Deathstalker 06 - Deathstalker Legacy

any Pardon for Lewis or Jesamine, no matter how many strings Douglas pulled.
    He supposed he should hate them both, but he couldn't. They were the only people who'd cared for the man, not the King, and even after all that had happened ... he still loved them both. Even though they had run away, leaving him nothing but to be King, and a duty he never wanted.
    There was a polite knock at the door, which surprised him. He'd made it very clear to everyone within shouting distance that he wasn't to be disturbed. Whoever it was knocked again, a little less politely, but still he ignored it. He was the King, and if he wanted to brood and sulk and beat himself up, he would.
    He wondered if there was any more brandy. The door opened anyway, without his permission, and Douglas lurched up out of his chair, looking for something heavy to throw. It was Anne Barclay, of course. Douglas sighed, and dropped back into his chair. He should have known. Even armed guards couldn't keep her out. Douglas deliberately looked in a different direction as she stalked over to stand before him.
    "What do you want?" he growled finally, when it became clear ignoring her wasn't going to work.
    "I came to say sorry," said Anne, in what was for her a fairly subdued voice. "In a sense, a lot of this is my fault. I should never have put Jes forward in the first place. I should have known she'd find some way to screw it up. She's made a career out of breaking hearts, after all. But it meant so much to her, the chance to be Queen; and I just didn't have the heart to say no . . ."
    Douglas looked at her for the first time, and his expression softened. "Of course; you've lost your best friend too, haven't you? Oh hell, Anne; sit down. We should talk. We're the ones who are going to have to pick up the pieces. Whether we feel up to it or not."
    Anne pulled up a chair and sat down opposite him. "How do you feel, Douglas? No; silly question.
    Look; don't you worry about anything. I've got my people all over the routine stuff, until you feel ready to start getting involved again. No one's going to expect to see you in public for a while."
    "They're all laughing at me, aren't they? The King who lost his woman to his best friend, and never even saw it coming."
    "No! No, Douglas; they're all too busy being angry with Lewis, for letting them down by being only human."
    "There will have to be a Royal Wedding, eventually, won't there?"
    "Yes. Too many preparations, too many events set in motion, for us to cancel completely. The House will decide on someone else . . . someone uncontroversial."
    "How can I face my people?" Douglas said heavily. "How can they ever have any respect for me, after this?"
    "None of this is your fault!" Anne said sharply. "You're the victim here, Douglas. Everyone can see that.
    You were betrayed, by the two people you had most reason to trust. The people will understand. The media's being surprisingly supportive, and everyone's working hard to put the best possible spin on what's happened."
    She didn't tell him the media were only cooperating because she and everyone else in a position of power and influence had begged, bullied, and bribed the various media into the right frame of mind. Anne had personally contacted every editor and publisher in her little black book, and bludgeoned them into line with everything from promises of private interviews later to a little private blackmail over things she wasn't supposed to know. She had a job to do, and she didn't have the time or the inclination right now to pussyfoot around. She did what was necessary; just as she always had.
    Douglas didn't need to know these things, so she didn't tell him. In fact, there were a lot of things Douglas didn't need to know.
    "I don't blame them, you know," Douglas said quietly. "It wasn't their fault; not really. They just. . . fell in love. That didn't used to be a crime. I want them to be happy together, wherever they finally end up. I'd hate to think I lost the two people I care about the most for nothing . . ."
    "Yes, well, that's all very noble and chivalrous, but I don't think that's the approach we should take with the media," Anne said carefully. "They need a King, not a Saint. You can't afford to seem weak. I think .
    . . it's best if you say nothing at all, for the time being. Finn and I have been talking. We can handle things in your name, until you're ready to face the public again. There's no rush. You take it easy. Rest. Get yourself . . . sorted