by Karin Baine
‘And you didn’t think to consult me before you agreed to this?’
‘You were on board with our other royal appointment. I didn’t think it would be a problem.’
‘You wouldn’t,’ Giles muttered as he sorted Ed’s paperwork into a pile and rounded up the assortment of dirty coffee cups he hadn’t got around to washing yet.
Okay, he had a casual approach to housekeeping, but he gave everything important in his life his full attention. It was no reason to accuse him of being unprofessional.
‘It’s one thing having royal approval from the queen, but agreeing to sneak her daughter in here isn’t exactly standard business practice.’
Ed had been as surprised as anyone when Georgiana had called. He’d extended the invitation but he hadn’t expected to hear from her after their meeting unless it was to demand her shorts back. In hindsight it was possible he’d taken them home with him so she would have reason to speak to him again. Even if it was to threaten him with the police. Except she hadn’t mentioned them at all during the short phone call, sticking only to the salient points.
‘I’d like to take you up on your offer of using the facilities at your clinic. In private. Pick me up tomorrow night at seven o’clock.’ She hadn’t given him the chance to speak, much less remind her that he wasn’t one of her servants. He had promised to transport her in relative privacy but he wasn’t at her beck and call. Something he’d point out to her at the first opportunity. He had family commitments, which came before everything else.
‘To be honest, I never thought she’d agree. It was her mother who thought she needed some extra encouragement.’
‘It’s going to be a circus around here. Are we going to have to get extra security to accommodate our new client? A press room? Souvenir stalls?’ Giles’s main concern was always money. He and Ed were polar opposites but that was what made them such good business partners. Ed was the heart and soul of the clinic while Giles was the money man. Neither minded admitting their strengths and weaknesses because between them they made it work. Along with the other consultants, doctors, nurses and assorted staff they employed.
When the call had first come in for Ed to have a consultation at the palace, Giles had been over the moon because it added a certain gravitas to their reputation. Those who moved in the same aristocratic circles as the Ashleys would know they were the best at what they did now they had royal patronage. That prestige added financial value to the team. It was the thought of having to pay money out to oblige Georgiana that was causing him to come out in a sweat.
If Ed was a cruel man, he’d continue to let Giles think their finances were about to take a massive hit. Fortunately, he wasn’t.
‘Ms Ashley wants to remain incognito. No staff, no press, no other gym users when she’s here.’
‘How are we going to manage that? That will seriously damage our appointment book.’ That was Giles’s speak for losing income.
‘I said we’d open exclusively for her at night. I’m a keyholder, I can arrange it, don’t worry.’ It was on his head since he was the one to suggest the move without proper consultation with the rest of the team.
‘How are you going to manage that along with your other personal commitments?’ Giles arched an eyebrow in disbelief that he could make this work but Ed wasn’t one to shirk his responsibilities.
He had surgery days at the local hospital as well as his work here at the clinic and just as many demands on him at home. The only time he’d let anyone down was in his personal life when he’d failed to carve out enough time and energy to save his relationship with his ex, Caroline. He’d thought he could settle down like anyone else but when she’d left him he’d realised there was only room for one family in his life. It hadn’t really been a choice for him, when he’d always be there for his parents, but it still hurt.
Worse than his own heartbreak was knowing he’d caused Caroline so much pain in the process. She’d done nothing wrong except get involved with someone who couldn’t give her everything she needed. Ed had sworn then not to get into another serious relationship and repeat the same mistake.
He regretted not being there for Caroline as much as everyone else in his life but it made it easier to manage his other commitments now he was single.
‘That’s up to me to figure out. This is a done deal, Giles. I’m on my way to pick her up now. I’m simply doing you the courtesy of letting you know what’s going on.’
‘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.
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 back of a car could be tricky. Ungainly. She didn’t want him to see her struggling and feel sorry for her. It was much easier to deal with those who either pretended not to notice her disability or who didn’t care about it. People she’d found were few and far between.
‘If you want to lie down, I’ve got a blanket I can put over you.’ He came back with a tartan picnic rug and a box of files.
‘Do you do a lot of this, Mr Lawrence?’ She couldn’t help but tease in an attempt to cover her own unease at the situation. The occupational therapist had helped her deal with transferring her body weight in and out of seats during rehab, but this was the first time she’d done it in front of a relative stranger. That slight struggle to manoeuvre herself into the small space reminded her of her limitations and it wasn’t something she relished.
‘Not often, no.’ He didn’t rise to the bait. It obviously took more than gentle teasing to embarrass him or else he did have a habit of entertaining random women in the back of his car.
The thought of which suddenly made her black hoodie and sweatpants combo too warm against her skin. It didn’t help when he covered her with the blanket so she couldn’t be seen from outside.
‘I’m going to set some of my files on you to help cover the fact there’s a body under there.’
There was a gentle pressure as he weighted her down with paperwork, then she heard the door slam when he was finished. The car suspension adjusted to take his weight when he got in the driver’s seat and the engine purred into life. It was pitch black under her disguise and claustrophobic. Her hot breath came in gasps, increasing the temperature and her unease as they drove off.
There was that same trepidation she used to experience before going out on patrol with her unit, not knowing what lay outside the safety of the compound. Sure, this wasn’t a life or death situation but the adrenaline rush and fear of the unknown brought back memories of that horrific day. Perspiration coated her skin and she was doing her best to quell the panic threatening to reveal her to the outside world. She was seconds away from whipping the blanket off and winding down the window to gulp some fresh air.
‘Are you all right back there?’ As if he’d sensed her discomfort, Edward’s voice filtered through her claustrophobia to provide a grounding reassurance. He was a medical professional; he knew what she’d been through and if there was the slightest chance she was freaking out he’d be the first to call a halt to this.
She took deep, long cleansing breaths and visualised the freedom afforded her outside the gates. No prying eyes, whispered conversations or sympathetic stares. It was enough to steel her through the next leg of the journey.
‘I’m fine.’ Her muffled voice didn’t project as well as she’d hoped.
If he had any doubts about her state of mind or what they were doing, he said nothing and kept driving. She suspected he was leaving it down to her to make the crucial decisions. It made a nice change not having someone taking over and telling her what was in her best interests.
The car slowed, she heard the electric window go down and muffled voices outside. He’d reached the security gate where they were probably giving the visitor and his car another sweep before he left the palace.
Georgiana held her breath, illogically thinking they could somehow hear her as they walked around the car. Every footstep, every pause in between, convinced her she was about to be rumbled. Then she heard a double thump on the roof, some more deep muttering before the car set off again.
‘’Bye,’ she heard Edward call cheerfully and she could imagine him waving to the guards on the way past.
As soon as the electric window whirred back to life, she was able to breathe again.
‘You really should up the security around here,’ Edward said for her benefit.
‘I’ll look into that.’ She hoped he could tell she was rolling her eyes at him under here. ‘Can I come out yet?’
She hated being literally kept in the dark. Not knowing what was going on around her, blind to the surroundings and relying on someone else to keep her safe.
‘I’ll do a few laps around these side streets and make sure no one is following us first.’
‘Okay.’ She’d forgotten it wasn’t simply about getting out undiscovered but also dodging any press lurking around. Crawling out of the back of a car really would get her in the headlines and in everyone else’s bad books.
Patience. It was something she’d had to have a lot of recently and didn’t come easily to her. She wanted to be back to normal now. Not when her stupid body was ready. She didn’t want to think about what would happen if her physical self never caught up with her determined mind.
The click of the indicator and the car slowing brought her back to the present.
‘I think it’s safe for you to come out now. You can stay in the back if you want or sit up here in the passenger seat like a commoner.’ Edward’s sarcasm was a welcome distraction from her own thoughts and worries.
‘Do you think I drove around Afghanistan with a chauffeur?’ she snarked back, throwing off her coverings.
‘No. I assumed you travelled with your golden carriage and horses.’
‘They don’t work so well in the desert and tend to draw attention.’
Edward waited with the engine idling for her to join him in the front of the car. She was grateful he didn’t get out to offer her a hand, preferring to manage on her own.
The cold night air went some way to regulating her body temperature again, so she was relatively comfortable for the remainder of the journey.
‘I thought we should go in the back door to avoid detection,’ he said, pulling up outside the clinic. It wasn’t too far from the palace, making the whole escapade easier.
‘This must be a novelty for you.’
‘What?’ It was all new to
her—sneaking around, getting out of the palace and being around someone who wasn’t family or military.
‘Using the tradesman’s entrance. I imagine you’re used to red carpets and the smell of fresh paint everywhere you go.’
‘You mean you haven’t been redecorating to an appropriate standard for my arrival? Tut-tut.’ Getting out of the front of the car was slightly easier so she wasn’t as defensive as she was earlier. In fact she was almost beginning to enjoy her time out with the consultant. He wasn’t as annoying when not telling her what to do or making out he knew what was best for her. How long that would last now they were in his territory, she had no idea.
‘As I said, this was late notice or, you know, we would’ve held a reception for you.’ He countered her sarcasm with some of his own and opened up the clinic, leaving Georgiana to get out of the car on her own.
She wondered if this was how he behaved around most women or if this was just for her. He looked like a door opener, a ‘take a woman’s hand and help her out of the car’ gentleman. She thought more of him for sparing her blushes and realising she’d hate him to do that for her. That courteous gesture in other circumstances wouldn’t have bothered her but these days it simply reminded her she couldn’t do the simple things on her own.
Given their short history there was a possibility he was just rude in keeping his back to her until she managed to get back on her feet.
‘How did your partner take the news about me using this place out of hours?’ She wasn’t so obtuse she didn’t realise this was unorthodox and the clinic wouldn’t get the publicity they’d probably otherwise prefer. Edward had mentioned being late because of their meeting and Georgiana hoped she wasn’t the cause of any fallout.
Now she paused to think about it, having her here would be more of a headache than a bonus to their business. It made her wonder why on earth Edward had suggested it. Especially when she’d taken him for the type to avoid any hassle that could impede his freedom.
