In the end, I retrieved my bag from the stairwell, checked out of my room and called Nigel to let him know that it was taken care of, to let him know ...that I was done. With lighter shoulders than I’d had in years, I hailed a cab, made my way to the airport, and rented a car. It was high time I put all of this in my rearview. ———————– Over the following months, one of the biggest scandals in the history of politics took place, the result of a leak by the notorious Anonymous. I knew in my bones. “What do we do with them?” de Melun asked motioning to the captured troops.“Send the peasants home to warn everyone what will happen if they try this again. Ransom the professional troops. Keep the traitorous nobles and send them to King Philip to deal with. If he prefers, send them to Rouen and I will see to their fate,” I suggested.I addressed a depressingly small gathering. Of the twenty thousand rebel troops, less than two-thirds would return home--mostly the peasant foot soldiers. Only. "Is that such a bad thing?" she whispers.You give her a suspicious, sideways grin. "I'm starting to think that the whole point of you suggesting that we bring our friends along with us on this trip to the Caribbean was so you could have an excuse to flaunt your tight-ass body to your two best friends' husbands." Pshh! That's ridiculous," she sighs. But it's an unconvincing act. You throw her a sideways grin. “Okay, fine!" she giggles. "What do you want me to say? My friends married a couple of. . and there was no way in hell I'd ever tell them otherwise.When we got back to McLean I filled in Dr. Wills on our activities. I didn't want what had happened to catch him unawares and I wasn't going to let my mistakes bite anyone else in the ass if I could prevent it. He said he'd have Joshua and Grant poke around Dover for a day or two and let me know if anything turned up.The four of us took the helicopter back to the ranch, arriving well after dark. Mr. Jones and Anya met us on the lawn,.