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

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