Cinderella and the Surgeon

He walked towards Lance, who’d started to talk loudly to another male guest, telling him exactly what he was waiting for.

Harry didn’t hesitate. He grabbed Lance by the scruff of the neck and the seat of his pants, practically lifting him from the floor as he marched him back to the front door. One of the members of staff visibly gulped, panic on her face.

Lance started to try and wrestle his way from Harry’s grip, but his drunken moves were uncoordinated and his shouts slurred.

‘Get off me, get off me.’ He turned his head and caught a glimpse of Harry. ‘Oh, it’s you,’ he said in a mocking voice. ‘The white knight. Well, get lost, Harry. You had your chance. Penelope’s coming home with me.’

He was still trying to struggle as Harry nodded to one of the staff to open the front door. Several people had come to some of the doors of the club and were watching every movement. This could be dangerous. Harry had spotted a few paparazzi at the end of the street. There were obviously a few events going on in the same area of London tonight. He paused at the entrance way. ‘Is there a cab outside?’

The doorman took a quick glance and waved his arm. ‘Just a moment, sir.’

Lance kept wrestling, but Harry’s grip was strong.

The doorman gave a nod. ‘Can you open the door for me?’ asked Harry.

A few seconds later there was a shout from outside. ‘Ready!’

Harry bundled Lance down the steps and straight into the empty cab, thrusting some money towards the driver and rattling off Lance’s address. He’d known him long enough to know exactly where he lived.

He waited a few moments as the cab drove off, then straightened his suit and walked back inside.

He knocked on the door of the ladies’ and waited a few moments before gently pushing it open.

‘Pen? Are you here? It’s Harry. Lance is gone. I’ve put him in a cab and sent him home.’

The door to one of the panelled wooden stalls opened and Penelope walked unsteadily out, her face streaked with tears. She collapsed into Harry’s arms. ‘I’m so sorry to phone you. Say sorry to Esther too. It’s the middle of the night.’

Harry shook his head. ‘It’s fine, and Esther’s working. Even if she hadn’t been, she would have been fine with me coming for you.’

He took a deep breath. ‘Did he touch you? Did he do anything to you?’

Penelope shook her head. She didn’t meet Harry’s eyes. ‘It didn’t get that far. He just got drunker and drunker and told me exactly what he expected later. That was enough. I thought I could just duck away, but when I came to the bathroom, he started hanging around outside.’ Her voice was trembling. ‘And I wasn’t sure who would have my back if I’d gone outside again.’

Harry trembled as he kept his rage buttoned up inside. He put his hands ever so gently on Penelope’s face. ‘No one should ever make you feel like that. No one should ever make you feel unsafe. I’ll always have your back, Pen. Know that. Know that always. Any time, day or night, that you don’t feel safe, you can call me. That’s what friends are for.’

Her eyes finally met his and he could feel her whole body sag in relief. She put her hand over his. ‘I’m just glad you were able to come and get me.’ She took a long, slow breath. ‘Would you mind taking me home?’

‘Of course not.’

She nodded, then turned to the mirror. ‘Give me a second.’

She cleaned up her face and combed her hair, rapidly looking more like the polished Penelope the world normally viewed. He gave her a few moments while she put her hands on either side of the sink and did some deep breathing.

‘Ready,’ said Penelope, sounding a little more like normal. ‘Thank you,’ she said again. ‘I’m sorry to phone in the middle of the night. But I just knew I needed some help—and you were the first person I knew I could count on.’

He gave her a thoughtful nod. ‘Any time, Penelope. Any time you need help, just pick up the phone.’

She slid her hand into Harry’s arm as they walked outside towards Harry’s car.

‘Duke, Penelope,’ came a shout nearby.

They turned automatically as a camera flashed. Harry shook his head as he opened the car door for her. ‘Sorry about that. I’d seen them, but thought they were at the club down the street.’

‘No probs,’ said Penelope as she fastened her seat belt. ‘Just get me home. I can’t wait for this night to be over.’

* * *

Esther’s phone rang, sending a jolt through the staff who were currently sitting at the nursing station in NICU. Her heart missed a few beats when she saw the name on the screen. Mum.

She automatically stood up, stepping away from her colleagues towards the back wall of NICU. ‘Mum, what’s wrong? Is everything all right?’

She froze. The voice at the end of the phone wasn’t her mother’s. It was one of the neighbours.

‘Esther, I’m so sorry to phone you at this time. It’s Gladys. There’s been a bit of an issue here.’

‘Where’s my mum? Is she okay?’

There was a long intake of breath. ‘Yes, yes, I think so. They’ve just taken her away in the ambulance. A bit of smoke inhalation, but they think she’ll be okay. I’m just going to follow the ambulance but she wanted me to phone you first.’

‘Smoke inhalation? What’s happened?’ She couldn’t keep her voice quiet right now. All heads in the unit turned towards her.

‘I’m so sorry, honey, but the house...it’s gone up in flames. The fire brigade are here now. They have no idea how things started and they think they have the blaze under control, but—to be honest, Esther—your mum can’t go back there. The roof is damaged, the kitchen...’ She let her voice tail off.

Esther sagged back against the wall just for a second as she blinked back tears.

‘I’m coming. I’m on my way.’ She brushed the tears from her face. ‘Tell her I’ll be there as soon as I can.’

She finished the call as her colleagues surrounded her, instantly asking if they could help.

‘I’ll cover your patients.’

‘We can arrange some emergency leave.’

‘Do you want me to go online and book the first flight for you?’

She nodded as she tried to collect her thoughts. ‘Harry,’ she said in a low voice. ‘I should phone Harry.’

Two of her colleagues exchanged glances. ‘Maybe not,’ said the one that was usually more bolshie.

Esther shook her head. ‘Why?’

There was an awkward pause, then one of them took her phone from her pocket and pulled up the Twitter feed for one of the daily rags. Has the Duke Found His Bride? was the headline of just over an hour ago.

The picture that accompanied it was of Harry, dressed in a suit with his arm around Penelope, looking her usual glamorous self. Harry looked worried—was that because he knew his picture was being taken? But Penelope didn’t look worried at all. She had her hand on the front of Harry’s chest and was looking at him like Harry was some kind of saviour. Esther’s stomach twisted into a knot.

Harry had texted earlier and said he was in bed. Alone.

The text from earlier must have been a lie and that made her stomach clench in anger and humiliation.

Because this picture showed something entirely different. And the way that Penelope was looking at him...made her wonder if she’d missed something completely. Could that be love? Adoration?

Whatever it was it made her want to be sick all over her shoes and punch a wall.

Nothing like being humiliated in front of the world.

‘I’m sorry, honey,’ said Caroline, one of her older colleagues. ‘But you’ve enough to deal with right now. Concentrate on your mum. Anything else can wait.’

It was clear she could tell that the tears forming in Esther’s eyes were a mixture of things.

Esther

trusted Caroline. She’d never steered her wrong in the past. Caroline put her arm around her shoulders. ‘Get your things. I’ll walk you down and see if we can get you a cab.’

Esther’s mind was swirling. She didn’t know what to think. Anger was racing through her veins. What she really wanted to do was dial his number and scream and shout. But grabbing some things and getting to the airport was so much more important right now.

And even though she knew that, it didn’t stop the horrible aching of her heart, or the hurt at the apparent betrayal.

But there was something else. Even if this hadn’t happened. Part of her knew that depending what she found when she got back to Scotland, she might never come back here. She had to put her mum’s needs first—because she was all she had.