PROLOGUE

      ‘SAY that name again?’

      Zach Jordan paused with a coffee-mug halfway to his lips, his blue eyes suddenly watchful.

      ‘Which name?’ His colleague Sean Nicholson, the senior consultant in the accident and emergency department, glanced down at the list he’d been reading aloud. ‘Um…Keely Thompson?’

       Keely…

      Zach put his coffee-mug back on the table, untouched.

      ‘What’s the matter? Do you know her?’ Sean frowned and Zach’s eyes narrowed as he did the calculation in his head. Could it be her? Had that much time passed? Could she really be one of the new senior house officers?

      ‘I think I might do,’ he said finally. ‘You interviewed her—can you remember what she looked like?’

      Sean nodded and tossed the file of papers he was holding onto the table. ‘I certainly can. Small and delicate, short blonde hair…a bit urchin like—massive blue eyes, the biggest smile I’ve ever seen…’ He broke off and gave an appreciative grin. ‘In fact, I have to admit that she was absolutely gorgeous, but don’t tell Ally I said that.’

      Zach gave an absent smile, knowing that Sean adored his pretty wife and their three children. ‘Bouncy? Bubbly personality?’

      ‘That’s her.’ Sean picked up his coffee and took a sip. ‘She’s the daughter of the Professor Thompson from St Mark’s. I suppose we should count ourselves lucky she’s here. With that sort of pedigree I don’t expect she’ll be hanging around the Lake District for long. She’ll be aiming for a job in one of the hot seats of academic learning.’

      Would she? Zach gave a slight frown. That didn’t seem like the Keely he’d known as a child. She’d been gentle and caring and totally lacking in ambition. In fact, there had been times when he’d wondered how on earth the Prof had managed to produce a child like Keely—she was so very different from the rest of them. But if she was following in the family footsteps and carving a high-profile career for herself then she’d obviously changed.

      He sat back in his chair, wondering what she’d be like now. Last time he’d seen her she’d been a typical teenager, worrying about school and arguing with her mother. It was pretty hard to accept that she’d become a fully qualified doctor.

      Sean was looking at him curiously. ‘So how do you know her?’

      ‘I trained with her older brother and sister.’ Zach leaned forward and retrieved his coffee. ‘They’re twins. And one of my first surgical jobs was with the Prof. I used to go and stay with them sometimes. They had this fabulous house in the Cotswolds. That was where I met Keely.’

      ‘She was the youngest?’

      ‘Yes.’ Zach gave a slow nod. ‘The baby of the family. I wonder what she’s doing up here in the Lake District?’ If she was so ambitious, why hadn’t she stayed in London? ‘Can I look at her CV?’

      He held out a hand and Sean passed it over. ‘It’s pretty impressive. Top grades all the way through.’

      Zach studied it carefully. ‘So did she say why she wanted to come here?’ The hospital had a good reputation but it was hardly the most high profile in the country. Why hadn’t she stayed in London?

      Sean gave a shrug. ‘I didn’t really ask her that. Why shouldn’t she come here? It’s a great place. We love it. Why shouldn’t other people?’

      ‘It is a great place,’ Zach agreed, frowning thoughtfully. ‘But it’s hardly the best springboard for a fast-track medical career.’

      ‘You seem to know rather a lot about her.’ Sean gave him a keen look. ‘Did you have an affair with her?’

      Zach choked on his coffee. ‘For goodness’ sake, Sean! She was sixteen years old and I was twenty-four! What sort of man do you think I am?’

      Sean grinned. ‘A woman’s dream—if the gossip is to be believed. According to the nurses, you’re now top of the list of the most eligible bachelors in Cumbria.’

      ‘Oh,