From Doctor To Princess?: From Doctor to Princess? / The Doctor's Cinderella

‘Yes, that’s exactly what she’s suggesting. But I won’t put you through that...’

‘You make it sound as if you’re committing me to the palace dungeons. It’s not as bad as that, is it?’

The flicker of a smile crossed his face. ‘No. Not quite.’

‘Well, can’t we consider it? I don’t have to actually marry you, do I?’

‘No, you don’t. We’d have to make a show of being together for a few months, but after that we’d break the engagement off quietly... But look, Nell, your career is at stake here. There’s no point in saving it, only to have it ruined by being engaged to me.’

He had a point. Leaving her job and getting engaged to a prince might not look great on her CV, but it wouldn’t be as disastrous as having Martin’s story in the papers, and it wouldn’t hurt Hugo as much as his current plan would.

‘I don’t have to spend all my time just pretending to be engaged, do I? I could do some work with your charity, if that’s okay with you.’ He shook his head and Nell puffed out a breath. ‘This isn’t doing my ego any good, Hugo. Is it that bad to have to pretend you’re engaged to me?’

He laughed suddenly, all his reserve dissolving in his smile. ‘I’d be very honoured to be engaged to you. Even if I was just pretending.’

‘Then stop this nonsense about having to release the private details about your surgery. It’s not necessary, we can find another way.’

* * *

Nell had started to boss him around again and his resolve to keep her at a distance had melted. But at least she didn’t seem so beaten and dejected as she had when she’d recounted how she’d been treated by her last boss.

He’d begged her not to go through with this, and had told her that it was no sacrifice to allow his own medical details to be released to the papers instead, but she’d seen straight through him. So he’d called his mother, hoping that she might regret her mention of the Agreement, and talk some sense into Nell.

Fat chance. His mother had made a comment to the effect that she wished he’d make up his mind, and had gone on to embrace the idea. She appeared at the door of his apartment within minutes, and it seemed that she saw eye to eye with Nell over this compromise solution.

The details were worked out over a glass of wine. Nell insisted on giving up her employment, which seemed only sensible to Hugo. He insisted on her being involved with his work for the clinic as much as possible, so she’d at least have something to show on her CV later on. Even if that hadn’t worked out so well with his real engagement to Anna, it seemed that it could at least be accomplished in the context of a fake engagement.

‘This will work well, Hugo. You’re obviously already good friends.’ His mother’s habit of not leaving before she’d made some private comment about the situation could be trying, even if it did usually elicit her real thoughts.

‘We’re...’ Hugo shrugged. ‘Good friends doesn’t happen in the space of four days.’ Even if it did feel as if he’d known Nell for much, much longer than that.

‘You want to protect her. She wants to protect you.’ His mother turned on her heel, leaving Hugo to think about the implications of her statement.

He was too tired to think about anything very much. Nell cleared away the glasses, and thankfully skipped any examination of the healing incision on his chest. Perhaps she knew that the intimacy would be too much for him to bear tonight, when he was fighting to remain detached, now that they were alone.

He slept deeply, not remembering his dreams. In the morning, a package sent from his mother set the seal on the agreement that had been made last night, which was itself the stuff of crazy dreams.

He tore open the package and, looking inside, found a short handwritten note from his mother.

Treat her with the greatest respect, Hugo.

Right. He didn’t need to be told. He reached into the envelope again, finding a bundle of tissue paper wrappings and another note. He looked at both briefly, before putting them in his pocket.

CHAPTER EIGHT (#ud65e59a7-5521-5b05-ace0-e0fd12bf648e)

NELL HEARD THE knock on the connecting door between their apartments, just as she was putting the last of her clothes into her suitcase. When she answered it, Hugo was looking rested, which was a great deal more than she felt.

‘You’ve had breakfast?’ He grinned at her and she felt her stomach lurch. That would have been entirely appropriate if the engagement they were planning wasn’t all a fabrication.

‘No, I’ve been packing my bags. I was going to get that done first.’ They’d agreed last night that it would be best for them both to leave the palace. Hugo’s house in the country had no staff and was small enough that Ted and his team could maintain close security.

‘Would you like to join me, then?’

She nodded. ‘Yes. That would be nice, thank you. Just toast...’

An awkward silence accompanied the arrival of the tray from the kitchen, and Hugo motioned towards the balcony table, indicating that the tray should be set down there. Nell sat down, reaching for the coffee and pouring it.

‘You still want to go through with it?’ He didn’t need to say what.

‘Yes, I do. I’m even more sure this morning.’

He nodded, taking a tissue paper package from his pocket, undoing it and laying four rings in a line on the table. ‘These are my mother’s. She’d like you to have something nice to wear.’

In Nell’s book, something nice didn’t necessarily have to cost as much as the average house. ‘They’re real?’

‘Yes, of course they are.’

‘I can’t wear any of these, Hugo, they must be worth... I can’t even think how much they might be worth. Can’t I wear a fake?’

He shook his head. ‘No fakes, Nell, please. This engagement may not be real, but I want to say to you now that my promise to protect you is. I believe that you want to protect me, too.’

It wasn’t the proposal that every girl dreamed of. But suddenly Nell felt that there was something real about this. Hugo was a better man than she’d thought he was, not just a spoiled prince who could destroy her if he wanted, the way that Martin had tried to.

‘I will protect you, Hugo. I promise you that.’

He nodded. ‘Then I’d like it if you would choose whichever ring you like the best.’

That sounded like something she could put her heart into. She looked at the rings, not daring to touch any of them. One had a massive ruby at the centre, and it looked far too opulent. The other three were all large diamonds.

‘That one...’ She pointed awkwardly to a diamond solitaire that flashed blue-white in the morning sunshine.

‘That’s a very good choice. It’s the best stone.’

Nell went to protest that the only thing she’d seen was that it was the smallest stone, and he silenced her with a laugh. Picking up the ring, he held it out towards her. ‘Will you wear it now?’

‘The announcement hasn’t gone out yet. I shouldn’t wear it until tomorrow, should I?’

‘We’ve made a promise. I’d like it if you would wear the ring now, because that’s what it is to us. You can wear it on your right hand until tomorrow.’

Still he wouldn’t touch her. It was as if this new arrangement had blotted out any possibility of an innocent touch, and anything physical was now laden with some kind of meaning. Nell reached out, putting her hand in his.

‘Then...would it be appropriate for you to put it on for me, please?’

‘I think that would be entirely appropriate.’ His voice sounded inappropriately husky, and Nell avoided his gaze. Looking into his eyes wasn’t necessary.

She felt him slip the ring onto her finger, twisting it a quarter turn to get it past the knuckle. ‘It looks nice.’

Nice was a bit of an understatement. It looked amazing, and far too good for Nell.