She ran from his proposal…

…but fate isn’t through with them yet!

World-renowned transplant surgeon and single dad Seth Davenport will do everything to save his royal patient. Even if that means a reunion with his patient’s daughter—Princess Kaja Alderisi, the surgeon who once ran from him…after he’d offered her a diamond ring and his heart! But one look into Kaja’s captivating gaze and it’s clear that their past isn’t so willing to be left behind…

KARIN BAINE lives in Northern Ireland with her husband, two sons and her out-of-control notebook collection. Her mother and her grandmother’s vast collection of books inspired her love of reading and her dream of becoming a Mills & Boon author. Now she can tell people she has a proper job! You can follow Karin on Twitter, @karinbaine1, or visit her website for the latest news—karinbaine.com.

Also by Karin Baine

The Courage to Love Her Army Doc

Falling for the Foster Mum

Reforming the Playboy

Their Mistletoe Baby

From Fling to Wedding Ring

Midwife Under the Mistletoe

The Single Dad’s Proposal

Their One-Night Twin Surprise

Their One-Night Christmas Gift

Healed by Their Unexpected Family

Discover more at millsandboon.co.uk.

Reunion with His Surgeon Princess

Karin Baine

www.millsandboon.co.uk

ISBN: 978-0-008-90252-0

REUNION WITH HIS SURGEON PRINCESS

© 2020 Karin Baine

Published in Great Britain 2020

by Mills & Boon, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF

All rights reserved including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form. This edition is published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, locations and incidents are purely fictional and bear no relationship to any real life individuals, living or dead, or to any actual places, business establishments, locations, events or incidents. Any resemblance is entirely coincidental.

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www.millsandboon.co.uk

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For Tammy and Kieran xx

Contents

Cover

Back Cover Text

About the Author

Booklist

Title Page

Copyright

Note to Readers

Dedication

CHAPTER ONE

CHAPTER TWO

CHAPTER THREE

CHAPTER FOUR

CHAPTER FIVE

CHAPTER SIX

CHAPTER SEVEN

CHAPTER EIGHT

CHAPTER NINE

CHAPTER TEN

CHAPTER ELEVEN

CHAPTER TWELVE

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

EPILOGUE

Extract

About the Publisher

CHAPTER ONE

‘I NEED YOU.’ Apparently, that was all Kaja had to say after five years apart to get Seth Davenport back in her life.

Now here he was striding through the airport in his short-sleeved, blue cotton shirt and linen trousers, wrinkled from the flight. Time and distance melted away as she watched him walk towards her, her heart beating that little bit faster the way it always had when he was around. He hadn’t seen her yet, distracted by his travel companion. It gave her time to study this older version of the man she’d loved when they were both very different people. A world away from where she truly belonged.

His hair was longer than she remembered but remained as unruly as ever. His sun-kissed brown locks refused to be tamed, curling behind his ears and framing his tanned face. The dark scruff of his beard roughened the smooth jaw line hiding in the bristles and when those unfathomable brown eyes met hers she had to swallow down the sudden thirst she’d worked up. The physical changes were minimal but there was one huge difference in his life that would take some getting used to.

‘Seth, Amy, welcome to Belle Crepuscolo.’ She advanced towards them the way she would when meeting any foreign dignitaries or people of importance arriving in her country. With her arms raised in welcome, she kissed him on both cheeks, telling herself this was nothing out of the ordinary. She knew she was lying to herself when his beard rasped against her skin and the mere touch of him caused a total blood rush to her head.

‘Thank you for the VIP treatment, Kaja. It is Kaja, isn’t it? Or should I address you as Your Majesty?’ There was a twinkle in his eye as he said it but also an underlying tang of bitterness in his tone. Understandable in the circumstances.

‘Kaja’s fine.’ She kept the smile painted on her face as the small hint at her betrayal hit its mark on her conscience. There was so much she had to apologise for, to explain, but nothing would take away the hurt she’d undeniably caused him five years ago. The best she could do was make this stay as comfortable as possible for her visitors.

‘Well, Kaja, we’ve had a lovely trip so far. Haven’t we, Amy?’ Seth turned his attention to the munchkin clinging onto his hand.

‘I’m glad they took good care of you. Now, if you’re ready, you’ll be escorted to the palace. Would you like that, Amy?’ Kaja hunched down to talk to the little girl, trying to make a friend but understanding that this must be overwhelming for her. She’d been dragged away from the only place she’d ever known and flown halfway across the world. It was natural the child should be wary.

Amy looked to her father for guidance on the matter and when he nodded his head, she copied him, her brown curls bobbing in agreement.

When Kaja extended her hand, the child accepted it, her little fingers curling around the stranger she was being urged to trust. Amy smiled up at her with eyes so much like Seth’s, Kaja’s heart felt as though it were being torn into tiny pieces. The four-year-old was a walking reminder that Seth had moved on from their relationship all too quickly.

Within a couple of months of her leaving he’d married and started a family. A life he’d offered to Kaja first, so it was her own fault he’d found someone else. When he’d proposed, he’d been offering her a commitment she’d realised too late she couldn’t give in return. It had been the wake-up call she’d needed to snap out of the dream she’d been living in England with him. She wasn’t anything like the woman she’d pretended to be to Seth or their work colleagues. Princess in her own country, she had responsibilities and duties she’d been avoiding in her quest for a normal life. As much as she’d wanted it, it was beyond her grasp. None of it real when she hadn’t even confided her true identity to Seth. A betrayal so great she couldn’t bring herself to tell him she’d lied to him from the moment they’d met.

She had no right to be jealous now when she’d fled England without giving him an explanation. She was lucky he’d been willing to even speak to her again. Never mind come all this way to do her a favour.

‘I’m sorry to hear about your father…and your mother, of course.’ It was Seth who addressed the reason for this reunion first. Although, it wasn’t a conversation she particularly wanted to have in front of her security team, who were shadowing their journey to the exit.

Her mother’s death from a heart attack soon after Kaja’s return to her homeland was one more layer of guilt heaped upon her shoulders. She’d been so intent on living a ‘normal’ life she’d distanced herself from her family and lost precious time she could have spent with her mother. A regret she’d thought she could make up for by falling into line with the rest of the family and throwing herself into what was expected of her as a princess. Including marrying someone out of duty rather than love.

Kaja was sure it hadn’t taken Seth too long to work out her true heritage from the ensuing press coverage of her mother’s death, though she’d kept it from him and everyone else while living in Cambridge.

The unspoken Why? and the hurt she’d caused were blazing so brightly in his gaze she was forced to turn away.

‘Thank you. I wasn’t able to help my mother but I’m hoping you can do something to save my father.’ After years of being on dialysis, her father’s kidneys had failed. They were lucky that he hadn’t had to go on a waiting list for a new organ when her brother had turned out to be a match and was willing to donate one of his kidneys. With Seth one of the UK’s most esteemed transplant surgeons, he was the first person she’d thought of when the nephrologist had told them dialysis was no longer working.

She reminded herself that was why she had brought Seth here. Not to resolve old personal issues or pick up where they’d left off—if that were even a possibility. Which it wasn’t.

‘We can discuss the details later.’ The tensing in Seth’s jaw gave her chills. It would seem he hadn’t forgiven or forgotten after all and why should he? In the intervening years she’d yet to come to terms with her actions at that time and the consequential events.

She nodded, knowing it was a conversation she couldn’t avoid. Seth had come all this way to help her family and an explanation for running out on him was the least she could give him in return.

‘Are you really a princess?’ A tiny voice broke through the adult tension.

‘I really am.’ She was second in line to the throne of this principality after her father and brother but a four-year-old wouldn’t be interested in the politics or boring small print of her position. In a little girl’s eyes, at least, she had all the trappings of a fairy-tale princess. Of course, the reality was much different and less enchanting than the bedtime stories.

‘Do you have a glass coach and a fairy godmother?’ Clearly, Seth had no problem in letting his daughter believe in the fantasy, regardless of his own experience and knowledge that happy-ever-afters didn’t exist.

‘I’m afraid not. I wish I did but this is it.’ They stepped out onto the pavement, the sun warming Kaja’s skin again after the chill of the air-conditioned airport.

The white limousine with her chauffeur at the helm was a privilege she didn’t take for granted after her years using public transport in England. Although it likely wouldn’t impress this Cinderella-loving youngster as much as an enchanted pumpkin and mouse coachman.

‘I suppose this will have to do.’ Seth let out a long whistle.

Kaja was aware this wasn’t the norm for most people and only served to highlight the differences in their worlds.

Isak, her cheery chauffeur, got out, tipped his cap, and opened the door for them to get into the car.

‘If you can bear it… Alderisi Palace is a short distance from here.’ She stood back to let her guests climb onto the back seat first, seeing Amy’s eyes light up when she heard their destination. If she had been disappointed by meeting Kaja, hopefully her home for the next few weeks would better live up to expectation. At least trying to keep a small child entertained should distract her from the prospect of her brother and father’s operations. Along with the man who’d be performing them.

Her personal security guard, Gunnar, was riding up front and Amy had chosen to sit on one of the long side seats in the rear, leaving her and Seth on the back seat. Despite the vast car interior she found the amount of secrets and ghosts wedged in around them suffocating.

Amy was humming to herself and dancing one of the dolls she’d pulled out from her backpack along the leather upholstery, completely oblivious to the rest of the world around her.

‘I hope having Amy with me isn’t causing you any inconvenience.’ Seth leaned across to speak to her privately, his warm breath brushing her cheek the way his fingers used to right before he kissed her…

‘No. Not at all,’ she said much too loudly, and sprang back from further thoughts of his touch upon her.

‘I don’t have anyone else to take care of her. Gran passed away last month. Although she hadn’t been able to watch her for some time. Alzheimer’s,’ he confided, letting that one word fill in all the details he failed to give her.

Finding out he had a daughter when she’d contacted him had come as a shock. She hadn’t expected him to be frozen in time in their semi-detached house, waiting for her call, but having it confirmed he’d led another life after her still hurt. Especially when he had the one thing she could never have. A child.

Kaja hadn’t had time to mope around after her lost love due to her mother’s passing. Then she’d been determined to atone for the neglect of her family by throwing herself into the royal duties she’d avoided until then. She’d met Benedikt at a fundraiser for the public hospital where she worked in the emergency department once a week; a position she’d had to fight to keep hold of as some measure of independence. Although her brief working week meant she’d never really fitted into the hospital team as well as the one she’d worked with in England.

Benedikt had been older than her and from one of Belle Crepuscolo’s wealthiest families. She’d believed marriage to him, becoming a power couple on the world’s stage, would please her father, to whom family and tradition meant everything. That somehow a prestigious match would fill the void left by her mother and make up for the years she’d abandoned her post in her home country. Having a baby was part of that duty, to secure the family line and make her husband and father happy. Her failure to get pregnant and her spouse’s philandering shattered that dream. Benedikt’s affair and subsequent filing for divorce to marry his pregnant mistress had played out for the world to see and gossip about. Whereas Seth’s life was a closed book to her. One she suddenly wanted to binge-read.

‘I’m sorry to hear about your grandmother. I know you were close.’

‘Yeah. Her and Gramps raised me as their own. Now they’ve both gone I’m a bit lost, to be honest. I think the trip out here will do Amy some good to get away from my moping around.’ His sad smile was one she could relate to, having lost her own mother and still having to function for other people’s sake.

At a time when a person simply wanted to wallow and wail over the loss of someone important in their life, one had to plaster on a happy face for appearances’ sake and pray it would stop everyone else falling apart too.

‘I assume your wife couldn’t get away to join you here?’ She didn’t imagine the child’s mother would let her come out here unless she had other serious commitments preventing her from being with her daughter.

‘Paula and I…er…aren’t together any more. Haven’t been for some time.’

‘Sorry. I didn’t know.’ Once she’d heard he’d married so quickly after their separation she hadn’t wanted to know any more. She’d simply accepted he’d moved on without her and taken steps to do the same. Something she’d later come to regret.

‘Yes, well, Amy was the best thing to come out of that relationship.’ His steely set jaw and change in his tone conveyed there were bad feelings lingering about the situation.

‘You share custody?’

‘No. Her mother left and never looked back. It’s just the two of us now. That’s the way we like it, isn’t it, Ames?’ The little girl nodded, though she couldn’t have heard the nature of their conversation.

Kaja got the impression this was a mantra he repeated often so they’d both believe it.

‘You certainly seem as though fatherhood is agreeing with you and she’s gorgeous. A real credit to you.’ She could see Seth as a single dad, braiding his daughter’s hair and organising playdates. He’d always wanted children even though they’d both been busy with their careers. It was a topic she’d tried to avoid. She could see now that it was because she knew they would never have been able to settle down as a family. Not when she hadn’t been honest with him about her background.

Ironic, when she probably couldn’t have given him a baby anyway. Irregular periods and her failure to get pregnant with Benedikt had led to a diagnosis of polycystic ovaries and the end of her marriage. Not even the invasive laser treatment she’d undertaken to try and fix the problem could prevent her husband from straying.

Now Seth was a father she was certain Amy was top priority in his life. Despite his dedication to his profession and his patients, Seth always put his loved ones first. Unlike her. In looking out for her own interests Kaja had managed to hurt the man she’d loved and her family.

He’d looked after his grandparents in their old age and he’d been committed to her during their relationship. To the point of proposing marriage.

Now she’d invited Seth back into her life she was reminded of everything she’d lost when she came home.

‘Thanks. It’s not exactly how I saw my life panning out but I wouldn’t be without her for the world.’ The proud father confirmed what Kaja had already seen for herself in the short time since their arrival.

‘You’re lucky to have each other.’ Seth was currently having a dolls’ tea party in Amy’s honour on the back seat of the limousine. Anyone could see they had a special bond. One she was quite envious of when she’d never get to have that close relationship with her own child. Even if continued treatment meant she could conceive some day, it was a lot to go through without a guarantee of success. To her, love, marriage and children were all inextricably linked and Benedikt had proved that without one of those links everything else fell apart.

‘You never thought of having kids yourself?’ It was the sort of question adults asked each other all the time, catching up on each other’s news after losing touch. Yet it touched a still exposed and very raw nerve.

‘I thought about it. It just didn’t work out for me.’ Even saying that, reducing what she’d gone through to a vague disappointment brought forth a swell of sadness from the pit of her stomach threatening to swamp her. It was the ensuing anger that had accompanied that period that had prevented her from drowning in her sorrow altogether.

‘I know you’ve had a rough time too.’

There. Her humiliation was complete to find Seth hadn’t missed the spotlight shone on her own disastrous marriage, even if he wasn’t party to the devastating details of her infertility problems.

‘I never was very good at making those big life decisions.’ She’d wondered how differently her life would’ve turned out if she’d accepted his proposal and settled in England for good. Although, it wouldn’t have solved the problem that had caused the end of her marriage. She’d loved him too much to ever force him into a future without the family he was born to have.

‘We all make mistakes. What’s important is that we learn to forgive ourselves, as well as each other.’ He fixed her under his gaze, warm like melted chocolate. She hoped it was his way of telling her he’d forgiven her for her past mistakes. If they’d been somewhere more private, perhaps in better circumstances, she would’ve asked him for clarification and taken that as a cue to apologise. There’d be plenty of opportunity to do so over the course of the next few days when they’d be living under the same roof.

‘That can be hard to do when you know you’re the facilitator of your own downfall.’ No one had forced her to leave Seth, marry someone she hardly knew or to stay in a country where she no longer garnered any respect. She’d managed that all by herself. It was no wonder she’d been given the dubious nickname of ‘The Unlovable Princess’ when it was such an accurate description.

‘I don’t think you have it as bad as you make out, Princess. You might take all this for granted but look around you. This is priceless.’ Seth wasn’t telling her anything she didn’t know or showing her things she hadn’t seen before. Although, as he leaned across her to direct her gaze out of the window, she wasn’t inclined to tell him so. It was an age since she’d been this close to a man, this man, and she revelled in the warmth of his body and the masculine scent of sweat and cologne clinging to his skin.

Belle Crepuscolo, as the name suggested, was a beautiful country. Landlocked by Switzerland, Italy and Austria, it had an enviable climate and a culture influenced by all the surrounding countries.

While Seth watched the blur of blue skies and sprawling whitewashed villas flash by the window, Kaja was more interested in the view she had. Seth was more a sense of home to her than the vista outside and she realised everything she’d truly left behind in England that fateful day.

‘There’s more to life than money and sunshine. That old adage holds true. None of it can buy you happiness.’ To her, privilege had become a prison. It kept her trapped in a life she was desperate to break free from.

Her happiest time had been during those rain-drenched, barely-time-to-sit-down working days in Cambridge. At least then she’d had Seth to come home to. They’d cooked dinner, curled up together in front of the telly and made love in their own bed. Nothing out of the ordinary and yet it had been everything. Being so close to him now reminded her of those cosy nights in when she’d been pretending she could lead a normal life. Before reality crashed in and reminded her it wasn’t possible.

‘That’s easy to say when you have this on your doorstep. What else could you possibly want?’ He turned his brilliant smile on her and she was powerless to hold her tongue or tell him anything but the truth.

‘Love.’

She saw that spike of pain on his face before he composed himself and returned to his own side of the car. They both knew she’d had that once in her life and thrown it away. The Unlovable Princess deserved everything that had come to her since then.

Seth hadn’t been as prepared to face Kaja as he’d thought. For some reason he’d thought he’d fly out here, do the job he was required to do and, once he’d seen her, all that past hurt and betrayal would melt away. He’d got it into his head that facing her would make him realise everything had turned out for the best. After all, if Kaja hadn’t run out on him he wouldn’t have slept with someone else on the rebound or had Amy as a consequence. While he regretted the hasty marriage, he’d never be sorry for his daughter’s existence. She was his everything.

He’d known the minute he’d set eyes on Kaja again closure wasn’t going to be achieved so easily. It didn’t matter that five years had passed, that they’d both married, and divorced, since, or that he’d become a father. In that moment, seeing her again had transported him back to the day he’d proposed. When she’d rejected him, packed her bags in the middle of the night and disappeared without a trace. All the confusion and fear of that time was tied up in the memory. Along with the anger and sense of betrayal he’d felt when he’d seen her on the news as word of her mother’s death had spread. A princess. He’d had no inkling of her heritage, couldn’t imagine Kaja as anything other than his busy surgeon girlfriend. Until now.

She’d swapped her green scrubs and sneakers for pink silk and diamonds but she was as beautiful as ever. As though her fairy godmother had waved a magic wand and enhanced her natural beauty for the oblivious prince who’d needed it spelled out to him what an amazing woman she was. It was unfortunate her real Prince Charming had turned out to be anything but, according to the papers. Seth took no pleasure in reading about her heartache but perhaps there was something to be said for the commoner she’d snubbed after all. Seth had loved her for who she was, or, at least, who he’d believed she was, with no need for a substitute.

He knew what it was to be hurt and to think you were inadequate. After all, he’d been abandoned by a teenage mother who’d thought having a baby would ruin her life and a wife who’d pretty much thought the same about him and their daughter. Kaja hadn’t even bothered to give him a reason why his love wasn’t enough for her.

Despite their personal history, Kaja had deserved better than being cheated on. Just as he’d deserved better than being ghosted.

‘I mean, when it comes down to health matters we’re no better off than the average person. We can fly the best renal surgeon out here to perform the transplant but there’s no guarantees my father and brother will survive. If anything happens to them I’ll have no one left in my life.’ Her voice broke. It was at odds with the cool composure she’d shown at the airport. He’d known in that instant she hadn’t regretted her actions when she’d seemed so personally unmoved by seeing him again. Meanwhile his insides had been churning as though he’d hit turbulence even after he’d stepped off the plane.

For a split second he’d wondered if she’d missed him or what they’d had together. She’d quickly shut down that idea, letting him know it was her family she was getting emotional over. He should’ve known better. Kaja’s family was all she’d cared about in the end. It was a pity he hadn’t known about their existence until it had been too late to do anything.

‘Hey, have a little faith in your transplant surgeon. Nothing’s going to take them away from you. Besides, don’t you have a whole country to keep you company?’ Since his gran had passed he’d been more aware than ever of his limited social circle. With his time no longer eaten up talking to carers or visiting the home, outside work Amy was his whole world. While he was content with that, he knew it wasn’t healthy for a four-year-old. Before that cruel disease had robbed her of cognitive thought, Gran herself had made him swear to get a life of his own after she’d gone. To take Amy to see the world and have adventures.

Kaja’s call for help had been a well-timed gift, an easier way out than forging new friendships in a place where he’d happily existed on the periphery of society. His busy life as a renal transplant and general surgeon made it challenging to balance work and home life. As a result any thoughts of another romantic relationship had gone on the back burner in favour of spending time with his daughter and grandmother when he could. Now he’d packed up and fled the country with his daughter so he didn’t have to face life without the woman who’d been the only constant in his life. This trip had been the cowardly way out of his grief and he knew that sense of loss would be waiting for him on his return.

Kaja might be feeling sorry for herself now but she had no idea what it truly meant to be abandoned by the ones you loved. He’d been abandoned by his own mother and wife. Whereas she was the one who did the abandoning.

Kaja disputed his take on her life with a, ‘Hah!’

‘Daddy, look!’ Amy was straining to see out of the window. He leaned over to see what had caught her attention.

His mouth dropped open as they drove up a winding avenue lined with blush-pink cherry blossoms and crystal-clear dancing water fountains.

‘Home, sweet home,’ Kaja mocked as the imposing mansion at the end of the drive came into view.

Gleaming white stone pillars, marble steps and balconies on every level of the ornate building gave it the appearance of a grand, layered wedding cake. A congregation of immaculately dressed people spilled out to meet the car. Seth immediately unbuckled Amy’s seat belt and took her hand so she didn’t get lost in the throng.

‘Baby, we’re not in Cambridge any more.’

CHAPTER TWO

‘I’LL GET THAT for you, sir.’

‘Let me take your bag for you, sir.’

The car had barely come to a halt before there was a flurry of helping hands refusing to let Seth so much as open the door on his own. He clutched Amy closer in case she was spirited away by Kaja’s staff with his luggage.

‘Hold my hand so you don’t get lost, sweetheart.’

‘I suppose it is all rather much.’ Kaja winced.

It hadn’t been his intention to make her self-conscious about her life here. She must have preferred it to the one they’d had together as she’d left it behind so readily.

If they were going to spend the next few weeks under the same roof they were going to have to get along. All issues—personal or socio-economic—would have to be set aside in order for him to treat her father. His patients’ backgrounds were none of his business unless it impacted on their health. From everything he’d seen so far, Kaja’s father had the best of everything money could buy. Including health care. However, his status wasn’t going to affect Seth’s ability to do his job. He always did his best regardless of wealth or the status of his patients.

‘I’m sure we’ll get used to it.’ He flashed her a grin. Reassurance that they could make this work. It was his duty to put the minds of his patients’ family members at ease where he could. Even if these were unusual circumstances.

‘Daddy? Can we have a sleepover in the princess castle?’ Amy tugged on his shirt, her eyes wide as she took in the majesty, the likes of which he’d only seen in picture books.

‘See?’ he said to Kaja with a laugh. ‘I think we’ll fit in just fine.’

‘Good. Why don’t we go in and I’ll show you to your rooms.’ The worry lines marring her forehead evened out into a smile matching his daughter’s.

Now that the palace staff had disappeared inside with his belongings it was slightly less intimidating. At least, until they walked through the doors.

The ‘wow’ escaped his lips before he could temper his reaction. It was difficult to say anything else when faced with the sheer opulence of the décor within the palace.

The rich purple and silver colour scheme combined with the draped silks and brightly coloured tapestries lining the walls was how he imagined the genie’s pad inside the magic lamp looked.

When the imposing oak door swung shut, echoing through the halls, it made the situation very real. The heavyset dude who shadowed Kaja’s every move without saying a word remained on the outside acting as a sentry.

‘Your apartments are this way.’

Not room, he noted as Kaja led them up a flight of steps to the ‘apartments’.

‘There is an elevator should you wish to use it but I prefer to take the stairs otherwise I’d never get any exercise.’

The Kaja he’d known would’ve been bored rigid at being chauffeured everywhere, barely allowed to lift a finger. Like him, she’d been someone who’d thrived on being busy, being needed, and had enjoyed her privacy. The alone time they’d spent together had been more precious than he’d realised.

‘I don’t think you have anything to worry about on that score.’ He could see she’d lost weight and some of her curves but none of her beauty. She had an elegant grace about her now befitting a princess. That look-don’t-touch vibe was so different from the warm, tactile Kaja he’d planned to marry.

She paused on the steps with her hand resting on the mahogany bannister and slowly turned to look back at him. It was then he realised her backside had been in his eyeline when he’d made that last comment, and he attempted to backtrack.

‘I mean, I’m sure you get a workout simply moving from one room to another in here. A few circuits sprinting up and down these steps every morning will help keep me in shape too.’ It wasn’t a total lie to cover his tracks. He’d let his gym membership lapse when he’d been busy running between Amy’s childcare and Gran’s nursing home. He’d have to begin a fitness regime when the hospitality thus far had been so effectively displayed. Getting fed around here didn’t seem as though it was going to be a problem. Especially when there were silver dishes piled high with juicy citrus fruit and pastel-coloured almonds dotted around the palace at regular intervals.

‘Uh-huh.’ Kaja gave him a disbelieving look then carried on up the staircase.

Amy broke away from him, sprinting on up to reach the landing first. Not waiting for the adults to catch up, she bolted down the corridor, giddy at having so much space to go wild in after being cooped up in a plane for so long.

‘Amy, keep the noise down and don’t touch anything.’ He had visions of her bursting in on an unsuspecting dignitary and causing an international incident as she treated the place like her own. A child her age had no comprehension of the complex relationships going on around her. Only the scope of the place for potential fun and mischief. Seth didn’t know if Kaja understood what she was in for hosting his daughter.

‘Oh, don’t worry. You’re the only ones on this floor apart from me and the staff. She won’t disturb anyone. Bruno and father are already at the private hospital where you’ll be working. I’ll take you to see them later. I’m sure you and Amy would appreciate some time to settle in first.’

‘Thanks. That’s very kind of you. I think a nap might be in order.’

‘No problem. I know at your age you need all the sleep you can get.’

The jibe caught him off guard, as did the mischievous grin she was sporting. It was a glimpse back at the girl who’d teased him constantly about being a whole three years older and of the close relationship they’d once had.

‘Ha, ha. I was thinking more of Amy.’ He would never admit the day had taken its toll on him as well, albeit on a more emotional level than he’d anticipated. If Kaja remained unaffected by his presence after all these years as she seemed, there was no point in letting her know he still had unresolved feelings surrounding their past.

He’d only jumped into the relationship with Paula because he’d been so desolate without Kaja and he’d needed someone to provide the company, the intimacy he’d lost with her gone. In hindsight he could see that by rushing headlong into that relationship he’d opened himself up to further rejection from Paula. They hadn’t known each other long enough to survive a pregnancy and a marriage so soon after meeting. Perhaps he’d been so keen for the family he’d pictured with Kaja he’d transferred those dreams unfairly onto his spouse. In some way perhaps he’d also wanted to prove his absent mother wrong, prove that it was possible to have a successful career and children. And that someone could love him and want him in their life. Though as of now, the only person who did was his daughter.

‘Of course you were…’ She patted him on the shoulder with the tease but he noticed the flare of panic in her eyes when she realised what she was doing and snatched her hand away again. It was too late for him to forget her touch now he had physical proof this wasn’t a dream and she was real after all.

‘Now, this is where you will be staying.’ She snapped back into courteous hostess mode and opened the ornately carved oak door etched with leaves and flowers, leading to a suite so big Seth feared he’d lost Amy already. The gold and cream colour scheme wasn’t easy on the eyes as it screamed money. Along with not being childproof.

‘Just us? I’m sure we could fit in a few more single-parent families if you wanted to open this up as a holiday retreat.’ He wasn’t trying to be facetious but this one room would swallow up his entire house and still leave enough space to build another.

Kaja ignored the comment, picked up a porcelain bell from the glass table just inside the door and gave it a tinkle. Immediately, one of the staff he’d seen outside appeared in the doorway.

‘This is Nils. If you need anything ring the bell. He’s here to assist you in any way he can.’

‘I really don’t think that’ll be necessary.’ He wasn’t aware how long it had taken Kaja to get used to having people running around after her but he was sure it was longer than a few weeks.

His home with Kaja in Cambridge had once been their oasis away from the outside world. A private place to be themselves away from the stresses of hospital life and people who wanted something from them. That hadn’t changed for him. He was still in the same house and it remained his safe haven. No matter how luxurious Kaja’s residence was, he wasn’t going to trade his and Amy’s privacy to take advantage of the perks offered.

He couldn’t imagine Kaja slobbing around in her PJs here on a day off, eating cereal out of the box and binge-watching her favourite TV shows. Mind you, he couldn’t see this perfectly polished princess knowing how to chill out at all any more.

‘It’s no trouble at all, sir. I’m at your disposal.’ The deferential bow didn’t go any way to assuaging Seth’s discomfort at having someone at his personal beck and call.

‘I think that will be all for now, Nils.’ Kaja dismissed her employee on his behalf. It was disconcerting to find she could summon this impressive male specimen at the mere ring of a bell. Although Kaja’s personal life was nothing to do with him any more. He was here in a professional capacity. To perform a life-saving operation, then get the hell out of fantasy land and back to the real world.

‘Seth, I know you value your privacy but you’re going to need help. With Amy, at least. It’s not a comment on your character to accept some assistance. Think of it as a perk.’

‘Daddy, come and see my room. It’s got toys and everything.’ Amy appeared and grabbed him by the hand, tugging him away from Kaja and any chance of a meaningful conversation.

‘We got a few things in to make your stay more enjoyable. I’ll arrange transport over to the hospital when you’re ready. Amy is welcome to help herself to the toys.’

‘I appreciate you going to all this trouble for us.’ She’d gone to a lot of effort to make them comfortable. Some might say too much. He couldn’t help but think it was due to a guilty conscience and was beginning to wish they’d booked into a hotel instead.

Kaja excused herself and left the room. With the door closed behind her, separating her from Seth and Amy, she let out a long, ragged breath. Seeing him again was never going to be a straightforward meet and greet when theirs had been much more than a professional acquaintance. She’d known that. Yet, she hadn’t been prepared for the tumultuous emotions seeing him again would churn up.

Her entire adult life seemed to flash before her eyes in the short time since they’d been reacquainted. All the mistakes she’d made, the regrets, and, almost worst of all, the good times she’d had with Seth, came flooding into her brain. Cuddled up together back then, there’d been none of this awkward formality she’d adopted to protect her status in her home country and her heart.

When she’d heard he had a daughter he intended to bring with him it was undeniable evidence that Seth had been in another serious relationship. A marriage no less. Except Amy, the spitting image of her father, was completely adorable and Kaja had fallen in love with her the second she’d taken her hand.

Now it was going to be doubly hard not to get personally involved with her house guests. The sooner she got Seth settled at the hospital to oversee her father’s kidney transplant, the better. Then her whole focus would be on her family’s survival.

‘Is everything all right, ma’am?’

‘Yes, Fatima. I’m going to retire to my quarters now. Perhaps you could bring me some tea.’

‘Right away.’ Her faithful lady-in-waiting was more of a friend and a confidante, the only person Kaja could talk to, but when it came down to it, Fatima was paid to listen. Just as Seth was being paid to be here. It appeared the richer she was, the higher status she had, the lonelier she became. She didn’t want to be alone in her ivory tower any more and would give anything to be back in England where she’d had work colleagues, friends, neighbours and a loving boyfriend. But she’d given it all up to do her duty to her country and could never go back.

Even here in her own home she couldn’t simply take a duvet day for some time out of her duties. There were always people coming and going, expecting an audience with her without offering any real, personal interaction. She also had an image to maintain, if only in the presence of the palace staff. Sometimes she wondered if Seth was the only one who’d ever truly known her but she hadn’t been honest with him either about who she was or where she’d come from.

Now he knew the truth, Seth would see right through her to how unhappy she was in this life she’d left him for. It was karma, she supposed, for what she’d put him through. Not only had she lied to him but she’d abandoned Seth and the life they’d had together as though it were nothing. The truth was it had been everything.

CHAPTER THREE

‘FATIMA’S GOING TO mind you while Daddy’s at work. I’ll see you when I get back, okay?’ Seth kissed his baby on the top of her head then joined Kaja at the front door.

‘She’ll be fine, Mr Davenport. Amy and I have this whole house to play in. We can make some cookies for everyone to enjoy later too.’ Fatima separated the clingy youngster from her father’s trouser leg.

‘You’ll enjoy that, Amy. Fatima makes the best cookies in the country.’ When she had free time, Kaja helped Fatima bake too. It took her mind off matters outside the kitchen and she got to comfort eat afterwards.

While it didn’t help maintain her trim waistline, whipping up a few biscuits went a long way to clearing the clutter from her mind. Worries, memories, regrets—it was better to bake them in the oven than spend another night locked away in a room with them.

‘I’ll see you later, sweetie.’ Seth gave Amy one last hug then Fatima distracted her with one of the new toys they’d bought so she wouldn’t fret after him—a bright yellow convertible car to drive her dolls around in was just the thing to draw her attention.

‘If there are any problems, call me. You’ve got my phone number, right?’

‘Yes, Mr Davenport.’ Fatima was smiling but she probably just wanted them to leave so she could get on with taking care of her charge. She loved children and helped raise Kaja and Bruno. They’d preferred her company over any of the nannies their parents had ever employed and she’d become like their second mum. As someone who’d devoted her life to looking after others, the prospect of spending the day with an excitable four-year-old was undoubtedly preferable to her usual housework routine.

‘Don’t worry. The Royal Alderisi Hospital is only five minutes down the road.’ There were some advantages to ruling such a small country and having access to the best health care money could buy was one of them.

She led Seth outside where the afternoon sunshine cast a golden glow on everything it touched, illuminating the immaculately manicured gardens and showing off her country in the very best light.

‘Can’t we walk? It’s a beautiful day and, well, I’m finding everything a little stifling in there.’

Kaja understood. Between the staff, and their history waiting patiently to be unpicked, it was claustrophobic. There was barely room to breathe despite the size of the place. However, when you were royalty simple things such as a walk alone weren’t possible. Another thing she missed about England, where people were too busy, too involved in their own lives to be concerned with hers.

‘Sorry.’ She shrugged, continuing to apologise for the way she ran her life here. ‘It’s a security issue. With the amount of preparation it would take in advance, it’s quicker and easier to take the car. Perhaps we can work something out for tomorrow.’

Seth sighed and approached the limo already waiting for them with the doors open and the chauffeur readied. He’d obviously tired of the regime after only a couple of hours but seeing it might help him understand why she’d left in the first place and moved to Cambridge.

‘It doesn’t matter. I’m being a nuisance. It’ll take a bit of time to get used to things here, that’s all. You don’t have to keep apologising for everything.’ He gestured for her to get into the car first and once the door closed she wished that walk were a possibility. Now there was no escape from confronting their troubled history.

‘Don’t I?’ If she said sorry every day for the entire time he was here it wouldn’t be enough to cancel out the wrong she’d done him.

‘It’s your life. You shouldn’t have to apologise for the way you live. I’m only here in a professional capacity after all.’ He’d sat at the opposite end from her on the back seat. For all her worry about being enclosed in here with him, now she wanted to close some of that emotional distance that had settled between them.

‘That’s not strictly true, is it? I got you here to carry out my father’s kidney transplant because I know you’re the best, but it would be remiss of me not to address what happened five years ago.’

‘I don’t want to drag that up and cause any ill feeling that might impact on the job I’m here to do.’ Seth’s attempt to evade the subject only succeeded in making Kaja feel worse by admitting there was lingering resentment on his part. She didn’t want to create a toxic environment at the hospital, or in her home, but neither did she want to keep acting as though they were strangers. In her opinion it was better to get things out and clear the air instead of tiptoeing around each other faking congeniality.

‘That’s why I thought it best to tackle it now and explain myself. It’s the least you deserve.’

He didn’t argue any further, proving her right. She took a deep breath and settled her hands in her lap in the hope they would stop shaking.

‘I should have told you about my family from the start. I am sorry about that.’ Along with everything else, but apologies couldn’t alter history.

‘Why didn’t you, Kaja? We had a life together. I thought I knew who you were.’ When he did look at her the pain shining so brightly in his eyes took her breath away. All this time she’d convinced herself he’d got over her was rendered a convenient lie when he was clearly still so affected by her actions.

‘You’ve got to understand, Seth, I went to England to escape my life here. I never envisaged anything beyond that. After graduating high school I was expected to take on my own royal duties and projects. A scary prospect for an eighteen-year-old who wanted to be like everyone else. I persuaded my parents that getting a medical degree would be useful to my position when I returned. That I could put it to good use in the community. I told them England was the best place to study. Where no one knew me. Selfishly, I chose it because it was so far away I reckoned I was beyond their reach. They couldn’t make me go back. As time went on I created a life there and I met you. I lived, studied and worked there so long I didn’t think my heritage mattered any more. I didn’t tell you the truth about who I was because I was in denial myself. I had no intention of coming back.’

‘Until I asked you to marry me. Then you disappeared without a trace.’

She hung her head, not knowing how she could begin to make amends for her cowardice. ‘That was my wake-up call. My reminder that I was living in a bubble with you. You weren’t asking a lot except for a normal, family life. Something you would’ve found with anyone other than me. There’s nothing normal about my family or my life, as you can see, but you’re right, I shouldn’t have gone like that. You deserved better.’

‘Yes, I did.’ He clearly wasn’t going to make this easy for her.

‘Your proposal made me realise I was fooling myself in living out this fantasy I could marry you and simply be Mrs Davenport. I had obligations at home that would have caught up with me eventually and I thought it best to end things before I entered into a marriage based on lies.’ The right thing to do, evidently, when she couldn’t have helped him realise his dream of becoming a father either.

‘You could have told me that. I’d rather have talked things over than wake up to find you’d gone.’

‘I panicked, didn’t know where to begin explaining myself and thought I could do it better from a distance. I intended to get in contact but then my mother died and I was swept away in a tidal wave of grief.’

‘You could have at least got a message to me.’

Even with the air conditioning on Kaja was feeling the heat, shame burning her from the inside out. ‘I was a mess, Seth. I was grieving for my mother, and feeling guilty for everything I’d put everyone through. Believe it or not I thought by leaving I was somehow saving you from getting hurt too instead of stringing you along pretending to be someone I wasn’t.’

Seth’s soulless laugh disputed her warped sense of logic. ‘How did you work that one out when you didn’t explain any of that to me? Didn’t you think I’d be worried that something had happened to you when you vanished without a trace? For all I knew you could’ve been abducted or had some sort of accident. I called everyone we knew and the hospitals and police. Of course, when they heard you’d rejected my marriage proposal they decided it was your way of dumping me. It took me a little longer to work things out.’

‘I’m sorry.’ Her voice came out as small as she felt right now. She’d never meant to humiliate him but she was guilty of thinking only about herself. In her attempt to avoid a confrontation or get talked into staying, she’d jumped on the next flight without thinking about the impact her disappearance would have on him.

He didn’t need to know that her fertility issues had helped her to maintain that distance since. There hadn’t seemed a need to reach out to him when there was no chance of a happy-ever-after and so she had only done so when her father’s survival was at stake. It was a private matter she didn’t have to share with anyone because she had no plans on repeating past mistakes. Getting involved with anyone would only bring heartache and pain when she could never live up to expectation. She had reconciled herself to never having children, perhaps never being in another relationship, because experience had shown her it wasn’t feasible. That didn’t mean she didn’t yearn for both of those things. More so now that Seth was here, representing everything she wanted and couldn’t have.

‘When I saw you on the news at your mother’s funeral I thought I was hallucinating. Never mind that you’d told me both your parents had died a long time ago, there you were walking behind your mother’s coffin with your father, the grand duke.’ He shook his head as though he was still trying to come to terms with it all.

‘What can I do to fix things between us, Seth? I don’t want you to hate me.’

‘I could never hate you, Kaja, that’s half of the problem. What’s done is done, I suppose. We can’t change what’s happened so there’s no point in dwelling on it. I don’t think I’ll ever forget but I can learn to forgive.’ The smile he gave her was devastating on so many levels it made her want to weep. The fact that this man she’d obviously wounded deeply had been willing to fly halfway around the world to help her family and forgive her showed the strength of his character compared to hers.

There were other questions she had about his life but this was more than she could ever have asked of him. Anything else she needed to say to him could wait. It was more important that they started out on this journey on amicable terms when these next few days were going to be tough. A kidney transplant was no small operation. It came with risks to everyone involved. She was putting her faith in Seth to get them all through this and that would be easier to do with the knowledge he didn’t hold a grudge against her.

‘Thanks.’ It seemed inadequate to express how grateful she was for everything he was doing for her when he would’ve been within his rights to refuse to even take her call. For now, it was the best she could give him. It probably wouldn’t improve relations between them if she burst into tears and told him leaving him was the biggest mistake she’d ever made in her life.

They were going to have plenty of time together as her family members went through this huge procedure and, hopefully, she’d be able to show him just how sorry she was about ending their relationship. Maybe then they’d both find some closure.

Seth was glad the journey wasn’t too long between the palace and the hospital. Kaja’s attempt to call a truce so they could move on had actually caused them to lapse into an even more uncomfortable silence. One only broken when they reached their destination and she advised him on the proper protocol for meeting her father. He found it disconcerting being in this alien situation when she’d been a huge part of his life for so long. A woman he’d been so comfortable around once upon a time.

With their conversation slipping back onto more familiar, albeit rockier, ground he’d almost forgotten he was dealing with royalty. He suspected etiquette would be more scrutinised by her father.

As it was, he was glad he hadn’t tried to gain access to the hospital, or his patients, alone. A stranger’s face didn’t seem welcome as they were met with imposing guards at every corner.

‘Isn’t this a tad OTT? As far as I’m aware your country doesn’t have a high crime rate, never mind a history of assassination attempts. I thought your family was more of a figurehead than a political party?’ He’d done his homework. Not only did the country have a ban on personally held firearms, with the exception of the military and police, they had one of the lowest crime rates in the world. From everything he’d read the population was pretty content here since most residents had their own wealth and status. It was a tax haven for the rich and famous after all, as well as those born into a booming economy.

The royal family appeared popular even if the articles he’d skimmed concerning Kaja’s love life were less than complimentary. He knew she’d abhor the constant attention and the patronising, cruel nickname the press had awarded her.

She spoke in her own language to another of the guards who’d attempted to block their access down the corridor. Another reminder he no longer knew the woman beside him when he’d been unaware English wasn’t her mother tongue. He could only assume the gist of the conversation was something along the lines of, ‘Don’t you know who I am?’, given Kaja’s stern body language and the chided guard stepping back to let them pass. He continued to glare at Seth as they passed, perhaps unconvinced about his credentials rather than his companion’s.

‘We can’t afford to take any chances. The whole world knows where my brother and father are. You can’t expect us to let people swan in and out as they choose.’

Apart from the extra staff, it looked like any other private hospital Seth had worked in. It was clean and airy, with the extra touches of artwork on the walls and aquariums lit up with brightly coloured marine life setting it apart from the facilities attended by lesser mortals.

In his experience the added luxury of comfortable beds in private rooms or in-house chefs serving up specially tailored meals didn’t mean a lot in the grand scheme of things. It wouldn’t matter if the walls were made of pure gold or the floors were encrusted with diamonds. At the end of the day he was employed to do the same job he did everywhere else. Money couldn’t buy a clean bill of health.

Kaja knew that. Perhaps that was why she was so on edge. She could fly someone out with the best surgical reputation in the world to perform this transplant but the rest of the recovery was down to fate. There was a possibility her father could reject the new organ. As always, Seth would do everything he could to prevent that happening but there were no guarantees in this life. He’d found that out for himself the hard way.

Another guard outside her father’s private room greeted their arrival with a curt nod of the head, followed by a conversation on his walkie-talkie before they gained admittance. Seth assumed his face was on an all points bulletin by now, his whole background undergoing a thorough check if it hadn’t already. He prayed his recent site visits to research the country—the ones about their princess in particular—wouldn’t come back to haunt him if they looked into his online search history.

‘Father, this is Seth Davenport. The surgeon who’s carrying out your transplant.’ Kaja stood in the centre of the large private room announcing him to the frail gentleman swamped in his bed by pristine white cotton sheets and plump pillows.

‘Ah, come forward, young man. My eyes aren’t what they used to be. Along with the rest of me.’ The grand duke sat up, immediately adopting an air of authority, which forced Seth to advance from the doorway towards the bed.

‘I’m honoured to meet you, Your Royal Highness.’ Seth dipped at the waist into a bow as prompted by Kaja, secretly hoping he wasn’t expected to do this every time he walked into the room. It would become tiresome when he had a job to do.

The grand duke waved a dismissive hand. ‘We can dispense with all of that nonsense. Call me Olov. I fear it is I who should be bowing to you. I can’t thank you enough for coming to our little corner of the world to help me. My daughter tells me you once worked together and that you’re the best there is.’

His excellent English was heavily accented compared to Kaja’s. Seth assumed it was the time she’d spent in Cambridge studying that had made her sound more like a local.

It was clear she hadn’t shared their personal history with her family. The grand duke might not have been so humble and welcoming if he’d known Seth had lived in sin with his only daughter for years, or that he’d had the audacity to propose marriage to her. Now he’d seen her life out here and the people she was surrounded by it was becoming clearer why she wouldn’t entertain the idea of marrying a commoner like him. What more could he have possibly offered her that she didn’t have already? Nothing except his love. Which hadn’t been enough for her to even stay in the same country.

‘That’s correct, sir.’ He wasn’t going to be modest about his credentials when that was the reason he was here. Kaja’s father would expect confidence from the man who would have his life in his hands.

‘Good. At least something positive came out of Kaja’s time away.’ The focus of both men’s attention lowered her head. Seth didn’t know if it was in deference to her father or because she couldn’t look at him.

Goodness only knew what she’d told her father about her career or her personal life during that time. It was a punch in the gut to think that their life together was nothing for her to be proud of when they’d been some of the best days of his life. Along with some of the worst after she’d gone.

‘I’ve read up on your medical history and your nephrologist’s recommendations. As far as I can see the procedure should be relatively straightforward.’ Seth adopted his professional persona, determined not to linger on anything liable to distract him from the upcoming surgery.

‘Glad to hear it. The last thing I want is to find out there could be more complications or setbacks. Time’s running out for me.’

Seth didn’t argue with him. He’d read the files and agreed that the transplant was the last option available given his condition. If he’d been any older or less fit than he was, a transplant might’ve been deemed too risky.

‘This kind of operation comes with its own risks. We can’t predict how your body will react to the transplanted organ. Obviously, we’ll be monitoring you very closely and will do everything we can to prevent rejection. I’ll need to meet with the rest of the team to discuss contingency plans to cover every eventuality.’ Although he was the medical lead he wouldn’t be able to do this without a team of other professionals with the same goal of making this operation a success.

‘I can organise that for you.’

He’d forgotten Kaja was in the room until she voiced her intention to help.

‘I’d appreciate that.’

‘Is there anything else you need me to do?’

Seth knew only too well how it felt to be powerless as your world continued to spin out of control and there was nothing you could do to halt it. Yet, her suggestion to contribute fell flat when it had been made clear to him it was only the present that interested her. With no real consideration towards him or their history.

‘Not at the moment. If that changes I’ll let you know.’ He turned his back on her, doing his best to block her out of his head so he could think straight.

‘What do you require from me, Doctor? Apart from my kidney?’ Another male voice entered the fray. Followed, of course, by another shadow figure who was quietly dismissed at the door.

Even if the new arrival hadn’t been wearing an identical hospital gown to the one Kaja’s father was sporting, the family likeness was uncanny. All three Alderisis had the same sea-green eyes, aquiline nose and height befitting royalty.

He held out a hand towards Seth. ‘Bruno. Pleased to meet you.’

‘Seth Davenport,’ he countered as strong fingers gripped his in a handshake.

‘This is my big brother. Bruno, this is the surgeon who’ll be carrying out the transplant.’ Kaja introduced them in case there was any doubt about their identities.

‘Ah. So you’re the man who’ll be cutting me open and rummaging about in my insides?’ The dark humour he employed wasn’t unheard of in these situations. A lot of patients joked to cover their fears. Bruno did seem relaxed about the impending operation considering the sacrifice he was about to undertake to save his father.

‘Bruno, I wish you would take this seriously.’ Kaja chastised him with a clip around the ear.

‘Don’t tease your sister. You know how she worries,’ the elder Alderisi scolded.

It was clear this was a family who cared deeply for one another. He had no idea why Kaja had found it necessary to keep them hidden from him during the course of their relationship. Yes, her heritage had come as a shock but he would’ve got over it given time.

‘I am taking this seriously. Trust me, giving away one of my kidneys isn’t something I would do on a whim.’

‘If it’s any comfort, donors have the same life expectancy, general health and kidney function as anyone else.’ He said it as much for Kaja and Olov’s benefit as Bruno’s.

‘See, Kaja? I trust my new best friend here not to botch this when he comes so highly recommended. I’m going to be under anaesthetic so I’m not the one who’ll be doing the worrying.’ A meaty hand slapped Seth on the back. He liked this guy. His whole attitude and demeanour was a refreshing change from the earlier heavy-hitting conversation he’d had with his sister.

‘We will need you to fill in the consent forms and other necessary paperwork before we proceed.’ If anything did go wrong, it was necessary to have everything down in writing to protect all those involved. They all knew the risks but Seth would be the one primarily shouldering responsibility or blame if necessary.

‘No problem. It’s not as though we have much else to do while we’re waiting. We’ve exhausted the whole board-game collection and I don’t think Father is up to a game of table tennis just yet. Maybe in a week or two when he’s fully recovered with a new lease of life, thanks to my young, highly sought-after vital organs.’

Kaja rolled her eyes and groaned. ‘I give up.’

‘I’ll arrange everything once I’ve had a meeting with the team. The paperwork, that is, not the table tennis.’ Seth exchanged grins with the handsome prince, satisfied they were both on the same wavelength. It was a serious procedure but a positive one if everything went to plan.

‘Good stuff. I can jot kidney transplant into my diary for this week, then?’

‘I don’t see why not once we have everything in place. I’ll go back and check on my daughter and return later to go over any questions you think of in the interim.’ He was keen to find out how Amy was getting on. He’d be spending a lot of these next few days at the hospital and wanted to spend as much time with Amy as he could now.

‘I’ll call for the car and get Isak to take us back to the palace.’ Kaja motioned for the attention of the guards at the window.

‘If you don’t mind, I’d rather walk. I’m sure I don’t need an entourage to keep me safe and I’d much rather get some fresh air.’ Along with some distance from Kaja and the memories he couldn’t quite manage to shut out altogether.

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