Prince Charming of Harley Street. Anne Fraser

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СКАЧАТЬ there was something in his eyes that suggested he wasn’t best pleased to be photographed. The caption underneath read ‘The Honourable Jonathan Cavendish and his girlfriend, actress Jessamine Goldsmith, at the premiere of her film One Night In Heaven.’

      Rose was having a hard time getting her head around it. He was an honourable, the son of a lord, his girlfriend was a movie star. And he was her boss. A GP. She felt her lips curl in disapproval. That wasn’t the kind of doctor she approved of. People should go into medicine to help others, not to finance some gad-about lifestyle. However, it was nothing to do with her. She was here to do a job and as long as her new boss didn’t actually go around killing his patients with his incompetence, who was she to judge?

      The door swished open and she dropped the magazine as if it were a hot potato.

      A woman with short curly hair and a look of panic rushed into the room. She ran past Rose without saying anything, heading straight for the staff bathroom. Once again, Rose was bemused. It was beginning to feel as if she had walked in to a madhouse. Who on earth was that? She hadn’t rung the doorbell so she must have a key. And she knew exactly where the staff bathroom was. Could this be the missing Nurse Vicki?

      A few minutes later, the woman reappeared. Although she still looked pale, some colour had returned to her cheeks.

      ‘I’m so sorry,’ she said collapsing into a chair. ‘You must be the temp covering for Tiggy. She phoned me on Saturday to let me know she was going to be away and there would be a temp filling in.’ She took a shuddering breath. ‘You must think me incredibly rude, rushing in like that without so much as a good morning.’

      Rose crossed to the woman’s side. ‘Are you all right?’

      ‘Not really.’ She grimaced before holding out a hand to Rose. ‘I’m Victoria, my friends call me Vicki. I’ve just been terribly sick. Thank God I made it here in time. It would have been too embarrassing throwing up in public.’

      ‘Should you be at work?’ Rose said. ‘Couldn’t you have taken the day off?’

      ‘I would have. If I hadn’t known Tiggy was off. Or if I’d known I was going to feel this bad. I felt okay until I got off the tube, then I just started to feel worse and worse.’

      ‘Dr Cavendish is in with a patient. Should I call him?’ Vicki did look awful. There was no way she should stay at work. Rose watched in alarm as the colour drained from the nurse’s cheeks again.

      ‘Oh, no, sorry.’ Vicki clamped a hand across her mouth and bolted for the bathroom.

      While she waited for Vicki to re-emerge, Rose switched the kettle on again and finding some peppermint tea set about making a pot. She hoped the drink would help settle Vicki’s stomach. There was no way she could be allowed to return home until she stopped feeling ill.

      ‘You must wonder what kind of place you’ve walked into.’ Vicki’s voice came from behind her. ‘The nurse more ill than the patients. And I see Lady Hilton has brought Mr Chips in again. I do hope he won’t relieve himself in the plant pot again. Oh, is that tea? Could I have some?’

      ‘I think you should try a couple of sips. Why don’t you sit down? You look as if you could collapse at any minute.’

      Vicki sat on one of the chairs at the kitchen table. ‘Jonathan is not going to be happy about this,’ she confided. ‘The last time I was off the full eight months. He had to find someone to replace me, and she didn’t turn out to be great.’

      Realisation was beginning to dawn on Rose.

      ‘You’re pregnant?’

      Vicki nodded. ‘Oh, I’d better not do that again,’ she moaned. ‘Any movement just makes it worse.’

      ‘And you had hyperemesis with the last pregnancy.’

      ‘Hey, you’re pretty switched on. Have you had it? Is that how you know?’ She was too polite to say so, but Rose guessed she was wondering how a medical secretary would know about the condition an unfortunate few women suffered in pregnancy.

      ‘I’m a trained nurse. Poor you. How badly did you have it last time?’

      ‘Bad enough to put me in hospital, I’m afraid. And to keep me off work for most of my pregnancy.’ She took a tentative sip of her tea. ‘I’m dreading having to tell Jonathan.’

      ‘He doesn’t know you’re pregnant?’

      ‘I wasn’t going to tell him just yet. I’m only eight weeks. And I hoped that I would be better this time around.’

      ‘I’m sure he’ll understand.’

      ‘He’s a real softy. Of course he’ll understand. I just hate letting him down. The patients like to see me. They’re used to me. Most of the older ones hate change. My obstetrician tells me it might get better by around twelve weeks, but I’m not holding my breath.’

      The sound of a door opening alerted Rose to the fact that Jonathan’s consultation with Lady Hilton had ended.

      ‘I’ll be back in a moment,’ she reassured Vicki. ‘Just you stay there until I get back.’

      She scooped up Mr Chips from his nest in her cardigan and carried him over to Lady Hilton. The movement roused the dog from his nap and he reached up, attempting to lick Rose’s face. She just managed to avert the doggy kiss by passing Mr Chips over to his owner.

      ‘Has my baby been a good boy, then?’ Lady Hilton cuddled her dog as if it had been days rather than minutes since they’d been together. But as she buried her face in her pet’s fur, Rose noticed tears in the corner of her eyes.

      ‘I’ll come to the house to see you and Giles later this week,’ Jonathan said. ‘In the meantime, we’ll try this new prescription. See if that makes a difference.’ He patted her arm. ‘The next few weeks are going to be rough,’ he said. ‘Call me any time. I mean it.’

      He looked around. ‘Rose, have you seen Vicki? She’s usually in by now.’

      ‘In the kitchen, having a cup of tea. I’m afraid she’s not feeling very well.’

      A look of concern swept across Jonathan’s face. ‘I’ll go and check up on her. I’ll see you soon, Sophia. Take care.’ He kissed the woman on the cheek again and Rose showed her out.

      Rose retreated behind her desk, giving Vicki the chance to tell Jonathan her news. She ran through the condition in her mind. Although hyperemesis was hugely debilitating, it was rarely life threatening. However, being constantly sick would prevent Vicki from working and might well require another stay in hospital.

      Jonathan appeared with his arm around Vicki’s shoulder. ‘I’m going to take Vicki home,’ he said. ‘Do you think you could hold the fort until I come back? I’ll be about an hour.’

      ‘Your next patient is due in about ten minutes,’ Rose reminded him. ‘Lord Bletchley?’

      ‘I can manage, Jonathan,’ Vicki said weakly. ‘I’ll take a taxi. You stay and see your patient. You know what Lord Wretchley—I mean, Lord Bletchley’s like. He’ll go through the roof if he’s kept waiting.’

      ‘He’ll СКАЧАТЬ