The Mills & Boon Sparkling Christmas Collection

CHAPTER FIVE

THE following morning saw Madison in one of the consulting rooms with Theo, along with Iris, Sanjay and Nita.

Swiftly, Theo ran through what they were going to do in the role-play exercise. ‘Maddie’s our patient, Iris is concerned so she’s just called you in, and I’m here if you want to ask questions.’ He smiled at the two students. ‘This isn’t a test and it doesn’t matter if you don’t know the answers. It’s a chance for you to practise your skills, show off what you know, and you’ve got two experienced doctors and a senior midwife in the room so you can grill us for information if you need it.’

Madison liked the way he’d reassured their students. Nita was already confident, whereas she’d had to work hard with Sanjay to convince him that pregnant women were much more robust than he thought and wouldn’t break when he examined their abdomens.

‘First question,’ Nita said. ‘Iris would go out of the room to call us, yes?’

‘And I’d brief you outside the room, too, rather than in front of the mum,’ Iris said. ‘So I’m calling you in to a mum who’s thirty-five weeks pregnant with her first baby. There haven’t been any complications in the pregnancy so far, but I’ve just examined her and she’s got high blood pressure, the baby’s small for dates, and if you palpate the stomach you can feel the outline of the baby very easily. I’m not happy so I’ve called you in.’ She spread her hands. ‘So what are you going to do now?’

‘Introduce ourselves and reassure the patient,’ Nita said firmly. ‘Mrs Gregory, I’m Nita Warren and this is Sanjay Kumar. Iris has asked us to come in and see you this morning as part of our clinic. Would you mind if we examine you?’

Theo, who was sitting on the edge of his desk, smiled broadly. ‘Well done, Nita. Given that Maddie’s happy to be examined, Sanjay, what are you going to do?’

‘Well, if Maddie were a real patient, I’d palpate the baby first and ask a few questions,’ Sanjay said.

‘As I’m not pregnant, we can dispense with the palpations,’ Madison said. It felt very strange to be lying here on the couch in the consulting room. Despite the fact she worked with pregnant women every day, she’d never considered pregnancy in relation to herself before.

Supposing she were expecting a baby? And Theo, instead of being here as a doctor, was sitting by her side, holding her hand, the anxious father-to-be?

She shook herself. That was the most ridiculous fantasy she could ever have imagined. Theo didn’t want a permanent relationship, and he’d made it very clear that he didn’t want babies of his own. No way would they ever be sitting in a maternity department together as anything other than colleagues.

But no matter how hard she tried to push it away, the idea stayed put.

And what worried her even more was the fact that she actually liked the idea. A nebulous thought about having babies someday had sharpened into focus. A baby, with her own dark wavy hair and Theo’s beautiful eyes…

Oh, lord. She really had to get a grip. She was supposed to be role-playing a patient with oligohydramnios, not fantasising about something that absolutely wasn’t going to happen. ‘OK, Sanjay. As Iris told you, you can feel the baby’s outline very easily, you already know my blood pressure’s up, my temperature and pulse are both normal, and Iris has already done the dipstick test so there’s no protein or sugar in my urine. So what are you going to ask me?’

‘Have you noticed any change in the way the baby moves and how often, Mrs Gregory?’ Sanjay asked.

Good call. She smiled encouragingly at him. ‘Call me Maddie, please. The baby isn’t moving as much as normal, no. It’s been like this for three or four days—that’s why I called my midwife and she told me to come in.’ Madison was beginning to enjoy herself. This had definitely been one of Theo’s better ideas, and maybe they could do this with some of the junior staff as well as the students, to help prepare them for the less common emergencies.

Just as long as she could keep the fantasy of actually being pregnant out of her head. Yes, she wanted a child—but Theo didn’t. End of story. It wasn’t going to happen.

Sanjay and Nita exchanged a glance. ‘We’d get to see her file first?’ Nita asked. ‘Because in this case I’d want to see the ultrasound results and check the size and position of the placenta.’

‘And I think we need to do a physical exam to check that there’s no leaking of amniotic fluid,’ Sanjay added.

‘Why?’ Theo asked.

‘Because if you can feel the baby that easily and it’s small for dates, the amniotic fluid might be on the low side,’ Sanjay said. ‘Which means the baby’s at risk.’

‘Good. Why?’ Iris asked.

‘Because amniotic fluid protects the baby against infection and helps the lungs and digestive system to mature,’ Nita explained.

‘How can you check the fluid levels?’ Theo asked.

‘Ultrasound—we’d ask the radiographers to measure the fluid,’ Nita said.

‘OK, so you’ve just told me you don’t think I’ve got enough fluid around the baby. I’m worried now. Is my baby going to be all right?’ Madison asked.

The students turned to her. ‘It’s quite common towards the end of pregnancy,’ Nita said, ‘so try not to worry. But we do want to send you for an ultrasound so we can check the fluid levels and see how the baby’s developing.’

‘So there’s something wrong with the baby?’

‘There are all sorts of things that could cause you to have low amniotic fluid. If it’s summer and it’s been really hot and you haven’t been drinking enough, that would cause it. You might have a little tear in the membrane, or if you’ve had an amniocentesis you might leak a little—the good news is that the membranes can repair themselves if it’s a small tear, as long as you get plenty of rest,’ Sanjay said.

‘And if you’re having identical twins,’ Nita added, ‘there’s a condition called “twin to twin transfusion” where one gets a bigger share of the placenta than the other, so one might have too much fluid and the other might not have enough. It doesn’t necessarily mean the baby has a problem.’

‘But if there is a problem, where’s it likely to be?’ Madison asked.

‘Are you asking as a doctor or as a mum?’ Sanjay asked.

‘Doctor,’ Theo said.

‘Kidneys,’ Sanjay said. ‘Absent, enlarged, or not developing properly.’

‘Or it could be a blocked urinary tract, or a congenital heart defect,’ Nita added.

Theo smiled. ‘Excellent. You two really know your stuff.’

‘Thanks to Maddie,’ Sanjay said. ‘She’s been brilliant at spending time with us and talking about differential diagnoses.’

Madison glanced at her watch. ‘Thanks for the compliments, guys, but we’re running short on time. Now, you’ve sent me for an ultrasound. The placenta’s normal but the fluid’s definitely low and the baby’s growth rate is poor. You’ve examined me and the membrane’s fine so you don’t have to keep monitoring me and the baby for signs of infection. What are you worried about now?’

‘Delivery, definitely,’ Nita said. ‘Speaking to you as a doctor rather than a mum—without enough fluid, the baby’s likely to end up in the breech position. And I’d be really worried about cord compression.’

‘So would I,’ Iris said feelingly.

‘So what would you do?’ Theo asked.

‘It depends on how little fluid there was,’ Sanjay said. ‘Ideally we’d go for conservative management, keeping a close eye on things and checking the baby’s heart rate to make sure he’s not distressed, and regular ultrasounds to check the baby’s development.’

‘But if the fluid’s really low and the scan shows the baby’s growth is affected,’ Nita said, ‘we’d have to deliver early. So we’d give steroids to mature the baby’s lungs and do a section.’

‘What would you notice about the baby after delivery?’ Iris asked.

Sanjay and Nita looked at each other. ‘Um—lots of vernix because it’s early?’ Nita suggested.

‘Actually, the baby’s skin is more likely to be dry and leathery because of the lack of fluid,’ Iris explained. ‘And the face might look a bit squashed.’

‘And because the baby’s been compressed in the womb, you also need to check for club foot,’ Theo added. ‘Good work, team. Same again on Monday morning?’

‘Yes, please,’ Sanjay said, smiling.

‘Definitely,’ Nita added. ‘Working with you like this—well, it’s made me realise that this is what I want to do when I qualify, Theo.’

‘You don’t have to make up your mind just yet. You’ll have other placements in other departments,’ Theo said gently. ‘It’s lovely to see you both so enthusiastic, but don’t close yourself off to other opportunities just yet.’

‘I was wondering,’ Nita said, shifting from foot to foot, ‘if I could ask your advice about my next placement.’

‘Sure. We could have lunch today, if you like. Maddie, you’re free as well, aren’t you?’

‘Emergencies permitting, yes.’

Theo smiled. ‘That goes for me, too, so you might end up with just Maddie or neither of us. But we’ll fit something in.’

‘Thanks.’

‘Now, I have clinic—and you two are with the gynae team today, aren’t you?’ Theo asked.

Sanjay glanced at his watch. ‘Yes, and we’d better be on time. Thanks for today, Mr Petrakis.’

Iris and the students disappeared; Madison was about to go to her own clinic, but Theo caught her hand. ‘Promise me something,’ he said.

‘What?’

‘If you can’t make lunch today, page me early so I can make an excuse.’

She frowned. ‘Why?’

‘Because I don’t think it would be a good idea to have lunch on my own with Nita,’ he said softly.

She knew exactly where he was coming from. She’d seen the way the student looked at him, too. ‘You’re the consultant. All you have to do is tell her you’re not allowed to date students.’

‘So I meet her for lunch and tell her I’m not interested in a date.’ He raked a hand through his hair. ‘Which makes me sound like an arrogant bastard who thinks anyone female will be desperate to go out with me.’

She laughed. ‘Theo, all the single women in the hospital want to go out with you. Do you have any idea how many of them have asked me to lunch and grilled me about you?’

He looked surprised. ‘Why would they grill you?’

‘They want information so they can work out how to seduce you.’

Surprise turned to worry. ‘Oh, lord. I hope you’ve told everyone I don’t mix business and pleasure.’

‘I did consider telling them you were gay,’ she teased.

The concern in his eyes vanished, replaced with laughter. ‘And you think people would believe that?’

‘Look at the facts. You’re easy on the eye—and don’t you dare give me any false modesty here, Theo Petrakis, you know you are—you’re thirty-five years old and you’re single. Which means either you have a major personality defect—and anyone who spends two minutes with you will know that that’s not the case—or you’re not interested in women.’ She spread her hands. ‘But if I start that rumour, then all the single gay men in the hospital will be calling me with lunch invitations so they can grill me about you.’

He rolled his eyes. ‘I suppose at least they wouldn’t want to marry me.’

‘Don’t bet on it.’ She gave him a wicked smile. ‘You can have a civil partnership nowadays, you know.’

He groaned. ‘Madison Gregory, you’ve got an answer for everything.’

‘Nearly.’

‘Civil partnership.’ He shook his head. ‘You are going to have to make that up to me later, matia mou.’

‘Yeah, yeah.’ She waved a dismissive hand.

‘Good coffee. Seriously good coffee. And one of these brownies you were raving about. And…’

It was probably her imagination, she told herself, but all the same the look in his eyes made her heart miss a couple of beats. She shook herself. ‘Yeah, yeah. Make a list.’ She smiled. ‘See you at lunch.’

In the end, Theo didn’t make lunch. He was called in to try external cephalic version to turn a breech baby round for a vaginal delivery, and Madison ended up talking to Sanjay and Nita about different foetal presentations in labour and how to avoid intervention as much as possible. They were both busy in clinic during the afternoon, but later that evening Theo called her. ‘Are you busy on Saturday?’

‘I’m on an early shift.’

‘But you’re free when you’ve finished?’

Say no, the sensible side of her urged. But her mouth wasn’t listening. ‘Yes.’

‘You know we were talking about all the places you hadn’t explored in London? I wondered if you’d like to come with me to the Natural History Museum to see the dinosaurs.’

Part of her wanted to go. Part of her knew that the more time she spent with Theo, the more she was falling for him—and, considering he didn’t want the same things that she did out of life, that would be crazy. On the other hand, maybe spending time with him would convince her heart that being friends was the best way to go. ‘We won’t get a huge amount of time there,’ she warned, ‘but sure. I’d like that. I’ll meet you on the steps by the main entrance at four?’

‘Fine. See you then.’

When Madison arrived at the museum on Saturday afternoon, Theo was sitting on the steps, reading what looked like a medical journal. She suppressed a smile. Trust him not to fritter away time. But that was probably how he’d managed to become a consultant at such a young age.

His dark good looks were attracting second glances from more than a few women in the vicinity. Hardly surprising. Theo Petrakis was gorgeous. If only, she thought, suppressing the surge of longing.

‘What’s this, squeezing in some extra work?’ she teased when she reached him.

‘Of course.’ He closed the journal, rolled it up and stuffed it in his pocket. ‘Good day?’ he asked.

‘The best.’ She beamed. ‘I had two babies.’

He laughed. ‘People are giving you funny looks. You might want to rephrase that.’

She laughed back. ‘All right. I helped deliver two incredibly gorgeous babies. And I had a cuddle with both of them. Satisfied?’

‘Satisfied.’ His eyes glittered with amusement. ‘Let’s go see the T. rex.’

They wandered around the Natural History Museum, enjoying the animatronic dinosaurs. But then they came to a display of spiders, and Madison shuddered. ‘Do you mind if we give this bit a miss, Theo?’

‘You’re scared of spiders, kardia mou?’

‘Big ones that drop down on you in the shower and threaten you?’ She shivered. ‘Of course I am.’

‘Don’t you think that the spiders are more likely to be scared of you?’

‘Scared? Of me? You’re talking about big hairy things with legs they wave at you in a threatening manner.’ She shook her head. ‘They’re not scared in the slightest. They’re warriors—and they see me as their prey.’

He wrinkled his nose at her. ‘Sounds as if you need distracting. Let’s go and have dinner. I’ll cook.’

‘Then I’ll provide pudding. We’ll need to stop at a supermarket on the way back to your place.’

‘Maddie, you don’t need to do that. You’re my guest.’

She put her hands on her hips. ‘I’m not going to cook for you in return. So either you let me contribute in the form of wine and pudding, or I don’t have dinner with you. Your choice.’

‘And you’re bossy,’ he said with a smile. ‘All right. If you insist.’

‘I do.’

‘Then thank you.’

They stopped off at a supermarket so Madison could buy wine and some panna cotta. Back at Theo’s house, he cooked them a simple meal of grilled lamb with herb butter, new potatoes, carrots and broccoli spears, clearly making up for the richness of the pudding she’d chosen. Strange, Madison thought, how in such a short space of time he’d come to know her far better than her ex-husband had in the whole time they’d been together. If only…

She suppressed the thought. ‘So what will you do when Doug comes back?’ she asked. ‘Are you going back to Greece or applying for a senior consultant’s post in England?’

‘I haven’t really decided yet.’ He lifted one shoulder. ‘You know, this panna cotta is excellent. Good choice.’

Yet again he’d switched the subject away from himself. In a nice way and with a smile, but Madison was starting to wish that he’d let her close. That he’d trust her. He’d claimed that he hadn’t been hurt in a previous relationship, but why else would someone put up all those barriers and keep their work and their emotional life so compartmentalised?

He was making coffee when the phone rang. ‘I’ll let it go through to the answering-machine,’ he said.

But after the beep, there was a pause. Then a formal, ‘Kalispera, Theo,’ followed by rapid Greek.

He frowned. ‘Do you mind if I take this?’ he asked.

‘Of course not. I’ll just be nosy with your bookshelf,’ she said with a smile.

The little Greek she knew was nowhere near enough to follow his end of the conversation—which was also conducted in rapid Greek. She caught the occasional ‘ohi’, which she remembered from a holiday phrasebook meant ‘no’, but that was about it.

‘Ne. S’agapo,’ Theo said. ‘I love you too.’ And then he replaced the receiver.

Was he going to tell her who had called? Madison wondered.

Not that it was any of her business. The caller’s voice had definitely been female—but she could have been one of his three sisters, or his mother, or an aunt he was close to. And given that she and Theo were just friends, she had no right to feel jealous.

The fact that she did feel jealous…well, that was just ridiculous.

Theo flung himself onto the sofa beside her. ‘One of these days, I am going to strangle my parents.’

She blinked. ‘Any particular reason why?’ she enquired mildly.

‘I just wish they would stop trying to fix me up with someone.’

She smiled. ‘Tell them you’re a big boy and you can do it yourself.’ The fact it wouldn’t be with her…She pushed the thought away.

‘Do you have any idea what a Greek family is like?’ He stood up again, raking a hand through his hair, and started to pace from one side of the living room to the other. ‘Apart from the fact that we give our older generation rather more respect than you do here in London, there’s this relentless pressure to settle down, and when I lived in Greece they were forever setting up big dinner parties where I was introduced to some suitable girl.’ He shook his head. ‘I thought maybe moving countries would give me some space but, no, they have the daughter of a friend arriving in London and would I be so kind as to show her around?’

‘Maybe they just thought it would be nice for her to hear a familiar voice in a strange land,’ Madison pointed out.

‘More like they’re shoving yet another potential bride at me. They’ve been trying to marry me off for years.’ He was still pacing. ‘I told them, no, I’m a doctor and I have responsibilities—and although I might not actually be at the hospital all the time, I could be on call and have to go in if there are complications. I cannot let my patients down. I love my family,’ he continued, ‘but they drive me crazy.’ He rolled his eyes. ‘I suppose I should be grateful that they let me off being in the family business. As the eldest son I should have followed in my father’s footsteps.’

Was he actually going to tell her something about his family? ‘What does he do?’ Madison asked carefully.

‘He’s in the leisure industry.’ He shrugged. ‘But I always knew what I wanted to be and my parents never stood in my way.’

‘So maybe they don’t really expect you to settle down.’

He smiled thinly. ‘Unfortunately, they do. Hence the string of potential brides. If I’m not going to be in the family business, the next best thing is that I marry someone who’ll be in the family business in my stead.’

She frowned. ‘But your sisters and brother aren’t.’

‘My sisters are,’ he corrected. ‘And my brother will be, when he graduates.’

She remembered what he’d told her about them when he’d shown her the photographs. A PR consultant, an interior designer and a chef. Where did that fit in with leisure? But she knew there was no point in asking Theo. He’d probably already let slip a lot more than he’d intended.

Theo glanced at Madison as he paced the room. He really wasn’t being fair to her. Here, in London, his background wasn’t an issue. She saw him as Theo the man, the doctor, not the heir to the Petrakis hotel chain. And it wasn’t her fault that his family drove him crazy.

He sighed and sat on the sofa next to her. ‘Signomi, Maddie. I’m sorry. I should have explained. My family owns a chain of hotels—little romantic boutique hotels. Expensive hotels.’

‘So you’re telling me you’re rich?’

‘My family is.’ He paused. ‘Though I’ve told Dad that because I’m the only one who hasn’t joined the family firm, I don’t expect to inherit anything. The others have worked for it, so my share belongs to them. And if he ignores me, I’ll divide up my share between them anyway.’

Her approving look warmed him.

‘But they still keep trying to set me up with a suitable bride. The daughters of friends who also own hotel chains and whose families are all very involved in the business.’ He grimaced. ‘It’s one of the reasons I left Greece. I’m tired of them trying to marry me off to form a dynasty.’

‘You never wanted to be part of the business?’

He shook his head. ‘I’m a doctor, Maddie. It’s who I am. It’s what I’ve always wanted to be.’

‘If they know how you feel and they love you,’ Madison said softly, ‘then they’ll accept it.’

‘They do…know how I feel and love me, I mean. And they sort of accept it, but I suppose they’re still hoping I’ll change my mind and go back to Greece. They miss me.’ He smiled ruefully. ‘And I miss them.’

‘So go back to Greece and make your peace with them. Properly.’

‘There’s no peace to make.’ He shook his head. ‘We didn’t fight. They knew I wanted to come to England and get to know the other side of my family.’

‘Your English grandparents.’

She remembered that? ‘Yes. But it’s…complicated.’

‘And you’re a very private man. On the surface, you’re all fun and fantastic company. But if anyone gets too close, they hit the barrier you’ve thrown up.’ She smiled wryly. ‘I know the rules, Theo. And I’m not going to nag you or push you into talking about things you’d rather not discuss.’

‘Even though you want to make everything perfect for everyone?’

‘Hey. We all have our bad habits.’

‘Maybe you’re right. Maybe I should talk about it.’ He took a deep breath. ‘It’s messy. And I don’t even know where to begin.’

Gently, she took his hand. Squeezed it. ‘Don’t worry about it being messy. I’m not going to judge you. Talk to me, Theo. It doesn’t matter where you start. Just talk to me.’

He was silent for so long she began to think that he’d changed his mind.

And then he spoke.

‘You know my mother was English.’

‘Mmm-hmm.’

‘Her parents didn’t approve of her seeing my father. They thought he was a waiter, not good enough for their daughter.’ He smiled wryly. ‘He was a waiter when he met her, admittedly—but that’s because my grandparents owned the hotel and insisted he spend a fortnight in every single job in the business, so he could understand exactly how things worked and what kind of issues the staff faced.’ Then his smile faded. ‘Dad loved my mother. Really loved her. And she loved him. He married her, even though her parents refused to come to the wedding. When they found out they were expecting me, they were overjoyed.’ He swallowed hard. ‘And she died giving birth to me.’

Madison’s heart contracted. Now at last she understood why he’d been so adamant about not having children of his own, even though he adored babies. She’d assumed that he and a former partner had lost a baby and their relationship hadn’t survived the tragedy, but she really hadn’t expected this. And if he’d been feeling this way for years and years…Something so deeply rooted he might never be able to let go.

She said nothing, just put her arms round him and held him close. Because giving him a hug was the only thing she could think of to make him feel better.

‘Dad fell apart. And he couldn’t face seeing me because I reminded him of my mother and everything he’d lost. So my grandparents—my Greek grandparents, that is—looked after me for the first two years of my life.’

‘What about your mother’s parents?’

‘Same as Dad. They saw me as the cause of her death.’

So they’d abandoned him, too? She could have cried for the little boy he’d been back then. Pushed away by those who should have loved him when he had been too little to understand what was going on. ‘Theo, that’s so unfair. And it wasn’t your fault.’

He sighed. ‘Yes and no. If she hadn’t had me, she’d still be alive. Anyway, I don’t remember the next bit—it’s what Dad and Yiayia told me, years later.’

‘Yiayia?’

‘My Greek grandmother. Apparently I caught chickenpox when I was two. I was pretty ill with it, so my grandparents called my father. Made him see me. And from that moment I think he realised that he hadn’t lost my mother completely—he still had part of her, in me. So he moved in with my grandparents and me. And then he met Eleni, and she mended his broken heart.’ He smiled. ‘They got married. And they’ve been happy together. Though every time Eleni was going to have a baby, Dad used to get really tense. I didn’t understand why until just after she had Stefanos—and then, when they were sure he was their last baby, they told me. They thought I was old enough to understand by then, and they didn’t want to lie to me about my past.’

‘And that’s why you became an obstetrician?’

‘Yes. So I could stop it happening to another family. I’ve never regretted having Eleni as a stepmother—she’s a sweetheart and I love her dearly—but the idea that my father went through such unhappiness when I was small…’ He dragged in a breath. ‘I wanted to stop someone else going through that. Wanted to save another child from the knowledge and the guilt that his birth had killed his mother.’

‘Theo.’ She stroked his face. ‘It wasn’t your fault. I’m sure if you talked to your dad and your stepmother about it, they’d say the same.’

‘How can I drag it all up again?’ he asked. ‘They’ve been through enough. I can’t discuss it with them, hurt them like that.’

‘I don’t know them so I can’t speak for them, but I know how my family would react—and they’d hate to think you were still feeling so bad about things.’

He shrugged. ‘I’ve come to terms with it.’

No, he hadn’t. And her thoughts must have shown on her face, because he said gently, ‘Eleni’s always treated me as if I were her natural son, not her stepson. I never knew my mother, apart from through photographs and what my father and grandparents told me about her, so it’s not that I haven’t come to terms with my mother dying. I just don’t ever want to put a woman through childbirth. If it went wrong, I don’t think I’d ever be able to live with the guilt.’

‘Theo, what happened was tragic. And I’m sorry your family had to go through such pain. But dying in childbirth is rare. Really rare. And just because it happened to your mother, it doesn’t necessarily mean it will happen to your partner.’

‘I’m not prepared to take that risk, Maddie. And you know as well as I do how many complications there can be in pregnancy, during labour and in the few hours after birth.’ Gently, he wriggled free of her arms and shifted away slightly.

Putting distance between them again.

He’d let her close, and now she could tell he was panicking about it. So the only thing Madison could do was to give him what he clearly wanted. Space. ‘Theo, I’m not going to breathe a word of what you just told me. I’ll keep your confidence,’ she assured him. ‘But I can see that you’re feeling crowded. So I’ll go now. Not because I don’t care, but because I think that space is what you need most right now.’ She sucked in a breath. ‘Just…you know where I am if you want to talk some more.’

Part of Theo knew that he shouldn’t let her go. But he also knew that if he asked her to stay, let her that close, he’d end up breaking his unbreakable rule. He’d want to be with Maddie. And, given that they wanted such different things out of life, that wouldn’t be fair. He couldn’t rid himself of the fear enough to give her what she wanted, and he definitely couldn’t be selfish enough to ask her to give up her dreams for him.

‘Thank you. I’ll call you a taxi,’ he said quietly.

‘There’s no point, Theo. You live all of ten minutes from the tube. I’ll have walked there by the time a taxi turns up here.’

‘Then I’ll walk with you to the station.’

She shook her head. ‘I’ll be fine. If you’re going to make that much of a fuss, I’ll text you when I get home so you know I’m back safely.’

‘Thank you. Though I’d be much happier if you let me see you home.’

‘Don’t fuss. I’m a big girl and I can look after myself.’ She stood up. ‘Thanks for this afternoon and a gorgeous meal. I’ll see myself out.’

And even as Theo heard the front door close behind her, he knew he was making a huge mistake.