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He led the way through the quiet corridors of the palace, Nell and Jacob arm in arm behind him. As he ushered them through one of the back doors and across the small courtyard towards the neat row of cottages used by palace employees, he wondered whether she’d be quite as gentle and understanding when Jacob was no longer within earshot.
It took Celeste a while to answer the door, and when she did so she was bleary-eyed, pulling on her dressing gown. Looking after Jacob was becoming a twenty-four-hour-a-day task for her, and she’d clearly been fast asleep when Hugo had texted her to say that Jacob was with him. He waved away her apologies and said goodnight, hearing Nell’s voice behind him echoing the sentiment.
The door closed and he turned to Nell, watching as the smile slipped from her face. That capable, no-nonsense expression didn’t fail to send a tingle down his spine, even if he was far too tired to make the best of whatever conflict was brewing.
‘So, Jacob wanders at night?’ She walked next to him back across the courtyard.
‘Yes. I’d appreciate it if you didn’t say anything about it.’
He couldn’t see the flash of her eyes in the darkness, but imagined it there. ‘This place is full of secrets, isn’t it? How long do you think you can cover this up?’
‘I don’t need very long. Before I went into hospital, I was talking to Celeste about getting a carer for him at night so that she could get some sleep. I contacted her after I was taken ill and she said that things were okay and she was managing on her own.’ He turned the corners of his mouth down. Clearly things hadn’t been okay, and Celeste had just not wanted him to worry.
‘Celeste’s his daughter?’
‘Yes. Jacob came to work here at the palace when he was sixteen, it’s the only home he knows. My father’s always said that he and Celeste have a place here for as long as they want.’
‘So why all the secrecy?’ Nell frowned, clearly bothered by it.
‘When he heard that Jacob had been wandering at night, my father went to see Celeste and mentioned to her that a nursing home might be the right place for Jacob, and offered to pay the bills. Celeste took that as a royal command...’
‘But he was really just trying to help.’ Nell gave Hugo’s father the benefit of the doubt. Maybe Hugo should, too.
‘I’m sure he was. But Celeste doesn’t think it’s the right thing for Jacob and neither do I. Like I said, this is his only home and he’d be even more disorientated than he is now in a new place.’
‘Okay. Let me get this clear.’ Nell stopped suddenly in the middle of the courtyard, and Hugo felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. They were in full view of the palace, and he didn’t take anonymity for granted the way that Nell obviously did. He saw a light flip on, and then back off again. Probably nothing.
‘Your father thinks that the best place for Jacob is a nursing home, and you think it’s best for him to stay here.’ Hugo dragged his attention back to what Nell was saying. ‘So instead of talking to him about it, you’re going to get a night carer in, see if that works and then tell your father about it.’
When she put it like that it didn’t sound the best way of doing things. But then Nell didn’t know his father. ‘Yes. That’s essentially it.’
She held up her hands in a gesture of resignation. ‘Okay. You have an agency in mind, where you can get this carer?’
‘Yes...’ Hugo had wondered how he was going to break the news to her that tomorrow he’d be busy making those arrangements.
‘Right. Give the details to me. I can do an assessment of Jacob and talk to Celeste about what she thinks is best in the morning, and we’ll get things moving. If we can get someone in for tomorrow night, then Celeste can get some sleep and think better about her long-term options.’
Her tone brooked no argument, which was generally like a red rag to a bull where Hugo was concerned. But Nell was right. And although he’d only known Nell for a matter of hours, he trusted her. She’d take good care of his old friend.
‘Thank you. I’d appreciate that.’ He started to walk towards the back door of the palace, where they’d be out of sight of anyone who happened to be traversing one of the rear corridors.
‘That, of course, is dependent on your not taking advantage of my being busy elsewhere to do something you shouldn’t.’ Nell caught up with him.
‘Of course.’ He opened the door for her and she walked through.
‘I’d feel happier if you said it.’
He could see her face now, shining in the dim light of the corridor. A little humour mixed with the kind of determined compassion that he reckoned must make her a very good doctor.
‘My mother’s intending to cheer me up over lunch tomorrow. You can hand her the keys to the ball and chain if you want.’ Nell raised her eyebrows and he sighed. ‘If you’d be good enough to see Jacob in the morning, you have my word of honour that I’ll rest.’
A stab of guilt accompanied the thought that he’d been a little hard on Nell. For the last two weeks, he’d gritted his teeth and submitted as gracefully as he could to the authority of his doctors and nurses and the limitations his own labouring heart had put on him. Yesterday morning, when he’d arrived back at the palace, he’d resolved to leave all that behind. He had to get back to normal as quickly as possible if he was to achieve the goals he’d set himself.
None of that had anything to do with Nell, though. She had a job to do, and when she smiled at him, everything else seemed to retreat back into obscurity.
‘Thank you.’ She gave him a now we’re getting somewhere smile. Maybe they were.
CHAPTER FOUR (#ulink_4cf3c95d-5cbb-56eb-8da9-9e6e1f723398)
HUGO LOOKED RESTED and relaxed. Like someone who had spent yesterday in his apartment doing nothing in particular while Nell assessed Jacob and made all the arrangements for a carer to come and help Celeste. Which was just as Nell wanted things to be.
But today was sure to bring new challenges. Hugo had wished her a good morning, and Nell had responded by picking up his car keys and giving him a lecture about staying within his limits. Ted, his bodyguard, had flashed her a quiet smile and got into the front passenger seat of Hugo’s car, while she fiddled with the driver’s seat, pulling it forward.
‘Remember to drive on the left.’ Hugo’s quiet voice had sounded from the back of the car, and she’d ignored him, slipping off her high sandals and starting the car.
Ted directed her through the morning traffic to a large house, set back from the road and gleaming white in the sunshine. She’d followed the ushers’ signals and parked the car between two others, which would have cost her the approximate value of her own flat had she been careless enough to scratch them.
‘You look very nice.’ Hugo bent towards her as they walked together to the circle of awnings laid out behind the house.
‘Thank you.’ On the basis that she couldn’t compete with anyone here, Nell had decided on a plain dress with no jewellery. That seemed to fit well enough with Hugo’s approach, a grey suit with a white open-necked shirt. No signet rings, no diamond tie pins. He really didn’t need that kind of thing, he was striking enough already, tall and tanned, with an easy manner that marked him out as someone who would always be acceptable in any social setting.
She was introduced to their hosts, and Hugo kissed the lady of the house on both cheeks. A drink appeared magically in her hand, and Hugo shook his head when he was offered one, obviously feeling that the juggling of drinks and handshakes would be too much for him to accomplish while taking care not to compromise his recent surgery.
‘Prince Hugo!’ A middle-aged woman marched up to him, and Hugo responded to her greeting with a hug. His face and body showed no signs of the pain that it would have caused him, but Nell knew that his left shoulder must be pulling at the movement. Then someone brushed against his left side, and this time he jumped imperceptibly.
This was no good. Nell carefully slipped in between Hugo and the people on his left side, curling her fingers around his left elbow. She knew exactly which angle his arm would be the most comfortable at, and she made a show of seeming to hang on to his arm, while making sure that it stayed immobile.
A nod, and a smile in her direction. And then, just for her, a mouthed Thank you.
‘Nell’s here from London. A friend of the family.’
The woman who was with him smiled. ‘What do you do?’
‘She’s in between jobs.’ Hugo had obviously decided to speak for her, in case she got their story wrong. ‘Taking a well-earned holiday.’
‘I’m particularly interested in the work of Hugo’s charity.’ Nell decided that taking Hugo’s arm could be forgiven, under the circumstances. Acting like a glove puppet couldn’t.
‘Ah...’ The woman nodded. ‘Well, he’s risen to the occasion yet again. Are you going to make a bid for him in the charity auction? So generous of His Highness to donate a trip with him on the royal yacht as one of the lots!’
Nell gave her brightest smile. ‘He didn’t tell me that there was going to be an auction after lunch until yesterday evening. It would be rude of me not to put in a bid for him.’
The woman laughed, and Hugo smiled graciously. Nell gritted her teeth.
A seemingly endless amount of small talk was cut short by their hostess, and everyone found their places at the tables. Champagne was served, and Nell leaned towards Hugo.
‘What happens if the amount I have to bid for you goes over the limit you can donate to the project?’ She hadn’t thought that would be possible last night, but now she wasn’t so sure.
‘You over-estimate my desirability.’
‘Not really. These women all look as if they can spend a large amount on just a whim.’
‘I’m suitably crushed.’ He put his hand to his heart, not looking even slightly crushed. ‘Remember this was your idea.’
‘Were there any other options?’
‘There’s always another option. But your solution was the best.’
‘So you weren’t looking forward to entertaining some lucky girl on the royal yacht for the weekend?’
‘What makes you think it’s going to be a woman? The trip on the yacht is the point of it all—a family with children would enjoy it, too.’
Right. Nell would bet a pound to a penny that there wouldn’t be any men bidding for this particular lot. But telling him that would only add to the chorus of appreciation that surrounded him, and Hugo already seemed to be under the misapprehension that he could get away with almost anything.
‘What’s Montarino doing with a royal yacht, anyway? It’s completely landlocked.’ Nell hadn’t thought to ask last night.
‘It’s moored in France. Montarino has an ancient treaty that allows us safe harbour there. Unfortunately the treaty doesn’t mention bills for the marina, so we have to pay those.’
‘So you were intending a three-hour drive to the coast, in addition to swimming and sailing and...whatever else you do on a royal yacht? You do know that you’re not supposed to be driving for six weeks.’ Last night this plan had seemed a matter of pretending to pay a nominal amount to get Hugo out of a fix. Now the stakes were looking a lot higher.
‘I won’t be doing any of that, though, will I? Not if you win the bidding.’
* * *
The look that she gave him made the large hole that this afternoon was going to make in his bank balance seem more than worth it. Hugo could have changed his contribution to this afternoon’s auction to something that demanded a little less activity on his part, but the programmes were all printed, and somehow the idea of having Nell stake her claim on him publicly had made him lose touch with the more sensible options.
Lunch was eaten, and a frisson of excitement ran around the tables when the auctioneer climbed up onto his podium. Nell’s hand moved to her bidding card.
‘You’re sure there’s no limit?’ She smiled suddenly and the sunlight playing on the ornamental fountains, on each side of the group of tables, dimmed in comparison.
‘I trust you.’
‘That might just be your first mistake...’
She was enjoying this. It occurred to Hugo that Nell might be about to teach him a lesson, and the idea didn’t fill him with as much dismay as it should have done.
Premier tickets for a football match, courtesy of Montarino’s one and only football team. Seats for a hotly anticipated rock concert. Some silver jewellery, from an up-and-coming new designer, who had cannily decided that it would do her no harm to have her work seen by the guests here today, was snapped up after a bidding war.
‘That’s a beautiful piece. It’ll really suit her.’ Nell was completely caught up in the proceedings, leaning over to murmur the words in his ear as she watched the winner talking excitedly to her husband.
‘Would you like one? I can have another made...’ The abstract curves of the silver necklace would actually suit Nell far better than they would Monique LaTour.
‘Don’t you dare!’ She turned to him, a look of reprimand on her face. ‘For what she’s just paid, she deserves to have something unique.’
Hugo thought about telling her that Jacques LaTour was a multimillionaire and that Monique had enough jewellery to fill a wardrobe. But he doubted the information would make any difference to Nell, and anyway her attention was back on the auctioneer’s podium now.
‘Now, a special treat, ladies and gentlemen. Hosted by His Royal Highness Crown Prince Hugo DeLeon, a weekend trip on Montarino’s royal yacht.’ A gratifying buzz of excitement ran around the tables. Hugo smiled in acknowledgement, and then glanced at Nell. Her champagne flute was in her hand, and she’d just downed the whole glass in one.
* * *
Ted would have to drive back, or they could call for the chauffeur. Nell was sure that something could be arranged, and she needed something to calm her nerves. Bubbles hit the back of her throat and she almost choked.
This was it. She was about to spend an unknown sum of Hugo’s money just to have his company for the weekend and ensure he didn’t over-exert himself, something she was being paid to do anyway. The doctor’s common room would have had a field day with that, but suddenly she couldn’t have cared less. This felt like an adventure, one that might wipe away all the slights that had hurt her so over the last year.
As soon as the bidding started, three women held their cards up. The auctioneer managed to come to a decision over who had bid first, and as his finger moved briskly to and fro the price began to rocket upwards.
Nell saw Hugo’s head turn towards her, and caught a glimpse of his worried expression. Then she held up her card, waving it to attract the auctioneer’s attention.
‘Two thousand from the lady on the right...’ Nell felt slightly giddy at the idea that she was spending this much money.
There were many more rounds of determined bidding and one by one her rivals shook their heads. When the auctioneer rapped his hammer, an unexpected burst of exhilaration made Nell catch her breath. A few people looked round at her as Hugo leaned towards her, smiling.
‘I thought for a moment you were going to let me down. Do I detect an element of risk-taking in your approach?’
Let him think that. If this was an exercise in each keeping the other off-balance, it couldn’t do any harm. Nell gave him a smile and reached for her glass, which had been refilled at some point during the bidding. Clearly one of the attentive waiters had thought she might need it.
Hugo’s lot was the highlight of the afternoon. There were a couple more, to round things off, and then the ring of a silver spoon against a crystal glass called for quiet as their hostess got to her feet. She thanked everyone for being there, and introduced Hugo.
He got to his feet, smiling, and Nell saw more than one person smile back. Taking a sheet of paper from his pocket, Hugo scanned it and then tore it in two.
‘Ladies and gentlemen, I had a speech prepared, but I find that there’s little more I can do to add to this afternoon.’
Nell took a sip of her champagne. This sounded pretty much par for the course. This afternoon was all about delighting in smoke and mirrors, not getting to grips with the serious issues.
‘First, I’d like to thank Yvette, our hostess today...’ He paused as a round of applause ran around the tables, and Yvette nodded a smiling acknowledgement. ‘Second, I’d like to thank you all for your generosity.’
He paused. Five seconds’ silence, which was enough to catch everyone’s attention. Hugo’s timing was impressive.
‘You all deserve to know what that generosity means. Under your placemats, you’ll find a leaflet...’ He held up a glossy trifold, and Nell looked under her place mat and found one just like it. ‘We’re not in the business of bricks and mortar, or of reputation, although we’re rightly proud of Montarino Hospital’s record of excellence. We deal in people.’
Hugo’s gaze dropped suddenly to the trifold in his hand. Almost against her own will, Nell opened her own copy of the leaflet, seeking out the photograph inside that he seemed to be studying. A little girl in a pink dress, cuddling a battered teddy bear. She was smiling, reaching for someone or something behind the camera.
‘I’ll let these photographs tell you how much your kindness means. Thank you, ladies and gentlemen.’
Hugo sat down abruptly, seeming to be almost overcome by emotion. Applause ran around the tables, followed by a buzz of conversation, which seemed to be centred around the leaflets in everyone’s hands.
It was a great speech. Short and to the point, and tugging nicely at the heartstrings. Nell had noticed that he’d put the paper he’d torn in half safely back into his pocket. She wondered vaguely if there had ever been anything written on it.
It didn’t matter. If Nell had seen the reality of heart disease, and knew that it wasn’t all smiles and teddy bears, that wasn’t what today was about. She’d lost count of the amount of money that had been raised, and it seemed the auction was just the tip of the iceberg.
A middle-aged man in a silk suit had approached their table, and Hugo had turned in his seat to talk to him. He pressed a folded cheque into Hugo’s hand.
‘Thank you, Henri. We’ll use this well.’
The woman standing next to Henri spoke. ‘Next time, I insist on being the hostess, Your Highness.’
Hugo hesitated. ‘You’re too kind, Justine. Think about it...’
‘No, I don’t need to think about it. I’ve thought about things for too long and it’s about time I did something.’
