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He leaned his head on one hand. ‘Nurses in the private hospitals get paid at a much higher rate than the state hospital. It’s hard to keep staff.’
‘And you don’t have the budget to pay them more?’
He nodded. ‘Exactly.’
She leaned back in her chair and looked around. ‘You have a lifetime of work here, Philippe.’
He nodded. ‘I know I do. I just need to start having courageous conversations with some of our parliament members and some of our investors. I know where I need to start. It has to be maternity care. If I can even persuade them to make that part of the healthcare system free, then we can try to ensure the best start for every child.’
He waited a few moments, conscious that they were now starting to get a few glances from people from the surrounding tables who seemed to be focusing on their intertwined hands.
He stood up quickly. Arissa looked surprised. ‘Come on,’ he said. ‘Let’s go and have a look at the fire station, and then I have somewhere I want to take you.’
She looked a little surprised by his sudden move and after a few seconds took his outstretched hand. ‘Okay, then, Philippe, like I said before, show me Corinez.’
She loved it. She loved this place already. It was clear that people here respected their Prince—even if they did seem a little obsessed by him.
Everywhere they went there were nudges and side glances. She tried to stay focused. To look at the geography and the people around them. Poverty wasn’t evident at the first glance, but dig a little beneath the surface—go to the right places—and it was there to see.
They visited a few community centres and spoke to some of the clientele. She met the chief of the fire and rescue service and was bowled over by his enthusiasm for the project. He immediately agreed to call his equivalent in Temur Sapora.
She liked the fact they were more or less travelling incognito. Philippe handled the busy streets easily and by the time dusk started to fall she couldn’t hide the yawn.
‘Tired?’ he asked as they drove back towards the palace.
She gave a nod. ‘I feel as if I need forty winks. But if I do that, I’ll probably be up half the night.’
He gave a shrug. ‘It doesn’t matter. Do it. And if you want company in the middle of the night you know where I am.’
She wasn’t quite sure how he meant that to come out, but tingles were already dancing along her skin.
‘I don’t need you again until tomorrow afternoon. We’re going to visit the state hospital to see if you can give me some ideas of where to start with the overhaul.’
She stifled another yawn and tried not to let her head nod. She couldn’t quite believe how exhausted she felt. ‘How did I ever get through being a junior doctor?’ She shook her head. ‘Sometimes we were awake for nearly forty hours.’
‘But you weren’t crossing two time zones,’ he replied. ‘Believe me, it makes a difference.’
‘I guess it does,’ she said as they pulled up to the palace garages. She gave a frown. ‘I’m not quite sure how to get to my room from here.’
He parked the car and walked around, opening her door for her. ‘Don’t worry, I’ll show you.’
There was an elevator to take them upstairs. As soon as the doors slid closed Philippe turned to face her. He seemed so far away.
‘What do you think of Corinez so far?’ She could hear the edge of uncertainty in his voice.
She took a step closer and put her hand on his arm. From here she could smell his aftershave, see the shadow starting to show along his jawline. ‘I like it,’ she replied honestly. ‘And I want to find out more.’ She licked her lips and moved even closer. ‘And I like it even more that I can see how passionate you are about your country, and how much you want to make things better.’
He looked down at her, his hand sliding behind her waist. ‘That’s exactly how you are about Temur Sapora.’ He lowered his head so his lips were only inches from hers. His breath warmed her skin. ‘Maybe it makes us a good match.’
‘Maybe it does,’ she agreed as she moved closer until her lips were only millimetres from his. She couldn’t help but smile.
