spell, dragging them back to the table, to the ball, to the world.
Dinner was long, the speeches even longer, and Alessi noted that Isla chatted easily with the guests at the table during dinner and listened attentively to the speeches.
She really was enjoying herself. Alessi shared her humour. His foot pressed into her calf on one occasion, not suggestively, more to share an unseen smile when one of the recipient’s speeches went on and on and on.
Then it was Alessi’s turn to take to the stage. Charles gave a rather long-winded introduction about the work he had done in the year that Alessi had been at the Victoria and how pleased they were to have such talent on board.
Isla watched as Alessi went up to the stage, the speech she had written in his hand, and he took a moment to arrange the microphone. Absolutely she could see why it was her father wanted a more visible profile for Alessi because, even before he had spoken, he held the room.
She watched him glance down at his speech and, yes, he omitted the first part where Isla had explained that, regretfully, he couldn’t be there.
He thanked everyone present and then Isla froze as Alessi hesitated and she realised she had omitted to mention a small joke she had written—I’d especially like to thank the extraordinary Isla Delamere for her amazing work on the MMU. It would have been funny had she read it out. Instead, Alessi’s face broke into a smile and he met her gaze.
She could feel her father’s impatience at the small lull in proceedings, she could feel her own lips stretching into a smile as Alessi omitted her joke and then moved on.
‘“I am very proud to receive this award,”’ Alessi said, reading from Isla’s notes. ‘“But more than that, I am incredibly grateful to work alongside skilled colleagues at such a well-equipped hospital. It helps when you can say, in all honesty, to parents that everything possible is being done or was done. It makes impossible decisions and difficult days somewhat easier to be reconciled to.”’
It was the truth, Alessi thought.
That Archie had been given every chance had been a huge source of comfort to Donna. That the facilities were top class, that there had been a private area for the family to take their necessary time with empathetic staff discreetly present had made his passing more bearable.
He wrapped up the speech and then added a line of his own, or rather he didn’t completely omit Isla’s.
‘I would especially like to thank Isla Delamere for being here tonight and for her amazing work on the MMU.’
Ouch!
Isla was blushing as Alessi returned to his seat.
‘Thank you,’ Alessi said. Her words had hit home. Yes, he might loathe this side of things but he was starting to accept that it might be necessary. No, he wouldn’t be appearing on morning television, as Charles had in mind for him, but he would make more effort, Alessi decided. That was the reason he stood around talking, being polite and accepting congratulations, while others headed off to dance. That was the reason he didn’t make his excuses and head home.
Isla watched in mild surprise as her student Flick danced with Tristan, a cardiac surgeon. She could almost feel the sparks coming from them, or was it just that Alessi was standing close?
‘Well done,’ Isla said, when finally the crowd gathered around him had dispersed enough for them to have a conversation.
‘Thanks,’ Alessi said.
‘Not too painful?’ Isla checked.
‘No. Your speech was perfect. I really am very grateful for such a well-run hospital. I just don’t like the fact that your father seems to want me to be the poster boy for the NICU.’
‘What was that?’ Charles came over and Alessi didn’t even flinch.
‘I was just telling Isla how well run and well equipped the hospital is.’
‘Because of nights such as this one,’ Charles said. ‘You cut it very fine getting here.’
‘I already explained that, Dad,’ Isla said, but Alessi didn’t need Isla to speak for him and told Charles exactly how difficult it had been to get there, albeit a little late.
‘I certified a patient dead at eight minutes past six,’ Alessi responded coolly, and Isla frowned at the tension between the two men. ‘As I said to you at lunch, please don’t rely on me to be your front person. I’ll do what I can on the social side of things but my job is to keep up the stats while yours is to bring in the funds.’
Isla swallowed. There were few people who spoke to Charles Delamere like that and got away with it, but it was what her father said next that truly confused her.
‘You could have at least shaved before you got here.’
‘Dad!’ Isla was shocked that her father would be so personal but Alessi didn’t seem remotely bothered.
‘It’s fine,’ Alessi briefly addressed Isla, then turned his attention back to Charles, who was looking at Alessi with thinly disguised murder in his eyes. ‘I stayed with the parents of the baby that died until seven and then I spoke at length with their daughter. Shaving really wasn’t my priority.’ He looked at Isla. ‘Would you like to dance?’
She said yes just to get the two of them apart.
‘Alessi, I’m so sorry about that!’ Isla said as they hit the dance floor. She was honestly confused by the way her father was acting. ‘I don’t know what’s wrong with him. He had no right to say anything about you not having shaved.’ Privately she was glad that Alessi hadn’t shaved—he looked wonderful and she actually ached to feel his jaw against her skin, but she held back from dancing with him the way she wanted to.
‘Don’t worry about it.’ Alessi shrugged.
‘Even so, I don’t know what’s got into him.’
‘I do.’ Alessi smiled. ‘He knows tonight I am going to be sleeping with his daughter.’
‘You assume a lot,’ Isla croaked as he pulled her in closer.
‘I never assume,’ Alessi said. ‘I just aim high.’
His fingers were stroking her arms and now his cheek was near hers as he spoke, his jaw was all scratchy against her cheek, even more delicious than Isla had predicted, and she found she could barely breathe.
‘I thought you were exhausted.’
‘Do I feel tired to you?’ Alessi said, and Isla guessed he was referring to the hard heat that was nudging at her stomach.
‘No.’ A single word was all Isla could manage.
‘I’m never too tired for you, Isla.’
She was beyond turned on. She wanted to move her face so their mouths could meet, she wanted the wetness of his tongue and the heat of his skin on hers.
Did she tell him how scared she was?
Did she tell him that he would be her first?
Isla
