Summer With A French Surgeon

Dear Reader

I’ve returned once more to my favourite part of France for the setting of SUMMER WITH A FRENCH SURGEON. I fell in love with the area when I strolled hand in hand one summer’s day along a favourite beach with my boyfriend John, who was soon to be my husband. Later we took our children. Now some of our children and grandchildren live not far from this beach.

I still walk along the same beach if I’m searching for a new romantic story. Although my husband died a few years ago I still feel the inspiration he used to give me when I needed to conjure up a romantic hero.

The beach is set in a beautiful area of hills and valleys near fashionable Le Touquet and the picturesque old town of Montreuil-sur-mer. It’s a perfect background for the romance of Julia and Bernard, two doctors who initially fight against the attraction that pulls them together. There are many obstacles to overcome before they can give in to the romantic love that finally claims them for ever.

I hope you enjoy reading their story as much as I enjoyed writing it.

Margaret

www.millsandboon.co.uk

To my wonderful family, who give me continual love,

inspiration and happiness.

CHAPTER ONE

EVER since she’d been tiny, Julia had always made a special point of trying to appear confident. Well, with three older brothers to boss her around she’d had to be tough to survive. Still, glancing around now at her fellow trainee surgeons, she felt decidedly nervous. Since her disastrous marriage to Tony—who’d done his best to destroy whatever confidence she’d had—her life had been an uphill struggle to even get back to how she’d felt as a teenager, competing against her brilliant medical-student and qualified brothers.

Coming here, to France, to further her surgical career was the first step on her long journey back to self-confidence. And, in fact, looking out of the taxi as she had been driven down the hill just now towards St Martin sur Mer, she’d been in seventh heaven as she’d absorbed the wonderful scenery spread out in front of her. The stunning view had made her forget any apprehension she’d had about taking this big step.

She’d found herself overwhelmed with nostalgia as she’d seen the undulating sand dunes spilling down onto the beach and behind them the small, typically French hotels, cafés tabac, restaurants, shops and houses clustered near the high-tech hospital. She’d felt the excitement she’d known as a child when her French mother and English father, both doctors, had brought the whole family here for a couple of weeks every summer holiday.

She brought her thoughts back to the present as the eminent professor of orthopaedic surgery strode into the room. She caught her breath. Wow! Bernard Cappelle looked much younger than she’d expected and very … handsome? She paused, surprised by the turn of her wicked thoughts. It had been a very long time since she’d noticed any man in that way.

He was more than handsome, he was charismatic. Yes, that was more like it. He was oozing the sort of confidence she longed to acquire. Well, maybe, just maybe in another ten years, when she was an eminent surgeon, she would stride into a room and silence would descend as her students stared in awe at their professor of surgery, as was happening now with the great Bernard Cappelle.

If she hadn’t made a concrete decision to hold off relationships since Tony had bled her dry of all desire for emotional commitment of any kind she would have allowed herself to fancy Bernard Cappelle.

In your dreams, girl! No chance! She wouldn’t let herself even fantasise about him. Good! That meant she could concentrate on making the most of the six-month course without wasting her energy on emotional dreams about an unattainable man who wouldn’t even notice her.

The awesome man cleared his throat as he looked around the assembled doctors. Ah, so he was possibly a bit nervous? At least that meant he had a human side.

‘Hello, and welcome, ladies and gentlemen. I hope that …’

Bernard Cappelle began by welcoming them to the Hopital de la Plage, which would be their place of study and work for the six-month course. He explained they would study an orthopaedic operation theoretically before they moved on to the practical aspect of observing and assisting in Theatre. They would also be expected to assist with the pre- and post-operative care of the patients and also work in Urgences, the accident and emergency department, on occasion if required.

Julia took notes but realised soon enough that she’d read most of this in the brochure she’d studied carefully before applying. So she allowed herself to study the man who was to lead them all to the final exams, which would give them a prestigious qualification that would be a definite help to her in her desire to become a first-class orthopaedic surgeon.

She sat back in her hard and uncomfortable chair, probably designed to keep students awake. There were ten students on the course, Dr Cappelle explained. He’d chosen them from their CVs and was confident from their qualifications and experience that they were all going to give the next six months one hundred per cent of their available effort. He paused for a moment and his eyes swept the room before alighting on Julia in the front row.

‘Are you happy for me to speak French all the time, Dr Montgomery?’ he asked in heavily accented but charming English.

She was taken aback by suddenly being the centre of attention. Everyone was waiting for her reply. She swallowed hard. ‘Yes, yes, of course. My mother is French, my father English, so I’m bilingual.’

‘Then if you are happy I will speak in French …’ He went on to explain that he was much happier when speaking French. ‘And you are not intimidated by being the only lady in the class?’

She sat up straight, trying to look bigger than she actually was. ‘Not at all. I was brought up with three brothers who did their best to intimidate me but without success.’

There was a scattering of sympathetic laughter. She was quaking in her shoes but making a valiant effort not to show it. She wished he would take his eyes off her and attention would focus on someone else.

‘Excellent!’

A student sitting nearby spoke out in a clear distinct voice. ‘Why is it, sir, that women orthopaedic surgeons are few and far between?’

Bernard Cappelle appeared to be giving the matter some thought. ‘Good question. Could it be that the fairer sex are more delicate and possibly wary of taking on a profession that requires a certain amount of strength on occasions? What is your view, Dr Montgomery?’

‘I have to say,’ she continued boldly, forcing herself to display a confidence she didn’t feel, ‘I’m surprised to be the only woman on the course. I’ve never found, during my early career so far in orthopaedics, that being female is a disadvantage. When you’re operating the patient is usually sedated in some way … I mean they’re not likely to struggle with you or …’

Her voice trailed away as her depleted confidence ebbed and flowed.

The student who’d begun the discussion broke in. ‘And there’s always some hunky big, strong male doctor hovering around a fragile lady, hoping she’ll ask for his help so that he can muscle in and …’

She missed the end of his sentence because the entire group was now laughing loudly. Ha, ha, very funny … she didn’t think. She waited until the laughter died down before taking a deep breath and speaking in the clear, concise, correct French her well-spoken mother had always insisted she use.

‘Gentlemen, you can be assured that I never take advantage of my so-called fragility. My brothers took me to judo classes when I was very young. I was awarded a black belt as soon as I was old enough to qualify and the skills I learned have often come in handy. So, as you can see, I only need to call for help when it’s absolutely necessary.’

‘Bravo!’ Dr Cappelle said, admiration showing in his eyes. From her position in the front row she could see they were sensitive, a distinctive shade of hazel. Phew, she was glad she’d had to practise the art of being strong from an early age. Her show of pseudo-confidence was turning into the real thing, although she realised that had she known she would be the only woman on the course she might have hesitated before signing up.

Well, probably only hesitated for a short while. Looking around, she knew she could handle these young doctors, whatever they tried on. She’d learned a lot about men in the last few years. Basically, they were still boys, feeling as daunted as she was at the prospect of the exacting course they’d signed up to.

‘I’m now going to give you a tour of the operating theatres we use here at the Hopital de la Plage. Some of them will be in use and we won’t be able to go inside en masse. May I suggest you make a note of the areas you aren’t able to see today so that you can find a more suitable time to inspect them at a later date?’

Before they all filed out, the professor asked them to call him Bernard. He said that he didn’t hold with titles in a teaching situation, explaining that it was easier for him to get to know his students if there was always a warm atmosphere, especially in tutorials like today. He looked around the room as if to judge the collective reaction of his students to this unexpected statement.

There was a stunned silence. Julia felt slightly more at ease with the great man when he said that but as she glanced around the room she knew that her fellow students weren’t taken in. Bernard Cappelle somehow managed to remain aloof even while he spoke. She sensed an aura of mystery surrounding him, which made him seem distant, brooding, definitely enigmatic, approachable in a professional situation but with caution. Yes, his students would call him Bernard because he’d requested they do so but at the same time they would be wary of him. So would she but for several reasons, some of them decidedly inadvisable given her past history!

Being in the front row, she went out first and found Bernard walking beside her. He seemed very tall. She wished she’d put her heels on but hadn’t realised they were going to trek round the hospital.

‘You don’t mind if I call you Julia, do you?’

He had such a deep, sexy, mellifluous voice. She was going to have to be very firm with herself to eliminate any sign that she felt an attraction to him. There, she’d admitted it. Well, power plus charisma, plus a barely discernible twinkle in the eye, which undoubtedly accompanied a wicked sense of humour, all added up to a desirable package that she certainly wasn’t going to attempt to unwrap. Bernard could teach her his professional skills and knowledge and that was all she wanted from him.

Besides, he was probably married, bound to have a stunning wife waiting for him at home. Although married men were often ready for a fling and flings were another thing totally off her agenda.

‘Yes, you can call me Julia.’ She didn’t even smile, making it seem as if she was doing him a favour.

‘Good.’

They were now going inside one of the theatres, which Bernard had told them was not in use that afternoon. There was gleaming, bright high-tech equipment everywhere she looked. She was really going to enjoy working in a place like this.

At the end of the afternoon tour Bernard took them down to the staff cafeteria, where the conversation drifted from the equipment they’d viewed and the endless possibilities of a teaching hospital of this calibre to their previous experience and what they hoped to get out of the course that would be relevant to their future careers.

Somehow she found herself next to Bernard again. She wondered if he felt he had to protect her from the attentions of her fellow students in spite of the fact that she’d made it quite clear she wanted to be treated in the same way as all the men on the course.

‘So, do you think you’re going to enjoy working here, Julia?’

‘I don’t know whether enjoy is quite the right word.’ She took a sip of her coffee. ‘I intend to get the most out of it but I realise it’s going to be hard work.’

‘You look like the sort of person who enjoys hard work—determined, tough, doesn’t give up easily. From your CV you seem to have led a busy life both in and outside hospital. Am I right, Julia?’

She nodded. ‘I suppose so—at least, that’s what people have told me concerning my professional life. I’ve been focussed on my medical career throughout my adult life.’

‘Did that give you enough time for your private life?’

‘My private life? Well …’

She broke off. She wasn’t going to notify her teacher that she’d come to the conclusion she had a serious flaw in her personality—her inability to handle her time outside the pursuit of her career. Especially in her inability to recognise a complete and utter swine when she thought she’d picked the man of her dreams. She turned her head away from him so that he wouldn’t notice the misty, damp expression in her eyes that would give him an inkling of her intense vulnerability since the suffering Tony had inflicted on her.

Looking round the almost deserted cafeteria, she noticed that the majority of her fellow doctors were drifting out through the door, having been told that the rest of the day was theirs to orientate themselves around the hospital or do whatever they wanted.

She had been planning to escape back to the small study-bedroom she’d been assigned in the medical quarters and sort out her luggage. She felt that would be the safest option open to her now, instead of having a discussion about her least favourite subject.

She stood up. ‘If you’ll excuse me, Bernard, I’m going to make use of this free time to get my room sorted out.’

It sounded trite to her own ears but the last thing she wanted so early in the course was to be interrogated by her boss on the delicate subject of her private life.

As he rose to his full height there was an enigmatic expression on his face. ‘Of course, Julia.’

He escorted her to the door. She turned left towards the medical residents’ quarters. He turned right towards the theatre block.

She walked swiftly down the corridor. At the entrance to the door to the residents’ quarters she found one of her colleagues waiting for her. She recognised him as the one who’d had most to say for himself. Tall, dark and good looking in a rugged sort of way, very self-assured.

He smiled, displaying strong white teeth as he stretched out a hand towards her.

‘Dominic,’ he said, as he shook her hand in a firm grip.

She reclaimed her hand. ‘Julia.’

‘I know. Some of us are having an impromptu meeting at the bar round the corner and we’d like you to join us if you could spare the time.’

‘Well, my room needs sorting and—’

‘Julia, we’ve all got things to do but …’ He broke off and began speaking in English. ‘All work and no play isn’t good for you.’

She smiled at him. She needed to stop taking herself so seriously and it would be good to get to know her colleagues.

‘OK. I’ll come but I mustn’t stay too long.’

‘Don’t worry. We’re all in the same boat.’

‘Ah, it’s good to be outside in the fresh air.’ Julia revelled in the warm early evening sunshine as they walked out through the hospital gates.

Across the road there were still families on the beach, children running into the sea, which she knew would still be a little chilly in the spring.

‘Café Maurice Chevalier,’ she read from the sign outside the café restaurant Dominic took her to.

She could see some of her fellow students grouped around a large table outside. Two of them were already pulling up another small table and a couple of chairs. There was a bottle of wine on the table. Someone poured her a glass. Dominic went inside to the bar, returning with another bottle and some more glasses.

Dominic went round the table, topping up wine glasses. They all raised their glasses to cries of ‘Santé!’

‘Cheers!’ said Dominic, proud of his English.

‘Cheers!’ everybody repeated, laughing loudly.

Names were bandied about and she managed to put names to faces. Pierre, Christophe, Daniel, Jacques, Gerard and Paul were the most vociferous. Dominic seemed to have been elected leader of the group. Julia was secretly glad she’d got brothers who’d shown her how to join in when she found herself in all-male company.

‘This place was here when I was a child,’ she said, during an unusually quiet moment. ‘I used to sit outside and watch the sun going down with my parents and my brothers. It’s good to be back here.’

‘I should think it’s good to escape from the attentions of our grumpy old tutor,’ Dominic said. ‘I saw him deep in conversation with you. How did he come across on a one-to-one basis?’

‘To be honest, I don’t know what to make of him. All I hope is that he’s a good teacher.’

‘Oh, he’s a good teacher,’ Dominic said vehemently. ‘But he’s a hard taskmaster. Apparently, he went through a difficult divorce and he’s sorting out custody of his six-year-old son at the moment.’

‘How do you know?’ Pierre asked, screwing up his eyes against the glare of the setting sun.

Dominic grinned. ‘I came here a week early to get the feel of the place. Unlike Julia, I’ve never been to this part of France before. I was born in Marseilles. I chatted up one of the nurses—’

Loud guffaws around the table greeted this.

‘And found out a lot about Professor Grumpy. There’s a rumour that he’s going through a bad time at the moment, touchy about his divorce and tends to take it out on his students if they don’t come up to scratch. But he’s a brilliant surgeon and teacher, much admired by his colleagues.’

‘Well, that’s all I need to know,’ Julia said, putting her hand over her glass as Christophe came round with another bottle.

‘Ah, don’t be too complacent,’ Dominic told her. ‘It’s also rumoured that he doesn’t think women make good surgeons.’

All eyes were on her now. She found herself filled with dread. Not only was she desperate to make a good impression on her new teacher but she was battling with an insane attraction towards him. Could it be true he didn’t like women surgeons? So why had she been the only woman chosen for his exclusive course?

She looked out over the beach to the sand dunes at the corner of the bay, breathing slowly until the feeling of dread disappeared. She would cope. She would have to. She turned her head to look up at the magnificent hill behind them. She didn’t want negative thoughts to spoil the beautiful sunset that was casting a glow over the hills, just as she remembered from her childhood.

She glanced round the table. ‘My tutor in England told me I’m a good surgeon,’ she said quietly. ‘It’s what I want to do with my life. And I’m not going to let a grumpy tutor spoil my career plans.’

A cheer went round the table. She felt she’d been accepted, just as her brothers’ friends accepted her.

She stood up, smiling at her colleagues who had now become her friends. ‘I’ve really enjoyed myself but I must go.’

‘I’ll come with you, escort you back.’

‘No, you stay and have another drink, Dominic. It’s not far.’

He pulled a wry face, but let her go off by herself.

She walked quickly, pausing as she went round the corner to look up at the sun dipping behind the hills. It had almost disappeared but a pink and mauve colour was diffusing over the skyline. She remembered how she’d once thought it was a miracle that the sun could disappear behind the hills and reappear from the depths of the sea in the morning. Her father had explained about the earth being round and so on but she’d still thought it was a miracle. Still did!

She turned her head and looked out at the darkening sea. There were fireflies dancing on the black waves, illuminating the scene. It was truly romantic, though not if you were all alone surrounded by strolling couples and families taking their children home to bed. She reminded herself that this was the life she’d now chosen, to ensure that she pursued her chosen career to the height of her destiny.

A smile flitted across her lips as she told herself to lighten up. It was a bit early to be having grand thoughts about her destiny.

Oh, yes, she was going to enjoy her evening now that she’d calmed her wicked thoughts and got herself back on the journey that she’d set herself. There would be time enough for romance, marriage, babies and everything else she wouldn’t allow herself until she’d established her career.

CHAPTER TWO

ALMOST three weeks later Julia was sitting outside Bernard’s office, waiting for her turn to have a one-on-one meeting with him about her progress to date. She was studying the printed sheets that Bernard had handed out at the last tutorial. It was difficult to believe that the first month of their course was almost over. The days had flown by during which they’d all been bombarded with work assignments, essays to write on the theories behind various orthopaedic operations and actual operations to observe in Theatre.

Whilst in Theatre they had to make copious notes, all of which needed to be written up in their own time. The notes then had to be transformed into a coherent observation of the operation, including their own comments and criticisms. These were emailed to Bernard as soon as possible. In no time at all they received an assessment of their work with much criticism from him. She knew she wasn’t alone in being the recipient of his scathing comments.

They’d also undertaken sessions in the Urgences department, the French equivalent of Accident and Emergency, where they had to do minor operations and treatments on emergency cases, observed and assessed by the director of Urgences, Michel Devine. He in turn reported back to the twitchy Bernard.

When Dominic had told everybody that Bernard was reputed to be a hard taskmaster, he had been spot on! She’d been so naive three weeks ago. She hadn’t believed she would have to work under such pressure.

Just at that moment Dominic arrived in the corridor and plonked himself down beside her.

‘What time’s your endurance test?’

She frowned at him. ‘Shh. He’ll hear you.’

‘Don’t care if he does. I feel like walking out. It’s time he cut us some slack. We’re all qualified and experienced doctors, for heaven’s sake. Who does he think he is, treating us like—?’

The door opened. ‘Good morning, Julia. Dominic,’ their taskmaster said, glancing severely at Dominic.

Julia followed Bernard inside and sat down on the upright chair in front of the desk. She wasn’t afraid of him, she told herself as he went round to the other side and glanced at the screen of his computer. She reckoned all the information on her was there. Everything she’d ever done since aspiring to take on this arduous course.

He looked across the desk at her and at last there was eye contact with him. She couldn’t help the frisson of excitement that ran through her as she looked directly into those dark hazel eyes. Why was she being so perverse in finding herself attracted to this man who’d made the past three weeks such an endurance test for her?

‘How are you finding the course, Julia?’

No smile, just that piercing stare that was causing shivers to run down her spine. Shivers she couldn’t possibly analyse.

She took a deep breath. ‘It’s relentlessly tiring … but exceptionally interesting and frustrating at the same time.’