The Surgeon and the Princess by Karin Baine (ebook reader with android os .TXT) 📕

get a chance to ask your folks about hosting the gala at the palace?’

‘Yes, they agreed. Sorry, I meant to let you know.’ Georgiana was keen to have something other than Ed’s eating habits and her own libido on her mind.

‘That’s such a weight off my mind. Thank you. I can hopefully set a date and send out the invitations now. This is actually happening.’ He smiled as he shook his head as though he couldn’t quite believe it. Despite all the hard work he’d obviously been doing to bring it to fruition.

‘Yes, it is. Thanks to you.’

‘And you. I thought I’d come to the end of the road. You saved us.’

‘My parents aren’t going to be present, of course. That’s not part of the deal.’ She shook off his undeserved praise. It was Ed who’d put his heart and soul, not to mention the extra hours of work, into setting this up.

‘Understood.’

‘Although, Mother does want to do her bit by bringing in her own caterers and florists for the occasion.’ She’d been surprisingly keen to get involved when Georgiana had put the proposal to her. The cynic in her wondered if it was in some way to ease her conscience over her own amputee daughter.

‘That’s very generous of them.’

‘Yeah. To their credit, my parents haven’t been pushing me to go back to work yet. Speaking at the gala gives me something to work towards. It will be a test. I’m just holding out for that day when I, and the rest of the world, no longer care about my appearance.’

‘I understand you have hang-ups about your prosthetic. It’s a big change for you, but you lost a leg, not your life. What kind of existence are you going to have if you stay locked away from the rest of the world?’

‘A quiet one,’ she muttered, every inch the petulant child.

‘That’s what you want? I don’t believe someone who has travelled the world and been in life or death situations could be content to rot away behind four walls. What would make you happy, Georgiana?’

‘You don’t understand. It’s not about being happy or content. It’s about not feeling any worse.’ Someone who looked like an Aussie surfer and ran a successful business would never have her worries.

‘So, tell me.’ He sat back in his chair, arms folded, waiting for her to unload.

‘I joined the army to get away from people staring and talking about me as though I’m not a real person.’

‘That’s the reason you went into service?’ He raised an eyebrow in disbelief at her. She really wasn’t explaining herself very well but it was the first time she’d tried to put how she was feeling into actual words.

‘Not entirely. I wanted to be someone of worth, to do something I could be proud of and help people where I could.’

‘You mightn’t be able to go back to that now, but that doesn’t mean you can’t be an asset elsewhere. You’re certainly going to be inspirational for my charity families.’

‘I’m sure I’ll make a great pin-up girl,’ she scoffed.

‘I never had you pinned as someone who sat around feeling sorry for herself.’ Blotches of red blossomed in his cheeks but it was Georgiana who felt the sting. Was that how he saw her? A spoilt rich girl feeling sorry for herself? After some thought she realised it wasn’t an unreasonable conclusion to come to, given her recent behaviour.

‘If you have parents who are more interested in public perception than the welfare of their children, you might realise why I’m so fixated on my...imperfection. As far as my mother’s concerned, I’m damaged goods. The only way I could ever be right again is if I grew my leg back.’ She thought of Freddie, her beautiful fun-loving brother. His perceived imperfection had been his sexuality. Something else to shame their parents.

Just as she couldn’t change her circumstances, neither could Freddie. He hadn’t been able to live with the disappointment any better than she could. Georgiana’s way of coping was to hide away. Surely that was a better option than taking one’s life? Depending on who you asked, of course.

‘Really? I didn’t get that impression from talking to her. She came across as being very proud of you.’

Any form of praise for her parents always darkened her mood.

‘I’m sure she managed to give you that impression for the duration of her appointment. Saving face is part of her job description. The reality is somewhat different.’ Her mother didn’t seem as proud when she was giving her those sideways glances of despair any time Georgiana had her false leg on show. She certainly hadn’t been loud and proud about her colourful son either.

‘Who do you think suggested I called in on you that first night? She’s worried about you but afraid to go anywhere near you and who can blame her? You’re a hard person to crack, Georgiana Ashley.’

There was that unpleasant sinking in her stomach again. A sense of betrayal and confusion about what had been going on behind her back dragging her down into despair.

‘Is—is that why she hired you? To break me down?’ She’d thought their meeting and subsequent forays at the clinic had been a happy quirk of fate. Finding out it was something her mother had orchestrated made a mockery of her and the emotions she’d begun experiencing around Ed.

The odd food combination she’d had along with this nauseating bombshell made her want to vomit.

Ed let out a groan of frustration and scrubbed his hands over his head. ‘She didn’t hire me for you. Your mother brought me in for a consultation on her back injury. All she asked where you were concerned was to have a chat and make sure you were all right. Everything that happened after that arose from circumstance and opportunity. It wasn’t a set-up.’

‘Is that what all this was about? Be nice to the poor amputee who’s so desperate for company she’ll do anything in return?’

‘Of course not. I’m not that kind of