The Italian's New-Year Marriage Wish Read Online Free PDF

in disguise, passing through on his way home to his castle.’ His eyes were amused and Amy watched as Lizzie gave a reluctant smile.
    It was impossible not to respond to him , Amy thought helplessly. He charmed everyone, whatever their age. And he did it all while managing a potentially serious asthma attack.
    Anyone who said that men were incapable of multi-tasking had never seen Marco dealing with an emergency. Perhaps that was one of the advantages of having spent so long in hospital medicine. Or perhaps he was just the sort of man who coped well under pressure.
    Carol was still watching him anxiously. ‘Will she have to go to hospital? My husband is waiting at the house to tell the ambulance where we are. Lizzie can run back and tell him what’s going on.’
    â€˜Why me? Use the phone, Mum!’ Lizzie’s momentary good humour vanished and her tone was impatient. ‘It’s freezing out there!’
    â€˜Why can’t you ever just help ?’ Clearly at the end of her tether, Carol snapped, and then pressed her lips together. ‘All you ever think about is yourself!’
    â€˜Well someone has to because you obviously don’t give a damn about me!’
    Carol gasped. ‘Elizabeth!!’
    â€˜Oh, get off my back!’ Coughing again, Lizzie turned and stamped out of the consulting room, slamming the door behind her.
    Carol flinched, her face scarlet with embarrassment and anger. ‘As if I haven’t got enough on my plate,’ she said in a shaky voice. ‘I’m very sorry about that. I just don’t know what’s happening to Lizzie. She’s under gone a complete personality change over the past few months. She used to be sosweet and loving. And she just adored Michelle. Now it’s like living with a hand grenade.’
    â€˜She is a teenager,’ Amy said quietly, aware that Marco was writing a letter to the hospital and needed to concentrate.
    â€˜She explodes at the slightest thing, she’s out all hours and I never know where she is. She used to be top of her class and her marks have plum meted.’ Carol cuddled Michelle closer. ‘And she’s been mixing with those awful Lovelace children and everyone knows what they’re like. I see them on a Saturday night, just hanging around on the streets. I wouldn’t be surprised if they’re taking drugs…’
    Reminded of the complexities of working in a community practice, Amy lifted a hand to her aching head and wondered how Marco managed to stay so relaxed.
    He tapped a key on the computer and glanced at Carol. ‘Have you spoken to the school about Lizzie?’
    â€˜Twice. They just gave me a standard lecture about handling teenage girls.’
    The printer whirred into action. ‘How bad are her mood swings?’
    â€˜Very.’
    â€˜I noticed she was coughing.’ He took the letter from the printer and signed it. ‘How long has she had that?’
    â€˜Coughing?’ Carol looked a little startled. ‘I don’t know, really. A while, I think, now you mention it. Just an irritated sort of cough. I even asked her if she was smoking but she just gave me one of her looks and stomped out of the room.’
    Marco put the letter in an envelope and handed it to her. ‘Lizzie is reaching a difficult age, that’s true,’ he said softly. ‘Not quite a woman but no longer a child. Unsure of who she is. A little rebellion is natural and good.’
    â€˜You think that’s all it is?’ The faith in Carol’s eyes surprised Amy. It was quite obvious that the woman was ready to believe anything Marco told her.
    â€˜I think we should talk about it properly when there is moretime.’ He slipped his pen back into his pocket. ‘For now your priority is Michelle. She has not improved as much as I would have liked so I want her to go to the hospital. In all probability she will be fine and we could monitor her here, but