“What is this I detect? Is the ice maiden beginning to crack?”
“Like he’d ever look at me that way? No.”
“I wasn’t thinking about him being after you.”
“Oh, shut up! Is Peter going to be there?” Kate asked.
“The delectable Dr Florin? I honestly don’t know.” Sophie got up and walked out to the kitchen singing, “Adam and Katy sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G.”
Kate threw a cushion at her, but smiled. ‘Adam?’ she thought. ‘Adam Elliott’.
On Saturday night, Kate rushed in around six and jumped into the shower. Sophie was walking round in her dressing gown and slippers, busy ironing her dress and straightening her hair.
“I wish Rich could come with us,” Sophie said as she arrived in Kate’s bedroom doorway, pulling a long-handled black comb through her hair.
“He could have. If you’d wanted,” Kate said.
“Would you? If you weren’t medical?” Sophie asked.
“No. Probably not. But he’s still going to give us a lift, isn’t he?”
Sophie smiled. “Yes, of course.”
“You’ve got him wrapped around your little finger, haven’t you?”
“Absolutely, and quite right too,” she said.
At a quarter to eight Rich rang the bell and Sophie hurried down to the front door to let him in. She kissed him and stood back to show him her dress. “How do I look?” she asked, twirling from side to side and bobbing a little curtsey.
“Stunning,” he said, pulling her into his arms.
Sophie beamed. “I’ll do then?” and Rich kissed her emphatically.
“More than ‘do’,” he growled. “I’m beginning to regret not coming with you now. You’re going to need someone to fight off all those young doctors.”
Kate appeared on the stairs wearing a long flowing dress in deep turquoise-blue, embroidered with pale gold. It had tiny thin straps and stopped just above her ankles. Her strawberry blonde hair hung loosely down her back with only a single clip to stop it falling across her face. She smiled. “You do realise half those doctors are actually women? Hello, Rich. Doesn’t she look amazing?”
Rich turned back to look at Sophie. “Beautiful,” he said. “You both do. But we’d better get a move on if Cinderella here doesn’t want to be late for the ball.”
Rich helped them both into the back of his car shutting the door behind them and then he produced a cap from the passenger seat and put it on. “Where to, milady?”
The girls collapsed with laughter in the back seat of the car. “The Ambassador, please, Tibbs,” Sophie said, through a splutter of giggles.
Rich winked at her in the rear view mirror. “Right away, milady.”
They arrived at the hotel and Rich opened the car door. He bowed as they stepped out and Sophie beamed at him. “Thank you,” she said.
“Just you mind you don’t go swanning off with any of your dashing young doctors. Male or female,” he added. “You’re mine now and don’t you forget it.”
Sophie saluted obediently and Rich turned to Kate. “I’m relying on you to keep her on the straight and narrow, Kate.”
“No problem,” she said dragging Sophie away from him to get inside before they missed the start of the meal.
Inside, the hotel was filled with light. Huge arrangements of flowers adorned magnificent pillars and chandeliers sent sparks dancing around the marble walls.
The doorman directed the girls to where they could deposit their coats and from there the cloakroom attendant pointed them in the direction of the drawing room. On their arrival, they accepted a glass of wine from a waiter and then wandered into the room.
Kate looked round and spotted a seating plan on an easel. They looked for their names and found them on table ten. Searching further they found Mr Elliott on table thirteen, Carl, on table ten with them, but there was no sign of Peter Florin for Flis. Kate sipped at her wine and watched the waiters, busy setting the tables in the dining room.
From where they were standing, Kate found she was in the perfect position to keep an eye out for new arrivals. Thus far there had been no sign of Mr Elliott, but by the time they took their places to eat, there he was. There were a couple of tables between them, but with his table being diagonally across from her own, Kate could see him quite clearly.
“You’ve gone very pale all of a sudden,” Sophie whispered as she placed her napkin in her lap. “What is it?”
“He’s here,” Kate whispered back. “I’m looking straight at him.”
“Who? Peter?”
“No, Elliott.”
Sophie stifled a smirk. “Isn’t that a good thing?”
Kate looked sideways, horrified that Sophie seemed to have such insight into her predicament. It was becoming horribly plain to Kate that she was attracted to the man, despite her reluctance to accept it. Sophie smiled an all knowing smile, which Kate found fell hopelessly short of reassuring. “Why? Do you think there’s any point?” Where had that come from? What on earth was she thinking?
“Of course,” Sophie said.
“But…”
“Look, he’s a good-looking, successful, single guy and you’re a gorgeous, caring – despite recent events which may make him think to the contrary – intelligent woman. What could be wrong about that?”
Kate fiddled nervously with her hair as she racked her brain trying to work out what it was she really wanted.
“You look lovely. Don’t fuss,” Sophie said. “And I don’t want to find you hiding in a corner, polishing the silver if he tries to ask you to dance later on. It’s fine.”
Kate took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “I wouldn’t need to polish this silver anyway,” she said. “Have you seen it? It’s positively gleaming.”
As the starter was being served Kate glanced over and saw Mr Elliott talking with his colleagues. One of the senior nurses from Ascot Ward was sitting on the far side of him and Kate found herself for the moment feeling glad that he wasn’t talking to her.
The conversation began to liven up on Kate’s table as the group settled in and started to eat. It was a welcome distraction for Kate, enjoying the conversation until the waiters began to clear the plates and she felt something pulling her eyes to look across again, and this time she caught Elliott’s gaze. Immediately she looked down and then, after a second or two, back up. He was busy with his table, his own plate being cleared. But he looked back over and caught her still looking at him and they were fixed there, a moment captured in time, as her pulse raced and her breath held. The heat rose in her cheeks making her dip her face and turn back to her friend for refuge. She swallowed and took another sip of water. She had to find something to focus on.
Kate reached for the dinner menu and looked in the direction of the words, but nothing was going in. She tried again. Was she so nervous? Not a word of encouragement had passed his lips. In fact he had probably said more words to her in anger than anything else, but still she found she was captivated. She knew she had a history of failed relationships, but then again, who didn’t?
“What are we having next?” someone asked from across the table.
Kate was confused. “Oh… Er… Chicken in tarragon with white wine sauce and seasonal vegetables,” she managed to croak out, realising she was still holding the menu. She took a deep breath and placed it back