200 Harley Street:
The Enigmatic
Surgeon
Annie Claydon
Dear Reader
I’ve always loved reading continuity stories, so it was a thrill to be asked to write one, and an honour to be in the company of the other wonderful authors who have contributed to this series.
From the moment he came alive on the page for me I knew that Edward was going to be a challenge. He’s one of those people who’ll shine whatever he turns his hand to. He might not be much of a team player, but give him a problem and he’ll come up with a brilliant and imaginative solution. He has his work, his books and his music, and seems to want nothing and no one else. What can you give a man like that?
Well, you can give him Charlotte. Charlotte might not always understand the complexities of Edward’s thought processes, but she understands people. And as she gets to know Edward it becomes obvious that there’s something missing in his well-ordered life. But she and her son have been hurt once already, and the one thing that Edward needs is the thing that Charlotte has promised herself she’ll never give.
I hope that you enjoy Edward and Charlotte’s story. I’m always delighted to hear from readers, and you can contact me via my website at www.annieclaydon.com
Annie x
To the ladies who lunch: Yve, Nicky and Vicki.
Table of Contents
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
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
‘SO WHICH IS it, then?’
‘Eh?’ Charlotte King was busy trying not to notice that Edward North was currently going through his pockets to find the key to his office, and she had lost the thread of the conversation that was going on around the nurses’ station.
‘Which do you think? Secret love-life, or no love-life?’ Paula craned across the desk to get a better view. ‘Wonder if he needs a hand with that?’
Charlotte swallowed a laugh. ‘What? You know where he’s left his keys?’
‘No. But I’m really good at finding things.’ Paula’s smile left no doubt that she was contemplating a thorough investigation and possibly a body search.
‘Too late. He’s got them.’ Allie grinned at Paula. ‘And I reckon he’s got a secret mistress somewhere.’
‘When does he get to see her? In between here and the hospital, I’d be surprised if he has much time for anything else.’
‘He has time to swim.’ Allie’s blue eyes flashed mischievously.
‘Yeah?’ Paula’s attention was on Allie now.
‘Mmm-hmm. I left my trainers downstairs in the gym the other day and went to fetch them after work. He was in the pool, doing laps.’
‘Hmm. Perhaps I’ll go buy myself a swimming costume. Common interests can be very important in a relationship.’
‘So you’ve thought this through, then?’ Charlotte wished that Paula and Allie would keep their voices down. Not that the nurses were in any danger of being heard. It was difficult enough to get Edward’s attention even when he was supposed to be listening to you. It just seemed somehow wrong to be talking like this.
‘Who hasn’t? I reckon he just needs a good woman. And I’ll apply for the position if no one else is interested.’
Allie laughed. ‘Steady, Paula. Remember there’s a queue and I’m in it. Charlotte, too, eh?’
Charlotte considered the prospect. She couldn’t get away with a lie that big. ‘Yeah, okay. Just to keep you two company, though. I don’t have time for dating.’
Or the money. Or the inclination, most of the time. Apart from when Edward … Her gaze wandered over to the glazed wall of his office. He was behind his desk now, deep in thought, a stack of papers and books in front of him.
‘Yeah, right.’ Paula was laughing now. ‘Guess we could share him around.’
Oh, no. Edward wasn’t for sharing. He was for being loved, nurtured by one woman, not passed around like a beautifully wrapped, enormously sexy parcel. He looked up, as if somehow the thought had penetrated the walls of his office, his eyes suddenly focussing in Charlotte’s direction.
She could feel the flush spreading up from the back of her neck to her cheeks. Edward might be for one woman, but that woman definitely wasn’t her.
Charlotte turned, trying to pretend that he hadn’t just caught her staring at him. ‘I’ll leave you to do that. I’ve got to do my last ward round and my friend is bringing Isaac here soon.’
‘Really?’ Paula always made a particular fuss of Isaac. ‘What do we owe that pleasure to?’
‘There’s no school today and my friend’s been looking after him. Lucy’s got a date tonight so she’s dropping him off here before she goes on to hit the town. If you see them, will you get them to wait here?’
Paula nodded. ‘Sure thing. Take your time.’
Edward North had just got to the complex part. Not that tomorrow’s microsurgery wasn’t all complex, but this particular section was intricate in the extreme. Running through it in his head was his preferred method of preparation, and the swimming pool in the basement of the Hunter Clinic his preferred place. Working his body seemed to free his mind, but he couldn’t be assured of solitude until the clinic was closed for the day, so his office was going to have to do.
‘No. Not like