Tulips

Chapter 6

The carriage pulled into the palace, the crunch of the pebbles stopped. Nicholai held his hand out and helped Adelaide out, they both felt the tension as their palms touched.

"I'll see you tonight at dinner," he whispered in her ear as they walked through the grand doors. Adelaide stood steady, her knees threatening to buckle. The warmth of his breath brushed against her neck. They walked up the stairs in silence, connected by a pink haze. As they turned in separate directions Adelaide glanced back at him and was met by his face - turned and looking at her. The thud in her ears drowned out her quick footsteps through the corridors, giddiness and blind excitement powered her as she danced round corners.

She swung through the door into her apartments and thudded herself down on the chaise.

"Would you make me a bath?" she called out to her maid.

Her breathing was still quick as she let her eyes wander around the semi-familiar surroundings. Adelaide pondered the plans made. She was irrefutably, irrevocably happy. The faint smell of sweat escaped through her dress, but it was tainted and sweet. She began humming to the beat of the water hitting the tin bath.

There was a knock at the door.

The maid walked up to the door and answered it, the voice of a young boy asked if he could come in. Adelaide nodded to her servant who stepped aside letting the boy enter. He was in his early teens, but not tall, brown curls framed an expression of frenzied fear. Adelaide stayed in her unbecoming position of comfort, she inspected him a moment before she let him speak.

"What do you want?" she said nicely, the boy was already trembling.

"His royal highness the dauphin of France requests your immediate presence," the boy recited.

"Immediate!" Adelaide laughed, the call of the warm bath begging her to stay. "How urgent would you say it was?" she asked the boy who was far paler than he had been when he arrived.

"They made it seem," he hesitated, "his royal highness made it seem very urgent,"

"He spoke to you himself," Adelaide straightened.

"Yes, your highness,"

"Well then it must be very important," Adelaide pushed herself up, flattening her skirt and followed the boy to Louis' rooms.

The room was warm, Louis sat forward in his chair his legs protruding out in front of him, posed in contemplation. The room had two large windows on one wall covered by heavy green curtains. Adelaide surveyed the new surroundings. She might have thought how this would likely be her accommodation for the next Dutch visit, but Nicholai's words still surrounded her head in intoxicating fog.

Louis gestured to a chair opposing him and waited for her to sit, she sat down rigidly unsure of how comfortable he expected her to get.

"I got a letter from Versailles today," he said calmly without looking up at her.

"From your father?"

"From Lenoir," he paused then blinked, pulling himself out of thought "my Dad's chief adviser"

What does he want to tell me? Speculation circled the room. Adelaide had always thought Louis was the type of person to have an unkept room however it was neat, the tables mostly clear apart from a pile of letters and a tidy stack of novels with French titles.

"It seems my dad is rather unwell," there was a steadiness to the dauphin's voice, like a schoolboy reciting facts memorised from a textbook. "and it looks like I might be wearing the crown sooner than anyone would hope,"

Adelaide nodded slowly; she knew the impact of the news. She leant back into the chair, hoping it's cushions would absorb her fears.

"Lenoir worries that if Papa passes away before were married the agreement might fall to pieces,"

There it was, the inconvenient truth. Why didn't you just end it with Nicholai like you were supposed to. Adelaide could already picture his distraught. If she had only been bold enough to end it today, so much suffering could have been spared.

"We need to go to Versailles and get married," Louis said, his eyes fixed on his Adelaide's shoe, the dirt of the field still present in the soul.

"Okay," Adelaide said, shuffling in her seat and drawing her feet under the chair.

"Is that all you have to say?" there was inherent sadness in his voice, rather than the malice that usually met Adelaide's comments. She looked at him.

"I've already apologised to August for moving us so early, so that's sorted. Lenoir said the wedding is planned for a week on Monday," Louis met her gaze with a furrowed brow.

"That's very soon," Adelaide muttered, she expected a sharp comeback, but none came.

"Yes." he sighed, "Will you go tell everyone, I think I need a minute,"

So do I. "It would be easier to announce it at dinner tonight,"

Louis sighed, "Alright,"

Adelaide got up and walked to the door, she stood for a moment composing herself. A hollow grin plastered across her round face.