Annalise Stark, orphaned after losing her parents in the military, is desperate to find a way to pay off her sister's medical debts. She finds work at the palace, home to the infamous Prince William. Despite her efforts to ignore him, Annalise soon...
"There is nothing I wouldn't do for those who are really my friends. I have no notion of loving people by halves; it is not my nature." ~Jane Austen ********************
Mark beat me to the palace by a good ten minutes. How he got there before me, I'll never know, considering he was clear on the other side of the city. I found Everly in her designated room, being cradled by Mark as she sobbed her heart out, letting out apology after apology. Mark was apologizing too, but when he saw me come in, I could see he was definitely out of his element. Eliza sat at the edge of the bed, staring at her owners, disgruntled.
"Hey, Everly," I said.
She whipped around, jumped up, and waddled as fast she could to me, throwing her arms around my neck. "Oh my god! Thank you for coming!"
"This is what sisters do for each other," I told her gently. Pulling away, I did a once-over to gauge how she was holding up. "How are you doing?"
"Shaken up, but I'm alive. That's all I can ask for. I don't know how my apartment caught on fire, though! I didn't have any hair appliances plugged in or anything that could've caught fire. I'm paranoid about that stuff happening!"
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"The fire department is conducting an investigation to see what started the blaze," Mark said, walking up to us and placing an arm around Everly's shoulders. "Hopefully, we'll hear sooner rather than later."
The door flew open, and Mia and James rushed in, and Mia apologized, "Sorry we're late. We ran into Patty and Walt. They wanted to know how you and I were doing. Everly, are you okay?"
"I've been better, but I'm alive," she replied, cradling her belly protectively. "Thank you for coming. I just... I really didn't want to be alone. I really wanted all my friends with me."
"We're here for you," James told her kindly. He frowned and glanced around. "I'm surprised Will's not here."
"He left when Mark got here. He had a meeting with the Secretary of the Treasury. He offered to stay, but I didn't want him to miss it, especially since I knew all of you were going to be here."
"Anna, when you get a chance, you should go see Patty and Walt. I know they'd be thrilled to see you, especially Patty," Mia said. "They leave in an hour, though, so you might want to hurry."
I turned to Everly. "Would you be okay if I went to see them? I know I saw Walt yesterday, but it's been a while since I've seen Patty."
"Yes, yes, go! I'll be fine!" Everly insisted. Giving her one last hug, I left her room, heading down the hauntingly familiar hallways. I never thought I'd walk down them again, let alone by myself, but yet, here I was. I passed a couple of security guards on the way. They nodded at me in greeting and continued on their way.
I turned a corner and nearly ran smack dab into-
"Your Majesty!" I exclaimed, backing up and dropping into a curtsy. I might not like him, but he was still a King. I had to show my respect. Plus, I didn't want to start anything. "I'm sorry. I didn't hear you approaching."
