The Mills & Boon Sparkling Christmas Collection. Kate Hardy

left the cubicle he could see amusement all over her face. Well, he could live with it. Telling Mrs Ellis that actually he was Madison’s boss wasn’t going to achieve anything other than make her feel awkward and embarrassed—and his patient’s comfort was much more important than his dignity.

      He talked her through the things she could do to help herself, and was just discussing the birth plan with her when Madison swished the curtain aside, carrying a support belt. ‘I’m sorry, Mrs Ellis. The physiotherapy department is completely booked up today—but I’ve persuaded them to squeeze you in first thing in the morning, just before their list starts. For now, I’m going to show you how to put this belt on and that’s going to take some of the strain for you.’

      ‘Thank you so much,’ Mrs Ellis said, looking relieved that she wasn’t going to have to suffer pain for much longer.

      ‘My pleasure.’ Madison smiled at her. ‘Do you have any questions, or has Mr Petrakis already answered them?’

      ‘Mr Petrakis said I should put it in my birth plan to make sure I get the most supportive birth position, and it might affect my pain relief. Will I have to have a Caesarean?’

      ‘I’m not going to rule it in or out at this stage,’ Madison said gently. ‘We’ll see how you go. But I will promise you that we’ll do the best for you and your baby.’

      ‘Will I get it again if I have more children?’ Mrs Ellis asked.

      ‘We honestly don’t know,’ Theo replied. ‘You might not get it at all, or it might be not as severe, or it might be worse. It really, really varies. But the best advice we can give you is to leave a good two years between pregnancies—if you do get SPD next time round and your baby’s not walking yet, you’re going to find lifting really hard.’

      When Madison had fitted the support belt and checked that Mrs Ellis had transport home, she and Theo walked back up to the ward.

      ‘So are you happy that I know what I’m doing, or do you want to supervise me with some more cases?’ she asked.

      ‘I wasn’t checking up on you,’ Theo corrected. ‘I wanted to get a feel for how you worked, and I’m going to be doing the same with all the staff. Mentoring isn’t just for students, you know.’

      She looked surprised. ‘What do you mean?’

      ‘Whatever the stage of your career, you need development or you’re going to feel stuck in a rut and be miserable. The last department I worked in had a policy of job enrichment, and that worked really well. If you don’t already have that here, maybe we can introduce it—and I’ll make sure I liaise with Iris, because I want the midwifery team to be happy with any changes we make and they might have some good suggestions, too.’

      She smiled at him. ‘I like the way you think. I’m going to enjoy working with you.’

      A feeling, Theo thought, that was very much mutual.

      Even though for the rest of the day he was in clinic and she was in Theatre, Theo was aware of Madison all afternoon. To the point that, when their shifts ended and he found himself in the locker room at the same time as her, he said, ‘Come and have a coffee with me.’ Seeing a slightly nervous look on her face, he added, ‘Look, I don’t mean coffee as in a date. I know you’re involved with the guy in the emergency department.’

      ‘The guy in the…?’ She looked mystified for a second, then smiled. ‘Oh, you mean Ed.’

      ‘The one who called you down to Mrs Ellis,’ he confirmed.

      ‘I’m not involved with Ed.’

      ‘Then you’re free.’ Even though he knew he ought to be sensible about it, he couldn’t help mentally punching the air. And then he caught the expression on her face. ‘To take pity on the new boy, that is,’ he said swiftly. ‘I’ve spent the last five years working in the Midlands, so I don’t know the area at all, and I could do with someone to show me where I can get some good coffee around here.’

      She shrugged. ‘The hospital canteen’s OK.’

      ‘They do espresso?’ he checked.

      ‘Oh. You mean serious coffee.’ For a moment, he thought she was going to give him the brush-off. Then she smiled. ‘I know the perfect place.’

      She led him to a small café not far from the hospital. ‘Giovanni’s—it’s Italian?’ he asked.

      She nodded.

      ‘A little family place. Sounds good to me.’

      ‘Actually, it’s a chain,’ she corrected. ‘But it’s a good one. And I’m very glad there’s a branch just round the corner from the hospital. They do the best coffee in London—not to mention these fantastic organic chocolate brownies.’

      She ordered a frothy cappuccino and a brownie, and shook her head when he ordered a double espresso. ‘That much caffeine is seriously bad for you, Theo. How on earth do you sleep?’

      ‘I’m used to it.’ He smiled. ‘Espresso is the nearest I can get to Greek coffee outside home. Unless you happen to know a decent Greek restaurant around here?’

      She shook her head. ‘I’m afraid Greek coffee is a taste I haven’t acquired. It’s all the bits.’ She grimaced. ‘That thick gloopy stuff at the bottom.’

      He laughed. ‘You’re not supposed to drink it to the last drop. And the kaimaki—the froth—is gorgeous, if it’s made properly. Like an espresso. But I admit it’s an acquired taste, and I can’t drink it sweet, the way my father does.’ He paused. ‘I enjoyed working with you today. You’re as good a doctor as you are a dancer. Intuitive and empathetic.’

      To his pleasure, her eyes widened slightly. So she wasn’t entirely indifferent to him, then? She felt this same weird pull, the chemistry between them?

      ‘Thank you.’ She inclined her head. ‘I’m sorry I didn’t get the chance to thank you for the dance at the ball.’

      He shrugged. ‘Your friend was rather—how should I say?—intent on seeing you.’

      She rolled her eyes. ‘Put it down to too much champagne. On his part, not mine.’

      ‘I hear you organised the ball. And that you made enough for half a scanner.’

      ‘Only the first half of it.’

      ‘That’s still a pretty big achievement.’

      She shrugged it off. ‘I was part of a committee.’

      ‘But the ball was your idea?’

      ‘The music was.’ She grinned. ‘One of these days I’m going to convert these philistines and make them admit that the old songs are the best.’

      ‘So you don’t like modern music?’

      ‘I just like something I can sing along to. The kind of stuff that puts a smile on your face when you hear it because it’s so full of verve. And I don’t care if people think it’s old-fashioned: I like it.’ She took a sip of her coffee. ‘I suppose it’s because it’s the stuff I grew up with. Dad always had it playing in the garage when he was tinkering with a car. Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra, that sort of stuff.’

      He couldn’t help smiling. ‘So would I be right in guessing that your favourite films are musicals?’

      ‘Absolutely. You can’t beat a good Gene Kelly film,’ she said, smiling back.

      The more Theo talked to Madison, the more he liked her. Felt a connection with her. Wanted to spend time with her. Which made her dangerous. He should stop this right now. Apart from the fact that he was only here for six months, he knew that mixing work and relationships could make life much too complicated. And he wasn’t looking for a relationship in any case.

      Yet his mouth seemed to have other ideas.

      ‘I won something