To prevent anyone from recognizing William, Alfred took the car all the way to the back. It turns out that the barn has built this big garage at the back, which then covered the barn from sight. No wonder I couldn't see it from the verandah.
"But still, no more Gardenias?" Will asks as we walk toward the barn.
I shake my head.
He sighs, "Edith would be so pissed if she knew."
"I know."
In her letter, Edith said the ring was kept hidden inside a wooden box, disguised under the hay inside the barn. Alfred goes right to it.
"This must be it," Alfred says, pulling a dark brown wooden box out, sweeping pieces of hay with his fingers.
I look at the box.
I know the ring is there. I can feel it. I can feel it because all of a sudden, my eyes got hot, like I'm about to cry. It gets to me. Being in this barn again, smelling the past. That smell of hay.
The hay where William and I used to lay around after we watered Edith's gardenias.
And that feeling. It's back. That mount of affection that fills my heart when I watch him catching the fish just to impress me. That warmth I feel in my heart every time he holds my hand as we cross the river together. That love I feel when he wraps his hand around my body when we fall asleep.
That love that never went away, regardless how much I've been telling myself all these years that I should forget him and move on.
It's all coming back to me.
All I want to do know is to walk closer to him and hold his hand.
"Miss York?" Alfred says, calling me back to reality.
I blink.
"The key?" he asks.
"Oh," I look down and take the key from my jeans pocket. The key Edith enclosed in her letter.
I hand it to Alfred and he opens the box.
Inside is the ring and a bundle of letters tied by a white string.
"Your Highness, would you?" Alfred stands up and hands the box to William.
William looks into the box and pauses. But instead of the ring, he lifts the letters and handed them to me.
"I believe these are yours," he says.
Alfred looks puzzled.
"I told you, right? I wrote you letters," William says again, "Here they are."
Shocked, I took the letters from him. The pile feels thick and the envelopes have turned yellowish. But it still reads clearly on the front: Paris York.
There's a small piece of paper tied around the string. I pull it and read:
...
Paris,
These letters arrived months after you're gone. The sender got the address wrong so it took some time for them to find you. I wanted to send them to you but I was afraid the postman might lose them again. So I decided to leave them with your ring. I hope you found them.
Or they found you.
Edith.
...
Oh my God.
I look up to see William.
Oh my God.
...
Silence fills the room. Maybe for about a minute before Alfred clears his throat and says, "Uh, Your Highness, what ---"
"Alfred," William cuts him. "Can you please leave us alone for a minute? There's something I need to say to Paris."
"Oh..." he pauses, "Sure, Your Highness, but remember we really need to get you back on the road because you have the prenuptial meeting with the Bish-"
"I know," William says, "Please, if you can leave us now."
Alfred gives a polite nod and walks out of the barn, closing the door behind him.
.
William turns to me. "So, what are you waiting for?"
"Excuse me?"
"Aren't you going to read them?" he says.
I look at the letters in my hand.
"If they got it all, you have about 17 letters in there. I remember very clearly I wrote you 17 letters. Some days I wrote 2 letters because I had so much to tell you."
I look back at the letters. I should start opening them. And read. I should read them! What is wrong with me?
"Some days I wrote 2 letters because I missed you very much," he says, walking toward me. "I always do."
My heart beats faster as he gets closer to me.
"William," I hiss.
"I'm sorry the letters didn't get to you on time," he says softly. His hands are now on my waist, slowly wrapping it around. "But here they are now," he whispers.
I look up to him. Our faces are so close now.
But suddenly, I see this image flashing before my eyes. This image I saw a month ago on the Internet. This image of him and his bride-to-be. Prince William is engaged! The picture says. Get ready for a royal wedding!
He's getting married.
He's got a bride waiting for him.
"William," I push my body away from him, "We can't."
He looks right into my eyes. "What's wrong?"
"You're getting married. You can't do this."
"Listen to me," he looks deep into my eyes, his fingers are now gripping my waist so tightly, "All these years I have always wondered. Why can't I forget you? Why are you the first one I think about when I open my eyes in the morning? Why does everything I see in life takes me back to the memory of you? Why can't I move on? I knew and I knew there must a reason for that and today I had my answer. When I gave you that ring 7 years ago, I gave you my heart too. All of it. You took it all and never gave it back. You have my heart, Paris. There won't be much value to life if your heart is not with you. There won't be much value to life if I am not with where my heart is."
He speaks so fast, he has to catch his breath. But his grip of me is still strong and his eyes never left mine.
"I love you, Paris. Always have, always will."
I step back. Away from him, putting enough distance between us to stop me from throwing my hands around him and kiss him.
"You have to go," I say to him, "Now. Go now. You can't be late for your prenuptial meeting. A lot of people are expecting you."
"Paris ---" he opens his mouth again, "Stop thinking about anything else but us, just for a minute. Don't you think this is meant to be? We are meant to be?"
I sigh. "Oh William, I wish it was true. If we were meant to be, none of this would have happened. If we were meant to be, you wouldn't have gotten the address wrong. I would have gotten these letters and I would have waited for you."
"But you have them now!" he says.
"Right before you marrying another woman? Come on. That's just wrong."
He sighs. "But you did receive my letters. There's got to be a reason."
"You have to go now," I say, taking even further steps away from him. "Please. We can't do this."
I can see the look of love on his face a moment ago begins to leave him. He was shocked at first, then he looked confused, then finally, he looked at me with such disappointment.
We hear the door creaks opened and Alfred's voice fills the room. "I am very sorry Your Highness but I just received a call from the Palace and the Bishop is already on his way. We really have to go now."
William stays silent. I turn around and say to Alfred, "You both can go now. I think I'm going to stay here and ask my friend to pick me up later."
"Are you sure, Miss York? I still can drop you off, it's no trouble at all."
I smile, shaking my head. "I'm fine, Alfred. I think I might stay here a couple of days. It's weekend tomorrow, anyway. I might as well try the Inn," I smile.
"That seems like a good idea, Miss York. Please do take care of yourself and thank you again for your help with the ring."
I nod, "It was my pleasure."
Alfred looks at William. "Shall we, Your Highness?"
Without saying anything else, Will walks toward the door. He didn't turn around, not even for a second to say goodbye.
Bye, Will. I say to myself as the door closes behind him. Goodbye for real, this time.
I look down to the box he has left behind.
The letters.
And that stupid ring is still there. He didn't take it with him.
***