And only after that did she seem to realize something, lowering her head as her hands slowly clasped together.
It was not a posture prescribed by etiquette, nor the resting position for hands in her daily lessons, but an unconscious anchoring of emotion.
After a moment of silence, she spoke again. "Aunt Adelaide… how is she now?"
The Marquis of Cunningham paused, then answered softly, "Your Majesty, Queen Adelaide has remained by His Majesty William's side from beginning to end. Not until the very last moment did she leave the bedchamber."
He stopped for a moment, as though weighing his words, then added, "She was indeed very grieved, but she did not cry out, nor did she weep aloud. After wiping the sweat from His Majesty William's brow, she herself drew the white cloth over him."
