so there you are, Sophie! I was just coming to find you. I thought you had got lost.’
‘I’m afraid I got delayed. Sorry.’
Sophie summoned a smile as Yuri greeted her at the entrance to the dining-room. She followed him across the room, murmuring her thanks when he pulled out a chair for her to sit down. Glancing around, she repeated her apologies for the benefit of the other diners seated at their table.
‘I’m sorry I’m late.’
‘Don’t you worry your pretty little head about it, young lady.’ The elderly American gentleman on her left smiled at her. ‘If my wife wasn’t sitting right here beside me, I’d tell you it was well worth the wait!’
The blue-rinsed matron next to him raised her eyes. ‘Take no notice of Randolph, honey. He’s all talk these days! Anyhow, you’ve only missed the introductions and that isn’t a problem. I’m Gloria Walters and this is my husband, Randolph. We’re from Georgia and this is our first trip to Europe. We’re trying to see as much as we can, which is why this cruise is such a great idea.’
‘I’m Sophie Patterson, the ship’s nurse,’ Sophie explained. She jumped when someone approached her, but it was only the waiter wanting to drape a napkin over her knees. She smiled her thanks but she could feel her heart beating in time to the sentence that was reverberating inside her head: Liam is getting married, Liam is getting married.
‘Oh, we already know that. Yuri here told us all about you,’ Gloria assured her.
Sophie had no idea what the purser had said but it was a relief not to have to go into detail about her role on the ship. She smiled and nodded as the rest of her table companions introduced themselves, though she doubted if she would remember many of their names later.
Discovering she would be working with Liam had been a big enough shock but learning that he was getting married had been much worse, and yet she couldn’t understand why she felt so devastated. Their marriage was over and she most certainly didn’t want to resurrect it, but she couldn’t help feeling bereft at the thought of Liam marrying another woman.
‘And here is our final guest. Excellent! We shall be able to enjoy the evening now.’
Yuri placed his hand lightly on her shoulder as he stood up, and Sophie flinched. She felt as nervous as a kitten, her whole body vibrating with a fine tremor that was making her feel sick.
She picked up her water glass and took a sip of the cool liquid in the hope that it would steady her, but all it took was the sight of the purser greeting Liam to make the tremor increase. It appeared that Liam would be joining them for dinner and the prospect of having to make conversation with him was more than she could bear. It was only the thought of the scene it would cause if she got up and left that kept her sitting there.
‘Allow me to introduce our new doctor.’ Yuri swiftly made the introductions, smiling charmingly when he came to Sophie. ‘I’m not sure if you two have met yet.’
‘Dr Kennedy and I have already introduced ourselves,’ Sophie said hurriedly.
‘Indeed we have,’ Liam agreed smoothly, but she could see the question in his eyes. She knew he was wondering how much she intended to tell everyone, but if he thought she was about to admit that they’d once been married then he could think again.
‘Yes, we bumped into each other earlier.’ She turned to Yuri as Liam took his seat and smiled warmly at him. ‘Tell us about your job, Yuri. It must be fascinating, meeting so many new people all the time.’
The purser needed little encouragement and happily began regaling them with tales about the trials and tribulations of being a purser on a busy cruise liner. He was an amusing raconteur and the rest of the group were soon showering him with questions.
Sophie was very aware that Liam was making no attempt to join in, however. She shot him a wary look and flushed when she discovered he was watching her. There was something in his eyes, a hint of some emotion she couldn’t quite decipher…
‘And what about you, Sophie? You must tell us all about your job now.’
She jumped when Yuri placed his hand on hers. She was aware of the knowing looks that were being exchanged around the table and quickly tried to move her hand out of the way, but he held onto it.
‘It must be fascinating, being a nurse. To hold the power of life and death in such delicate hands.’
He sighed expressively and Sophie coloured. There must be little doubt in the minds of anyone watching that the purser was interested in her and it made her feel uncomfortable, especially with Liam there to witness what was happening.
‘I hate to disillusion you but a nurse’s role is rather more mundane than that.’
She eased her hand out of his grasp and picked up her glass. ‘My job is to carry out orders and care for a patient’s needs. It’s the doctors who have the real power.’
‘Is that a fact? So how does it feel, Dr Kennedy, to know the buck stops with you?’ Randolph leant across the table and smiled at Liam. ‘It must put a lot of pressure on you, young man.’
‘It can do but you learn to adapt to the stresses of the job. I certainly don’t spend too much time dwelling on the thought that I hold the power of life and death in my hands,’ Liam explained dryly. ‘Anyway, helping a patient recover is a team effort. It needs both doctors and nurses to achieve results.’
‘Spoken like a true diplomat!’ Gloria declared. She turned to Sophie and winked. ‘Looks as though you two should get along just fine, honey.’
Sophie smiled, although she was sorely tempted to tell the older woman that she wouldn’t be around long enough to find out. First thing tomorrow morning she would contact the agency and ask them to find a replacement for her. Fortunately, the waiter arrived just then with their first course and the conversation moved on to other topics. Even so, it was a relief when dinner was finally over and she could make her escape.
Yuri looked disappointed when she announced that she was having an early night. ‘Are you sure I can’t change your mind, Sophie? There’s dancing on the promenade deck tonight and I would be honoured if you would agree to be my partner.’
‘That’s really kind of you, Yuri, but it’s been a busy day and I’m exhausted.’
She moved aside so that Liam could pass them, feeling a frisson run through her when his arm brushed hers. In accordance with the dress code for the evening, he was wearing a casual, short-sleeved shirt and she could feel the silky, dark hairs on his forearm tickling her bare skin as he moved past.
One of the other guests stopped him and Sophie felt another ripple run through her when she heard him laugh at something the woman said. Liam had always had the most wonderfully infectious laugh, so deep and warm that it had made everyone around him want to laugh, too. How strange that she’d forgotten all about that until now but, then, they’d had very little to laugh about in the months leading up to their divorce.
The thought was so painful that she knew she had to get away. When Yuri tried again to persuade her to stay she shook her head. ‘I’m sorry but I really am very tired. I’ll see you in the morning, I expect.’
She hurriedly left the dining-room and made her way to her cabin. The passengers were
