Princess Adeline of Wales

Chapter Twenty-Eight: Adeline's First Date

Pouring them each a glass of wine, Nick handed Adeline hers before leaning back on the blanket and looking up at the stars; his eyes tracing the night sky lost in thought for a moment. 

"Do you miss her?" Nick asked feeling silly for asking, he was sure that Adeline missed her mother and there was not a day that she did not wish that she were here with her. 

He remembered his mother crying when the news had broken that Diana, Princess of Wales had been killed in a car crash devastated at the death of a woman that she did not know. 

He could not imagine what it had been like when Adeline and her brothers had been told of their mother's passing while the world around them grieved.

Looking down at her glass, Adeline did not speak for a moment almost afraid to put words into what she felt when it came to her mother in fear that he might think that there was something wrong with her. 

"It's hard to put into words," Adeline admitted softly, she closed her eyes trying to find the words for how she felt but came up empty, she peeked at Nick who was watching her with interest. 

He did not push her instead waited until she found the words to describe how she was feeling, for the first time Adeline felt like someone who was not family was actually listening to her and what she had to say. 

"It's the big moments that catch me... the moments where I know she'd be there. But other times, it has like she was never here to begin with. Like what I have now is all I have ever known," Adeline admitted almost ashamed that there were moments that she didn't think about her mother and what she would think. 

In the seven years since her mother had passed away, Adeline had found herself thinking less of her but there were moments where it just snuck up on her and it was like a slap in the face. 

The two of them stared up at the sky in silence, taking in the stillness of the world; there was silence around them and it felt like they were the only two in the world. 

Looking down from the sky, Nick peeked at her and searched her face for a moment before moving to catch the few strands of loose hair that had fallen from her face and tuck them behind her ear. 

Their eyes caught as they did so and he still his movement as he tucked the hair back behind her ear, he had never noticed before how deep her blue eyes were. 

Gently pulling back Nick averted his gaze and stared off into the distance taking in the scenery that lay before them; he cleared his throat, his eyes wandering over the landscape trying to find something to say. 

"What's your perfect day?" Adeline asked sipping on her drink, deciding to fix the silence so that the rest of the date was not spent in awkward silence. 

Nick tilted his head back to think for a moment, a thoughtful look on his face while he considered his answer for a moment before he spoke. 

"That's a tough one. I would have to say April 25th. Because it is not too hot, not too cold, all you need is a light jacket," Nick replied grinning, he looked at Adeline who laughed not having expected him to say that. 

She could only guess why he knew that quote and she imagined that it had something to do with his younger sister since she did not think that movie would be his thing.

"Okay. Have you ever slide down the bannister in the Palace?" Nick asked leaning forward like a conspirator, he doubted he would be able to resist the urge and from what he knew of Buckingham Palace it had a very grand staircase. 

Adeline shook her head, though she would admit that it had crossed her mind it was hard trying to do something like that when there was always footman around watching the corridors. 

"Really? Damn I would have done it ages ago," Nick said before he started to recount the time that he had slide down the bannister in his own home when they had first moved there. 

His brothers had been quick to follow in his steps and he laughed recalling the colour that his mother had turned upon discovering what they had done; he doubted he would ever forget that scolding. 

George and Richard had giggled through the entire thing while Nick had tried to keep his face from showing any emotion while their mother told them off for doing something so dangerous. 

"I don't think she let us out of her sight for the next month after that one," Nick stated his smile fading knowing why she had dropped her guard, his father had fallen sick soon after and had collapsed at work. 

Everything had changed since then and Nick knew that things would never be the same, his father was deteriorating and he feared that he would not see him finish school. 

"I can imagine from the sound of it, you guys have so much fun," Adeline replied trying to think back to when things had been that simple for her and her brothers. 

Things had always been kind of strict especially when it came to how they were to behave at home, she was the quieter one of her siblings but even she knew what was expected of them when they were at home. 

The history that their home held was always something that they were reminded of, they might live there but they were just a chapter in the ever-growing history of the palaces. 

The conversation continued quietly into the night, neither of them caring as it grew late and the stars slowly started to fade from the sky.