Post by Nicolette Deveraux on Jul 23, 2017 14:14:49 GMT -5
The afternoon held the first genuine chill in the air, rendered by the wind's cool edge. Nicolette did not refuse the warm wrap that Carlotta pressed on her before she emerged from the palace to walk the grounds. Pascale was requested to walk with her, though naturally a pair of Clavigers trailed discreetly as well. There was an undeniable edge of tension lying over the area since Stephane's death, and his subsequent funeral the day prior. Too many questions for which Nicolette had few answers to satisfy those who demanded them.
One thing gained clarity in her mind, however - the Deveraux family had now entered a season of change. Nicolette resolutely turned her eye towards the future. It was time to move forward, and if that meant driving her family to achieve it, she was prepared to do so. Considerable thought was put into her decisions, weighing the options and anticipating as many potential repercussions as she could. Doing so cost more than one sleepless night, yet the Crown Princess considered it a small price to pay in order to avoid accusations of capricious or impulsive decision-making.
There was a list of family members who were impacted by the plans for the future, Pascale among them. Nicolette was hardly unsympathetic to his disappointed hopes in the Montenoire woman, but after several months, Lady Kathryn showed no signs of reversing her refusal. It was now time to move on, she decided. Pascale was a good man, as Nicolette avowed to Bayard, one who deserved a good life if she could see it done. Today was the first step towards that accomplishment.
Awaiting him at their agreed upon meeting place at the edge of the lawns leading to the pond, her mind drifted, watching the clouds race past while she wrapped the shawl closely about her. Seasons of change was never easy... but they were necessary for survival.
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Pascale Deveraux