A Royal Proposal. Barbara Hannay
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nodded. ‘Yes.’
‘I hope that’s not too much of an imposition.’
‘No, I think I’ll enjoy it.’ She would feel closer to her family. The connection was important.
Another awkward silence fell and Rafe stared at her thoughtfully. ‘I don’t have any pressing appointments in the morning. I’ll accompany you.’
This was a surprise—and not a pleasant one either. Under normal circumstances, Charlie wouldn’t have minded. She enjoyed Rafe’s company very much, probably too much. But now she was sure he was only going to the hospital to keep an eye on her, which meant he didn’t trust her, and that possibility disturbed her.
‘I’ll look forward to your company,’ she said quietly, knowing she had little choice.
Rafe nodded, then stood. ‘The breakfast room is on the ground floor, in the south wing. I’ll see you there at eight tomorrow?’
‘Yes—sir.’ Charlie couldn’t help adding the cheeky ‘sir’. Rafe was being so stodgy and formal.
He didn’t smile, but one dark eyebrow lifted and a flicker of something that might have been amusement showed briefly in his eyes. He left quickly, though, with a curt ‘bonne nuit’. No kisses on the cheek tonight.
* * *
Visiting a children’s hospital with a prince in tow was a very different experience from any previous hospital visit that Charlie had made.
After a polite and rather formal exchange at breakfast, she and Rafe left the castle in a sleek black, chauffeur-driven car that sported the blue and gold flags of Montaigne fluttering from its bonnet. And as they passed through the snowy streets, people turned to stare, to point and to wave excitedly. Finally, when the car pulled up outside the hospital, there was a group of reporters hovering on the footpath.
From the moment the chauffeur opened the door for Charlie, cameras were flashing and popping and she felt so flustered she almost stumbled and landed in the newly snow-ploughed gutter. The possibility of such an ignominious christening for her long red coat and knee high boots ensured that she navigated the footpath super carefully. Rafe’s hand at her elbow helped.
A team of doctors, nurses and administrators from the hospital greeted them on the front steps. Charlie remembered to smile while Rafe introduced her as his fiancée, Olivia Belaire, and she did her level best to remember names as she shook everyone’s hand.
Then the hospital team, plus Rafe and Charlie and the reporters, all processed inside.
Charlie leaned in to speak in a whisper to Rafe. ‘Surely, all these flashing cameras will frighten the sick children?’
‘They won’t all be allowed into the wards,’ Rafe assured her.
Indeed, as Charlie’s and Rafe’s coats were taken and they continued to the wards, only one television cameraman and one newspaper journalist were allowed to continue, along with the entourage of hospital staff. Charlie decided to ignore the other adults as best she could. The children were her focus and they were delightful.
Over the next hour or so, she and Rafe met such a touching array of children. Some were very sick and confined to bed, while others were more mobile and were busy with various craft activities. They talked to a little boy in a wheelchair who was playing a game on a tablet and another boy presented Rafe with a colourful portrait of himself and Olivia, both wearing golden crowns.
A little girl wearing a white crocheted cap to cover her bald head performed a beautiful curtsy for them.
‘Oh, how clever you are!’ Charlie told her, clapping madly. Prince Rafael, however, went one better. Responding with a deep bow, he took the little girl’s hand and gallantly kissed her fingers.
The smile on the child’s face was almost as huge as the lump in Charlie’s throat and she knew this was a moment she would remember forever.
Of course, the cameras were flashing and whirring throughout these exchanges, but by now Charlie, glad of her jaunty polka-dot dress, had learned to ignore them. They moved on to a room that looked like a kindergarten where children were sitting at tables and busy with crêpe paper and scissors and wire.
‘So what are you doing?’ Charlie asked, kneeling down to the children’s level.
‘We’re making roses,’ she was told by a little girl with a bandage over one eye. ‘And we made one for you!’
‘Oh!’
Charlie’s gratitude and praise for the pink and purple concoction were heartfelt and, although she felt quite emotional at times, she managed to keep her smile in place. Until they reached the sick babies.
Suddenly, her stomach was churning. At least there were no babies awaiting heart surgery in this ward, but she was given a warm, blanketed bundle to hold, and from the moment the little one was placed in her arms she was battling tears.
Of course, she was thinking of Isla, and of course, the cameramen zoomed in close, capturing every emotion. She didn’t dare to catch Rafe’s eye.
* * *
They were driving back to the castle, after morning tea with a selection of hospital staff, before Rafe commented on the experience. ‘That seemed to go well,’ he said, although he didn’t look particularly happy.
‘It was amazing,’ Charlie declared firmly. ‘The children were so excited to see you, Rafe. That little girl with the curtsy was gorgeous. I hope she gets better. Her doctor said he was optimistic.’
‘That’s good,’ Rafe said warmly. ‘Everyone loved you—especially the children, but you were a hit with the staff as well.’
Charlie couldn’t help feeling chuffed. ‘I guess I was channelling my inner princess.’
Rafe’s response was an incomprehensible smile, and he looked more worried than pleased.
What was wrong? Charlie wondered with a sigh. She felt a spurt of impatience. She’d done her level best this morning. He’d said she’d done well. What more did he want?
‘Why do you look so worried, Rafe? I thought you just told me that the visit went well. I thought you were happy.’
‘Of course the visit went well. You were perfect.’ He gave a slow shake of his head. ‘That’s the problem.’
This made no sense at all. ‘Excuse me?’
‘You’ve set rather a high standard for Olivia to follow.’
‘Oh.’ Charlie hadn’t considered this possibility. ‘Are you suggesting that visiting a children’s hospital might not be her cup of tea?’
‘Exactly,’ Rafe said grimly.
Charlie had no answer for this. She’d done what she’d been asked to do. She could do no more. ‘Do you think there’ll be a photo in the newspaper tomorrow?’
Rafe nodded. ‘Almost certainly.’
‘I wonder if Olivia will see it. Gosh, imagine how shocked she’ll be.’
This brought another frown from Rafe. ‘At least, she might make contact then.’
‘And that’s a good thing, surely?’
But his expression was still serious and thoughtful as he looked away out through the car’s window. A woman and a little girl out on the street saw him and waved excitedly, but he seemed too preoccupied to notice. He didn’t wave back.
Charlie, feeling sorry for them, waved instead.
* * *
The car returned to the castle and Charlie expected that Rafe would leave her now. She had no other commitments for the day, but he would almost certainly be busy. She wasn’t looking forward to the next few hours of anxiously pacing the floor, trying to fill in time until she heard news from her father.