A Suitor for the Princess - Chapter 67

        At the restaurant, they had an elaborate three course dinner followed by the most mouth-watering fruit custard dessert she had ever tasted. Both were too full for coffee again and left after 10.30 p.m. Martha was feeling slightly drowsy and found it hard to keep her head from nodding on to the doctor’s shoulder. The Doctor had entertained her wittily throughout their meal and she had been enchanted by the other side of his rather professional, stiff demeanor.

          “You may place your head on my shoulder Martha, I’ll not mind!” he said, as if guessing her thoughts. She pretended to be too drowsy and nodded off to the side of the closed window. When they reached home, she was fast asleep. The Doctor gently nudged her shoulder saying, “Martha, we’re home. May we go upstairs, unless you intend spending the night with me in this cramped car?” Martha bolted upright and got out in a jiffy.

            She was feeling her heart fluttering at his closeness. Was she nervous, she thought? Then she remembered the way he had been looking at her ever since he had returned home from his clinic. He had appeared besotted by her. Yes, that was why she was nervous about spending the night with him alone in his huge apartment. She avoided looking at him feeling that he would astutely read her thoughts. As they walked out of the elevator, she again had that uncanny sensation of eyes following her movements from behind the closed door of their neighbor’s apartment. Didn’t she have any other work to do? She wondered crossly.

            When she dressed for the night and again made a bee-line for the desk, the Doctor strictly warned her, “Don’t overdo it Martha. Remember why you are here?” Feeling like a chastened school-girl, she went in to her room and closed the door. She again checked the bolt, Just in case! She half-expected the Doctor to come knocking at her door. After midnight, she slept like a baby and got up only to see that the Doctor had already prepared breakfast. She felt very ashamed. She was taking the role of a patient too seriously. She should have been the one who made the breakfast, in fact, she owed it to him!

            “Good Morning Doctor,” she said. He looked from behind his newspaper and said cheerfully, “So you slept well last night! Good morning Martha. Have some French toast and coffee.” “Thanks Doctor, you are spoiling me!” “Martha, I’m angry with you!” As a look of alarm and panic flitted across her beautiful round face, he laughed and said, “You were supposed to call me Benny in private, remember? I’m angry as you’ve not been calling me Benny, but the more formal Doctor.”

             “Oh,” she laughed, secretly relieved. She had been expecting an admonition on waking up so late. As she daintily started eating a piece of toast, she could feel his eyes keenly watching her. He was looking at a tiny crumb that had found a cozy place just near her pink lips. If only he could kiss it off her lips! He was thinking. His heart was racing with excitement. She was looking so fresh and gorgeous, innocent and warm… How would it feel like to hold her tightly in his embrace? She averted her eyes and quietly kept eating, though she was feeling terribly self-conscious.

            She furtively glanced at the neckline of her gown. It didn’t give away anything except a slight hint of cleavage. As she looked up, she caught his dark gaze and immediately felt her cheeks coloring in embarrassment. Would she ever complete her novel with both of them so acutely aware of each other! She wondered. So this was what happened when a spinster was in close proximity to any male. She was sure that any other male's attention would have had the same effect on her. On second thoughts, would it?

         “Benny, I’m planning on writing throughout the day, today,” she said, a tad too brightly; to break the erotic spell that was engulfing both of them. He got her message bang on. “Hands off” she seemed to be saying even as his thoughts were straying into hitherto forbidden territory. With a very visible sigh he said, “I was hoping to take you out to the marina and spend the entire day with you. If you remember, today is Sunday. I’m free the whole day. I need a break from my dreary routine Martha. Please, will you accompany me for at least half the day? We’ll stroll around, do some shopping and have lunch on our way back. You can then rest awhile and continue writing.”

             Martha knew that it would be improper if she refused to comply with his wishes. She really couldn’t expect him to just waste his weekly off, sitting at home and watching her write! “O.K. Benny! Let’s do it. I’ll be ready in 10 minutes.” She cleared away the remnants of the breakfast from the coffee table and got ready. She wore a frilly blue and white frock with a wide-brimmed white, felt hat and carried a white sling bag. Her white strapped sandals completed the picture. She had left her dark, long hair loose. It hung about in a very fetching way around her shoulders and made her look like a 25 year old woman.

             He wore casual clothes, a navy-blue T-shirt and beige slacks with black sandals. He too wore a black Stetson hat. Both of them looked like a honeymooning couple as they joked and laughed, strolling hand-in-hand on the beach. They had held hands almost naturally, instinctively. His grasp was firm and warm and hers was soft and firm. He reveled in her touch. Contrary to her expectations, she didn’t feel aroused by his touch. It was almost brotherly! All the better, she thought. It wouldn’t complicate things for her.

              John was waiting just for her call in India. She suddenly felt very guilty. She had just forgotten to call him after she came to the Doctor’s apartment. She hadn’t even called up Norman. Belatedly, she realized that she had forgotten her cell-phone at the apartment and she didn’t want to use the Doctor’s cell-phone. She’d just have to wait till they reached the apartment in the afternoon and then call both of them up. Since it was no use agonizing over her negligence, she decided to enjoy herself till then.

To be continued....

The copyright of this novel is with Mrs. Priya Ramesh Swaminathan.