I am not lonely [Mystrade]

CHAPTER 184 :Youth mistakes

Mycroft had never taken a great interest in celebrities' life nor in  gaining fame himself and subsequently had a very poor knowledge of  celebrity press and tabloids of all type. His surprise was complete when  he received a call minutes after he had come home from one of the  Palace's assistant announcing him that his name would be featured on the  front page of tomorrow's edition of the Sun and that he'd better have a  look at it even if it meant ruining his evening.

Apologizing to  his partner and children, the politician jumped in his car an ordered to  the driver to put up the blue light to Buckingham, not even a mile  away. During the short run, he tried to guess what he could have done to  end up on the front page of one of the British best-selling tabloid but  even his great brain wasn't able to find out.

The Equerry,  Andrew Havill was waiting for him on the back door's steps, looking  quite upset and preoccupied. Without a word, he hushed the official  inside to a small room where the assistant he had talked too earlier was  working at his desk. Havill grabbed an early copy of the Sun and  harshly handed it to the elder Holmes.

"Government's powerful handyman rent-boy shame." was printed in strong black letters over an old picture of the politician where he looked savage and exhausted.

"To what extent is this true ?" the Equerry asked him as soon as he was over with his reading.

"I'm married !" Mycroft retorted, utterly shocked by the allegations.

"That's already happened." Havill replied, apparently not laughing an inch.

"It's bullshit, utter bullshit !" the official denied. "Even the dates are wrong. I wasn't even in the country on the thirty-first of January !"

"And apart from the dates, is there anything you can't deny ?" the man questioned, stiff and deadly serious.

The  elder Holmes was to answer when the Queen herself entered the room,  apparently aware of the embarrassing article. She observed the men in  the room in silent before making a sign to everyone except Mycroft to  scatter out. She looked at him from head to toe for another minute  before sitting down on an abandoned chair and showing another one to the  man.

"You know this kind of article could be the end of you, don't you ?" she finally asked, her expression undecipherable.

It  was unusual for her not to be warm and welcoming with the elder Holmes,  a boy she had known for his entire life and who had helped her out  numerous time so her coldness was just showing how serious the  allegations were and how grave the consequences could be.

"I am not guilty of what this paper is accusing me of madam." the official replied, somehow feeling impressed.

"But have you been, at any point of your life, resorting to this kind of favour ?" the elderly lady wondered, knowing just too well what tabloids were able to unravel.

"With all due respect, I'd rather not discuss my private life in those terms madam." Mycroft refused, somewhat ashamed and unease about discussing his sex life with the Queen.

"Have you been, at any point of your life, resorting to this kind of favour ?"the woman repeated, not agreeing with the man's answer.

"Nothing of what they wrote in the article is right and I can prove it." the politician evaded the question once more.

"Shall  I deduce by your obstinacy not to answer the question that you indeed  did engage in relationship with male prostitute at some time in your  life." the Queen deduced, still not showing any emotion.

"I wouldn't say it that way." Mycroft retorted, turning bright red.

"Then answer the question." the elderly woman snapped, quite disappointed in the man's behaviour.