princess imprisoned by her own privilege.
If she had the first clue about his situation, she’d never accuse him of having any sort of liberation from family. Not now and especially not when he was growing up. As the eldest of his six siblings, including a brother with spina bifida, he’d shouldered a lot of responsibility. That family loyalty hadn’t lessened with age. Most of his brothers and sisters had moved on or married and started families of their own. Things most people took for granted when they pictured their future. Not Ed. He’d stayed close to home, remained in that role of carer, so now he was the one looking after their elderly parents and checking in on his kid brother. That didn’t leave room for whatever fun and games Ms Ashley seemed to think he got up to. It had already cost him a relationship of his own.
‘That’s a lot to assume about someone you don’t know.’ He was the one getting defensive now.
‘We’re taught in the army to make quick, detailed assessments of every situation.’ She looked him up and down. ‘I stand by every word I said.’
Ed bit the inside of his cheek lest he say something he’d later come to regret when he was locked away in a tower somewhere as punishment. ‘Thankfully, my offer isn’t conditional on your knowledge, or lack thereof, about my personal life. So, if you could set aside whatever preconceived notions and ill-judged prejudice you have against me and focus on yourself, you’ll see how you could benefit from our state-of-the-art facility.’
‘Uh-huh, and what’s in it for you?’ Georgiana stripped off her shirt, so she was standing there in only her black sports bra and shorts. He knew it was a move to make him uncomfortable and at the same time display her own confidence. It worked on both levels but he wasn’t a man to give up easily.
‘Nothing except the satisfaction of giving someone else the best chance of a full recovery. It’s what I do.’ He knew he sounded glib but he didn’t think sincerity was going to do him any favours with her. Those barriers she’d put up weren’t coming down any time soon and he could tell straight away she wasn’t the sort of woman who’d respond to a softly-softly approach.
She rolled her eyes as she patted a towel around her neck and her décolletage where perspiration from her workout was glistening on her pale skin. If they’d met at a gym or anywhere other than a royal palace, he would never have believed her to be a princess. He was just as guilty of having preconceived notions of her before meeting. Of course, he’d seen and heard mention of her in the press but assumed the stories were either fiction or she was simply another rich kid feigning rebellion. Now he knew different. Georgiana was very much her own person.
He watched as she hooked her thumbs into the waistband of her shorts, tugging them down slightly so the flat plane of her impressive abdominal muscles was visible. It showed she was a hard worker, motivated in the hardest of circumstances to keep up her fitness regime, and boded well for her future despite her life-changing injury.
She cleared her throat and he lifted his eyes to meet her querying gaze.
‘If you don’t mind, I’d like to shower and change in private.’
‘Yes. Sorry.’ He bumbled around, trying to avert his gaze and regather his composure.
‘Close the door on y
our way out.’ She was ending the conversation and the meeting without agreeing to anything. Ed had to admire her tenacity. It could be the very thing to get her back to the person she used to be. If that was different from the woman standing before him now, he had no idea.
‘She’s going to be okay, by the way. In case you were wondering.’ It occurred to him she hadn’t referenced the reason he was in her home in the first place.
‘Who?’ She looked genuinely puzzled as to who or what he was referring to. It said a lot, nothing good, about her relationship with her mother. Either she didn’t care or there had been a complete lack of information shared with her about the accident. Perhaps even both. The concept was alien to someone who was constantly in contact and, indeed, worried about his own parents. His family was always foremost in his thoughts.
‘Your mother. Very badly bruised after the fall from her horse but no long-term damage,’ he reminded her, in case the details had slipped from her memory during the course of their discussion.
‘Oh,’ was all the response she mustered. He couldn’t help but wonder what had caused their relationship to become so strained. Especially at a time when she would need the support of her family more than ever. He didn’t know how she’d got this far without them.
‘Anyway, I’ve checked all the scans and X-rays to put her mind at rest and she’s going to be fine,’ he assured her again. Although nothing in her tone suggested it had caused her any concern thus far.
If Georgiana, by any miracle, did agree to attend the clinic, he’d be advising her to seek the services of one of their counsellors. In case the psychological trauma had in some way caused this apparent lack of empathy towards the very person who’d come to him for help. Families were a complicated business and no one knew that better than he did.
‘I never doubted it. Now, if you don’t mind...’ She dismissed him again with a nod of her head towards the door. Clearly, social etiquette wasn’t as important to her as it was to her mother. Unless this was another side effect from her accident. Sometimes patients had no filter after such an ordeal. She’d been through a lot and he was prepared to make allowances for someone he really knew nothing about. He could only hope she would do the same for him, since he didn’t seem to be making a great first impression.
‘You have my number should you decide to use our clinic. Goodbye, Miss Ashley.’ He turned to take his leave, only to have a pair of shorts land on top of his head.
Unwilling to give her the satisfaction of going back to confront her, clad now only in her underwear, he pulled them off his head and kept walking.
She really didn’t know him at all if she thought he wasn’t up to a challenge.
CHAPTER TWO
‘LET ME TAKE that in for you.’ Georgiana reached out to take the silver tray from the maid she’d just startled in the hallway.
‘Are you sure, miss?’ The wide-eyed girl looked at the tea tray and back at Georgiana, unsure about what to do in the circumstances.
She was a new face, not one Georgiana had seen before being deployed. It was difficult to tell if she was worried her employer’s daughter couldn’t manage the task without falling over or if she was afraid of letting someone else do her job.
In the end Georgiana made the decision for her and took the tray off her hands. ‘I want to check and make sure Mother is okay.’
That seemed enough to ease her conscience and she gave a little curtsey before scuttling off downstairs. It was difficult to get used to being waited on hand and foot after being self-sufficient for so long in the army. From the outset of her return Georgiana had done her best to put an end to that kind of attention and intrusion from the staff by insisting she be left alone. Other than those she ran into in the halls, or in the kitchen when she was on a snack hunt, she rarely had any interaction. It was her way of keeping perspective even though she was living in a palace with servants available at the ring of a bell.
She knocked lightly on her mother’s bedroom door.
‘Come in.’
Georgiana opened the door with her elbow and slowly backed into the room, careful not to upend the tray. If she made a scene here, it would only prove to her mother she was incapable of the smallest of tasks. Months ago, she could only dream of being able to balance a tea tray without spilling anything. Sheer determination and the stubborn streak she wished her poor brother had inherited had got her to this point. Hopefully, it would be enough to see her through this and back to the life she’d made for herself away from this fake reality. She believed it was better for her mental health if she was able to live independently from her parents again, where she was able to think for herself and not under pressure to live the way they wanted her to.
‘I thought I’d come and see what the consultant said.’ She couldn’t be sure if it was guilt or anger that had kept the man and his comments in her thoughts while she’d changed.
‘Georgiana, you shouldn’t be carrying that. Where did that girl go? I wish Lise had never left. At least she knew how to do her job properly.’ Her mother shifted up the bed, struggling to sit upright but somehow still managing to look regal in her nightgown.
‘I sent her away. I wanted to bring you your tea.’ She placed the tray across the patient’s knees and arranged the pillows behind her until she was sure her mother was comfortable.
‘You shouldn’t be doing that in your condition.’
‘I’m not pregnant, Mother, and I don’t have a condition. I’ve had an amputation and I need to adjust to it, not pretend it hasn’t happened.’ This was the kind of thing she usually tried to avoid—a pity party thrown in her honour. She didn’t want one and she didn’t deserve one. It was her parents’ refusal to accept what was going on before their very eyes that had resulted in Freddie taking his own life. If the family had pulled together, faced the future united and been honest to themselves and the rest of the world, he might still be here.
‘You shouldn’t be pushing yourself too hard.’
Where had she heard that one before?
‘I’m not. I’m only bringing you some tea,’ she said with a smile, trying to give her mother the benefit of the doubt that she was truly worried about her daughter’s health and not wrapped up in how her disabled daughter would look to the staff.
‘We have employees to do that, dear.’
‘So, Mr Lawrence says you’re going to be okay. That’s good news.’ Georgiana pulled over a chair and sat down, her muscles beginning to ache after her workout.
‘Oh, you saw him?’ There was a sparkle in her mother’s eyes at the mere mention of the handsome consultant. Georgiana could admit the dashing Edward Lawrence was something of a head turner because it would be a long time before she acted on any attraction to the opposite sex. If ever. Especially if it was someone so rude and pushy as the aforementioned visitor.
A memory of her attempt at having the last say popped into her head. The absolute gall of him to take her shorts with him as some sort of trophy. It went to show the difference between him and his distinguished father. He wasn’t embarrassed at all by her undressing in front of him. It certainly hadn’t hastened his exit as she’d intended.
‘Hmm... He stopped by the gym. Where did you get him from anyway? He seems very full of himself, if you ask me.’ She was still smarting after their encounter. Primarily because he seemed to think he knew her body better than she did.
‘His father retired a few years ago but he came very highly recommended. Edward has a lovely bedside manner.’
‘I’m sure he does,’ she muttered, not having had the same experience.
‘He can be very discreet, if that’s what you’re worried about, darling.’ She gave a pointed look towards Georgiana’s prosthetic. It was difficult to admit that her mother was correct in her assumption that having him see her was what had bothered her.
‘I think you might need to talk to him about bou
ndaries. Surely he shouldn’t be free to wander around here snooping on the rest of us if it’s you he’s here to see.’ If he wasn’t intimidated in the slightest by her, admonishment from the monarch might take him down a peg or two. His ego could do with some deflating.
‘I—I’ll have a word with him. Did he say something to upset you, Georgiana?’
‘He...uh...’
It wasn’t so much what he’d said to her, more the way he’d said it. All superior and cocky. Although she knew if she said that, she’d sound like a petulant brat and her mother didn’t need more reason to treat her like a child. It was one of those things she’d simply have to deal with and move on.
‘Not exactly. He said I was welcome to use the gym equipment at his clinic. In his opinion it’s better than the stuff I’m using at home and could speed my recovery.’ When she said it out loud it seemed so straightforward. That was what she wanted, wasn’t it? To get back to normal as soon as possible. Perhaps if anyone other than the laid-back Mr Lawrence had offered, she wouldn’t have been so against the initial idea. Now she was beginning to wonder if she’d let her personal opinion of the man in question cloud her judgement. If she stripped away the personality traits that made her dislike him on sight and focused on the professional interest, she could see they both had the same goal in mind. To get her back to her fighting best.
‘That’s good, isn’t it?’ Hope was written all over her mother’s face that this was somehow the answer to all their prayers. As though some high-grade gym equipment would restore her to the woman she was before her injury. For once Georgiana and her mother were in complete agreement about what they wanted.
* * *
‘Have you completely lost your mind?’
Ed glanced up from his laptop to find his business partner, Giles Winhope, sitting on his desk. ‘You got my message, then? I’d appreciate it if you kept the details between us. I promised full confidentiality.’
