If Anne could get through this day, then she'd be fine. Just one more day of feeling like this and Hal would be gone from court. But now his wife had joined him. Today the king would be formally thanking the duke for his assistance with bringing about a peaceful resolution the the Lincoln rebellion. Of course the duchess would be present. Mary Talbot had been at court only a few days and Anne had yet to see her. But now, lined up in the great hall, the whole of court waiting for the couple to walk towards their grateful monarchs.

As mother to the heir of the throne, Anne stood almost at the foot of the dais with her daughter. Elizabeth had been excited to be present for such a formal event. Because of her age, she was normally kept away from ceremonies such as this, so Anne had to wonder whether Henry had declared his intentions of having her there only to ensure that Anne herself would also attend. Ever since he had seen the two of them dancing that night a week ago he had treated her as if he was angry. He was acting like a child. He had thrown HER away, yet was so easily made jealous as soon as a man paid her any attention. Even a married man like Hal. It would be just like him to manipulate the situation so that Anne would be disappointing her daughter if she skipped the ceremony that forced her to witness the married couple together. Yet here she was-forcing herself to stand stoically as the trumpets blared in her ears.

Finally the couple was announced. Anne felt a twisted sense of satisfaction to see that Mary Talbot was not a beautiful woman. At least not as pretty as she was. She cursed herself for her own vanity and tried to push such evil thoughts away and focus on her elegant curtsy as the whole court bowed before the honored. She felt his gaze on her as he passed, but she kept her eyes fixed on the floor. The rest of the ceremony went by in a haze as Anne watched Henry pronounce his gratitude for Hal's wise advice. As the courtiers filed out into the dining hall for the following feast, Anne ignored both the king and Hal's obvious attempts to get her attention. She ushered Elizabeth to her seat and then found one in between Ursula and Mary. Both women seemed to sense that Anne needed the protection of a crowd and they stuck by her for the entire evening.

Their protection was dropped as the dancing began. Luckily, Anne's army had a secret weapon. George stepped up and claimed her hand before any other could approach her. Her brother quickly had her forgetting her troubles as he quipped here and there about new gossip or funny tidbits that he had learned. Anne used her turns to take in the room and noticed that Jane was doing a good job of distracting her husband.

She was pleased to see that Jane actually looked happy in Henry's presence. The royal couple had been so miserable since the loss of their little prince, but she was glad to see that it seemed they were moving past the tragedy. She breathed easy knowing that she wouldn't be having any trouble from the king tonight.

"Uh oh" George's mutterings caught her attention and she turned to him, confused. Before she could ask him what was wrong the dance had her switching partners. She turned into another man's arms and instantly knew why her brother had been upset. She tried not to focus on the man in front of her. Hal seemed equally unsure of what to say and they danced in awkward silence.

"Can we speak? In private?" the tone of his voice made Anne finally look up into his eyes and they were full of regret.

"Are you sure that's wise?" she whispered.

"Please. I just... I don't want to leave feeling like this." She nodded stiffly.

"Meet me in the chapel in 15 minutes." with that the dance took her back to her brother. George looked at her questioningly but Anne just shook her head.

Was she making a mistake? How much could one conversation hurt? And then he would be gone and she would never have to worry about it again. She bit her lip in worry, but 10 minutes later she managed to find herself on the way to the chapel. Her mind was so conflicted as she waited in the dark. When the door finally opened she jumped. Covered in shadows, Hal approached her.

"Anne," even now, with a tone full of heartbreak and regret her name sounded sweet from his lips. She resisted the urge to close the gap between them and let him fold her into his arms. "Thank you so much for coming. I just...I wanted... I had to see you. I wanted to apologize. It's not fair of me to come to you and pretend like everything was how it used to be. I know how everything has changed. I know what you've been through. When news came of your imprisonment I had a horse saddled and I was headed here when I received news you were released. I'm just so far away. If anything had happened to you, I wouldn't have gotten here in time." He clutched at her hands tightly and she could hear the emotion in his voice. Back towards the end of her queenship she had realized she was in trouble and had reached out to the French king for help. She would never have thought about sending anything to Hal. That he had reacted so strongly after not being in contact with her for so many years surprised her.

"I want you to know that no matter what, I will always do what I can for you. If you or Elizabeth are ever in trouble, I will help you. I need you to know that. I let them take you from me once and I've regretted it my whole life." At this he lifted his fingers and caressed her cheek. She hadn't realized she had started crying. He brushed the tears away and held her face gently in his hands. "I needed to tell you that. I just...I needed you to know." He leaned into her and Anne hated herself for wanting his kiss. He turned her face and his lips instead hit her cheek. It was so tender and gentle of a movement Anne felt fresh tears well in her eyes. "I doubt I'll ever see you again. I just needed to see your face one last time. And I needed you to know that the only thing I ever regretted was letting you go." With those emotional words he turned and left Anne alone in the dark room.

She gasped in anguish as waves of regret crashed over her. She didn't want him to go. She had vowed that she would never allow herself to need anyone else, but she still didn't want him to leave. He made her feel so special and loved.

But she had to let him go. He was married. There was nothing she could do to keep him. She couldn't let what could have been drown her.