‘Thank you.’
Sophie squared her shoulders then made her way up the gangplank. There were a lot of people milling about when she reached the deck, mostly people like her, she guessed, hired to look after the passengers, so once again she waited in line until it was her turn to speak to the purser.
‘I’m Sophie Patterson, the new—’
‘Nurse.’ The good-looking, fair-haired young man smiled at her. ‘Welcome aboard the Esmeralda, Miss Patterson. I am Yuri Markov, the chief purser. My role is to make life as easy and uncomplicated as possible for staff and the passengers alike. So if you have any problems whilst you are on board ship, please, do not hesitate to consult me.’
‘Thank you.’ Sophie returned his smile, feeling a little colour touch her cheeks when she saw the admiration in his eyes. She had steadfastly avoided any involvement with the opposite sex in the two years since her divorce and it was rather flattering to realise that she could have this effect on an eligible male. ‘That’s very kind of you.’
‘It is easy to be kind to a beautiful young woman like yourself, Miss Patterson.’ Yuri’s smile was warmer than ever and Sophie laughed, her deep blue eyes sparkling with amusement.
‘Now you’re flattering me!’
‘I was merely stating the truth.’ Yuri’s gaze held hers fast for a moment before he glanced at the list he held. ‘Your cabin is in the hospital bay, Miss Patterson. I shall get a steward to show you the way.’
‘Please, call me Sophie,’ she said quickly, her head whirling because she wasn’t used to being showered with compliments like this. It seemed ages since anyone had made such a fuss of her, not since the early days of her marriage, in fact, when Liam had never let a day pass without making sure she’d known how much he’d loved her.
The memory still had the power to hurt so Sophie hastily put it from her mind as Yuri summoned a steward and told him to take her to the hospital bay.
He turned to her as the man picked up her case.
‘Perhaps you would do me the honour of joining me for dinner tonight, Sophie? I shall add your name to my table if you don’t think I am being too presumptuous?’
‘Thank you. I would like that very much,’ she declared, throwing caution to the winds. She managed to hold her smile when Yuri took her hand and raised it to his lips, but she couldn’t ignore the soulful way he was looking at her.
‘This promises to be a wonderful trip,’ he murmured.
Sophie quickly withdrew her hand and hurried after the steward, relieved to make her escape before the situation developed. It did make her see how long it had been since she’d played the dating game, however. She’d met Liam when she’d been just nineteen and they had married a year later. She’d had little experience of men before her marriage and none since. One of the first changes she would have to make would be to bring her ideas in line with more modern thinking. The days of one man, one woman and happy ever after had long since gone out of fashion!
‘This is the hospital bay, Miss Patterson. I may as well give you a tour while we’re here.’
The steward, whose name badge identified him as Charlie Henshaw, elbowed his way through the swing doors. He nodded towards a door on their right. ‘Through there is the clinic where you and the doc will see your patients each morning and over there is the operating theatre.’
‘I didn’t realise there was a theatre on board!’ Sophie exclaimed, peering through the glass pane set in the door. She took rapid stock of the state-of-the-art facilities and sighed. ‘It’s far better equipped than some of the NHS hospitals where I’ve worked.’
‘The ship’s owners had the hospital bay refurbished last winter and decided to install a theatre while they were at it,’ Charlie explained. ‘Doc Hampson wasn’t keen on the idea but they thought it would be a big selling point. A lot of passengers feel happier knowing there are proper medical facilities on board if the worst happens. It’s certainly increased trade because we’re fully booked all season.’
‘I see. Why wasn’t Dr Hampson keen on the idea, though?’ Sophie asked curiously, following the steward along the corridor. She glanced into a small sick-bay furnished with all the usual equipment she would have expected to see in any modern hospital ward. The difference was that the room was beautifully decorated in a soothing sea green and there were tasteful water-colours on the walls.
‘The doc’s a nice old chap but he just isn’t up to operating nowadays.’ Charlie stopped as they came to the end of the passage. ‘It’s high time he retired, in my opinion. He might have reached that conclusion himself because I just heard that he’s not joining us this trip. They’ve had to hire a last-minute replacement for him.’
‘Oh, dear! I had no idea,’ Sophie exclaimed. The elderly doctor had sat in on her interview and had seemed very pleasant. It was rather daunting to discover that she would be working with a complete stranger for the next few months.
‘This is your cabin, miss. It’s not exactly luxurious—none of the crew’s quarters are—but there’s everything here that you’ll need. The doc’s cabin is just across the passage.’
Sophie tried to shrug off her concerns as she looked around the cabin. It was very compact but, as Charlie had said, there was everything there that she would need during her stay. A single bunk bed and combined vanity and wardrobe unit would solve her sleeping and storage problems whilst the tiny ensuite bathroom with its shower cubicle, basin and lavatory would fulfil her other needs.
‘It’s fine,’ she said, turning to smile at the middle-aged steward. ‘I’ve lived in nurses’ quarters in the past so I’m used to not having a lot of room to spread myself around.’
‘You’ll only really need it for sleeping,’ Charlie advised her, lifting her case onto the bed. ‘You and the doc are regarded as officers whilst you’re on board so you’ll have free run of the ship. You’ll be able to use the lounges and other facilities—that’s if you can cope with folk coming up to you all the time and asking about their ailments!’
‘I shall bear that in mind!’ She quickly hunted in her bag for some change as the steward turned to leave, but he stopped her with a shake of his head.
‘No need for that, miss. We’re all here to work so none of us expect tips. If you need anything, just use the bell and give me a buzz. The passengers won’t arrive until late afternoon so we’re not too busy at the moment, although it will be bedlam later.’
‘Thanks, Charlie.’
Sophie decided to unpack after the steward left then explore the ship and get her bearings. She unlocked her case, then hung her clothes in the wardrobe, smiling to herself when she saw how colourful they looked.
Buying herself some new clothes had been another step on the way to remodelling her life and an enjoyable one, too. She’d gone a bit mad, in fact, choosing the bright cotton outfits which she planned to wear in her off-duty time. While she was working she would wear a smart new uniform but the colourful clothes had been chosen in a fit of defiance. The old Sophie Patterson no longer existed and in her place was a woman who intended to make the most of her life instead of wasting it.
All of a sudden Sophie felt her doubts disappear beneath a renewed surge of excitement.
