Tulips

Chapter 25

Adelaide sipped the wine from the crystal glass. She leaned forward in her seat, absorbing Louis' every word.

"I don't know what to say," she said.

"Poor Gwen," he added

"Poor Gwen? Think of how many years of peace she has just ruined,"

"She's grieving,"

"Grieving means locking yourself in a room for two weeks sort of sad, not invade a country sad," a laugh escaped her chest.

"Alright, I promise that if you ever die, I won't start any wars," he chuckled at the morbidity.

"Oh, thank God," she pulled her face straight, a smile peaked at the corner of her mouth, "I can finally die in piece," she looked Louis dead in the eye before releasing into giggles. Their melodic laughter bounced around them warmly. After they settled Adelaide said, "I can't see why she did it, I mean Quintino was Joseph's closest friend. I fear she has gone mad,"

"Closest friend is that what we're saying?" he examined his glass, swirling the deep red liquid round the brim.

"Well I don't know what else you would call it," she squinted at him.

"Bed fellows?" Louis huffed jokingly. He looked up and saw her confusion, his mouth dropped open.

"What?!" she shouted jumping from her seat.

He gulped. "I thought you knew," his charming smile hid an amused panic.

"No!" she shook her head in astonishment. "They were- I mean- for how long?"

"I don't know" sick of being interrogated, he stood up, "A couple of years-"

"Years?" her voice tore shuddered through him, she moved quickly towards him looking up at him eyes wide.

"-before we left the group,"

"I can't believe you didn't tell me," she playfully slapped him in the arm.

"Ow!" he exaggerated.

"Oh my goodness, Gwen didn't know" Adelaide gasped, the smile in her eyes dissolved.

"Maybe August told her?"

She sat back down on the chair, clasping her hands over her mouth. Her eyes darted from side to side, shifting through thought. She shook her head. "She was so excited to marry him," her body folded, moving her head to her knees. "Son of a bitch," she mumbled into her skirt.

Louis crouched next to her. "She will have been fine," he gingerly placed his hand on her shoulder.

"Didn't you see her at August's wedding?" the picture of Gwen's mournful blue eyes swirled through Adelaide's mind. "You don't get it Louis," she sat up shaking off his hand.

A pang of guilt struck him; he opened his mouth to speak but quickly shut it again.

"It's hard. It's so hard. To be there with no one," her voice wavered. "No one Louis. And the one thing that is supposed to be yours is gone, they just leave" she stammered, tears began slipping down her face. Although her eyes were on him, her gaze went right through him.

"Adelaide?" he took her trembling hands.

Her white face snapped back into reality. Her mouth hung open as she glanced down to see their clasped palms. She broke out of his grasp and desperately flung her arms round him. Louis hung unsure for a moment, before squeezing his friend tightly.

"I don't how I will ever make it up to you,"

She pulled back, cheeks red. "Let me into your advisor meetings,"

"Why would you want that, they are the dullest conversations you will ever have,"

"Oh come on. Please?"

"Is this the only way to get you to forgive me?" his mouth edged into a smirk. His hands were gently placed on her lap.

"No, you're already forgiven" Adelaide smiled back.

"Fine." he scoffed, looking up at her perfect face. A breath hung between them, a split second of silence. But as soon as the thought entered his mind it escaped again. "Anyways, if Gwen decides to invade us, I'll need your brain to help me." he tapped her forehead.

"They won't invade us. Their colonies are surrounded by ours; they wouldn't give those up. No matter how much Gwen's jealous grief tempts them."

"I really do need your help then." Louis snorted.

"Did you love him?" Louis looked up, his tone was jovial and nonchalant.

"Théo?"

He nodded.

"No." Adelaide sighed. "we didn't... it wasn't... it wasn't that sort of arrangement."

Over the last few weeks, the pair had become accustomed to eating dinner privately. After years of avoiding each other they had discovered that their persons were surprisingly amicable. They spent hours at the table each night conversating, catching up on the lost time.

"What do you mean?"

"I would tell him things, about court and my parents-"

"And me?"

She smiled. "And you. But we didn't, talk."

"Did you love Nicholai?" He said, voice sterner.

Adelaide scrunched her forehead. "Goodness that feels like lifetimes ago." she paused for a breath, idly sinking into her seat "Yes, I think I did."

"Do you think your parents would have let you marry him?" he scratched his eyebrow.

"No." her eyes drifted across Louis' face. "We were kids, and I thought he was what I wanted."

"What do you want?" his face was calm. Is he asking for the sake of conversation or does he genuinely care?

"I-" She sat up and readjusted her posture. "I don't know." she looked away from his intent, hazel eyes. "What do you want?" she glanced back up at him.

He pursed his lips, focussed still on her. "I don't know." he replied. A smile stretched across his face, a warm handsome smile.

"Can I ask you something?" she flicked her golden hair out of her face.

"Of course,"

"Why did you fight Nicholai? Nobody else saw, I don't think, so why not just... I don't know say something mean and walk away. Sorry, it's just-"

"Don't apologise," he waved his hand, leaning it on his knee. "He kissed my wife, in public. No matter how estranged we were I wasn't going to just let him act that way. And against your will may I add which is completely disgusting.

"Alright,"

"Alright,"