with the news that he was not a simple commoner but a member of the richest royal family in Europe? And not only a member, with his twin brother’s recent decision—now the rightful heir to the throne.
Her father jolted her out of her tortured reverie. ‘I want you to know that I am prepared to be punished for what I did, Amelia. I have always been prepared, but I did not come forward at the time for your mother’s sake. I kept everything from her. I had to. She was expecting a child, your brother Rico. I did not want her to see me as a man capable of such a crime. It was even worse after your brothers and you were born. Having my own children made me realise the enormity of what I had done. I could tell no one and the fight to keep those who knew silent became all the more desperate. It has cost me dearly.’
‘It has cost the prince his birthright!’ she said, unable to contain her despair and shame at what he had done. ‘No matter if the Australian doctor is the prince or not, whoever the prince is now has been robbed of everything that is rightly his. He has never known his real parents, never lived on the island, and never spoken the language and a thousand other things that can never be replaced or put right by a last-minute deathbed confession!’
‘I know, but I must put right what I can,’ he said. ‘I must see this man who has the whole island talking of his likeness to Antonio Fierezza.’
‘And Prince Marco,’ she put in heavily.
‘Is that true?’ he asked, his throat moving up and down again. ‘You have seen Prince Marco up at the palace, have you not? Does he look anything like the doctor?’
She frowned as she thought about it. There was a similarity; they were both dark of hair and eyes, although she seemed to recall Marco’s were not as coal-black as Alex’s, and he seemed a bit taller, not much, maybe only an inch if that.
‘I don’t know…maybe a little bit,’ she said.
‘So you will do this for me? Bring the doctor to me as soon as you can arrange it?’
‘He was here last night,’ she informed him.
He coughed out the word. ‘Here?’
She nodded. ‘He came across me on the road. and gave me a lift and somehow talked me into having dinner with him. I decided to go because you and Silvio were out. Where is Silvio, by the way?’
‘He has been working on a boat that goes between here and Sicily. He heard the rumours and took me down to the port to talk to some people who had seen the doctor and become suspicious.’
‘Papà…you do realise if Alex Hunter is the child you spirited away that there will be consequences, not just for you, but for Rico and Silvio and me?’
‘Yes…’ His thin chest deflated on a ragged breath. ‘I have thought long and hard about it. For some years now, in spite of my efforts to distance myself from the organisation, my name has been brought up whenever the Vialli bandits are mentioned. Every finger is now pointing to me. I cannot allow you or your brothers to live any longer under the shame of a murder that never took place.’
‘The kidnap of a small child is almost as bad.’
‘I did the best I could do under the circumstances,’ he said. ‘I did not kill him. I had every chance but I did not do it. I would like to tell that to him…to ask for forgiveness. Then I can die in peace.’
She let out another sigh. ‘There can be no peace, Papà, can’t you see that? Not now, not if what you’ve said is true.’
‘What would you have me do?’ he asked. ‘If he is the prince, he has the right to know.’
‘But what if he’s not?’
Her father looked at her, the sadness of his life shining in his eyes. ‘Just bring him to me, Amelia. Bring the Australian doctor to me so I can find out once and for all.’
CHAPTER EIGHT
‘AREN’T you heading up to Theatre to watch the procedure?’ Lucia asked when Amelia came on the ward the next morning.
‘I thought I would give it a miss,’ she answered, putting her bag in the bottom drawer of the filing cabinet in the nurses’ station and turning the key.
She had spent a sleepless night thinking about her father’s confession, her mind unable to grasp the enormity of what he had done. The thought of trying to remain professionally calm watching Alex Hunter perform a highly technical procedure while suspecting what she did was unthinkable.
‘But Dr Morani organised cover for you down here on the ward,’ Lucia said. ‘He wants you in particular to see how Dr Hunter performs the off-pump procedure.’
‘I’m sure I’ll hear all about it.’
‘Hearing is one thing, seeing is another,’ Lucia said. ‘If I were you I’d go. There’s not much happening here. I might even get time for a cup of coffee if Signor Ruggio in bed eight behaves himself.’
Amelia forced a little smile to her lips at the mention of their elderly patient. ‘He’s such a sweet old man and never complains.’
‘He’s a cheeky old flirt, that’s what he is. But you’re right—he’s a sweet man.’ Lucia gave her a probing look. ‘Is something wrong? You look worried. Is it your father again?’
‘Yes…'At least that wasn’t a lie, Amelia thought. ‘But it’s nothing I can’t deal with.’
‘Well, if there’s anything I can do just let me know,’ Lucia offered. ‘Oh, here’s the nurse who’s covering for you.’
‘They’re waiting for you in Theatre,’ the fill-in nurse said.
Amelia tried to disguise her panic but Lucia wasn’t fooled.
She gave her a little grin. ‘You’re not going to go all squeamish now, are you?’
‘Of course not,’ Amelia said with already sagging confidence. ‘I’ve been to Theatre enough times to know it’s not always a pretty sight.’
‘Just as well the visiting surgeon is so easy on the eye,’ Lucia said. ‘If you can’t bear looking at the patient, look at him instead.’
I will be looking at him, Amelia wanted to say. Very closely.
Amelia made her way to the change room and changed into Theatre gear. The operating staff were busily preparing when she arrived in the cardiac theatre.
The patient, a man in his early fifties with a long family history of heart disease, had already been anaesthetised. He wasn’t attached to the bypass pump although it was available and primed if an emergency situation developed.
‘Stand in here near the anaesthetic machine, Sister,’ directed the anaesthetist. ‘I can stay out of your way so you can get a good look at the procedure.’
As she moved into position Alex Hunter emerged from the scrub room, arms in the air ready for the scout nurse to assist with gowning. It was a perfect opportunity for Amelia to see his uncovered arms, but just as she moved to gain a better look the instrument nurse moved in front of her
