Princess Adeline of Wales

Chapter Twenty-Eight: Adeline's First Date

10th of January 2004 - Marlborough College

"Watch your step," Nick said leading Adeline up to the roof, he held onto her hand and carefully helped her up the steps; making sure that she did not trip as they snuck their way onto the roof of their school. 

It seemed like the perfect place to get away from everyone and there would not be anyone around to spy on them or interrupt them; he very much doubted that they would be afford this peace anywhere else. 

"Are we going to get into trouble for this?" Adeline asked a little concerned, she could not imagine that them being on the roof would be alright with anyone and she felt nervous about breaking the rules. 

The last thing that she needed was to get into trouble, it was not like it would stay a secret if she ended up in detention; it would likely end up in the papers like everything she or her brother did. 

"Probably... but it'll be worth it," Nick promised her, he squeezed her hand and helped her up the final steps; once they were on the roof, he closed the door behind them making sure that no one would find them up here. 

The roof was all put empty except for a blanket and a picnic basket that Nick had brought up earlier; he had wanted to make sure everything was perfect. 

He had been careful not to tell anyone that he could not truly trust especially a couple of his friends, he did not want the fact that he had asked Adeline on a date to be all over the school. 

His best mate had promised to cover for him if anyone came looking for him, allowing them to relax and not have to worry about anyone stumbling across them while they were on their date. 

"This is amazing," Adeline whispered taking in the view from the rooftop, they could see the entire school grounds from here and they could see the stars without anything in their way. 

Nick grinned before leading her over to the blanket, the two of them moving carefully so that they did not attract any attention; if discovered on the roof then they would both be in serious trouble. 

"How did you find this place?" Adeline asked sitting on the blanket, it was not a place that you could just stumble across and she imagined that the night guards often made sure the roof doors were locked so students could not get up here.

"It's amazing what you can find when you wandered around after curfew," Nick explained with a shrug of his shoulders, he moved to get some glasses from the basket and a bottle of wine and set it down beside him. 

The silence was amazing and Nick did not think that anyone else knew about this place, he liked to come here and think when things got too hard at home and his friends just did not understand. 

"I found this place after I found out about my dad... need to get away from my friends, the teachers and everyone who felt sorry for me," Nick told her, he did not want to talk about the bad stuff not on their date. 

He did not want his father's illness to be a defining thing for them when it seemed to define everything else in his life especially what his mother wanted him to do when he left school. 

Adeline nodded her head, she remembered hiding away after her mother had died; finding places of quiet where she could just read and ignore the world around her. 

"I did the same when mum died. Quiet corners and a book, anything to get away from the whispers and the stares," Adeline told him, her hand moving to rest on his arm and she offered him a reassuring smile. 

The world around them seemed at peace and Adeline found that even now she enjoyed the quiet, she preferred to hide away int her dorm room or the library than be around loud crowds.