Chapter 8 Alexandria
ALEXANDRIA
Ireturned to the couch and watched Torin finish his circle of the yard and enter the house.
I asked, “Everything safe?”
“Aye, seems that way, but ye hae the letter in yer lap.”
I joked, “Oh do I? I hadn’t noticed.” Then I said, “You know what we ought to do?”
“Read yer letter?”
“No, we ought to do anything else but — I’m wondering if we should…” I sighed. “I can’t think of anything, but…”
He cocked his head watching me.
I continued, “I am pretty hungry, I might need some rest first, and look, my love, it’s sealed. What am I supposed to do with that?”
He said simply, “Ye break the seal.”
“I feel like that’s too important to do here in just the front room in the middle of late afternoon in North Carolina. Like, shouldn’t I do this in a boardroom with a lawyer?”
“A lawyer? Och, ye mean a man who twists words for coin? I’d sooner trust a fox in the henhouse. I daena think anyone would ever need a lawyer for something as simple as a letter, ye just read it. Ye can read, canna ye read?”
“Yes, I can read. You’ve seen me read.”
“Ye daena need anyone tae read it for ye, then. Ye are overthinkin’ it.”
“What about we go out to a fine restaurant, you can wear a suit, I’ll put on an evening gown. We could go to a restaurant in New York.” I looked around the front room. “This room hasn’t been redecorated in years, I haven’t dusted… Doesn’t seem right.”
He narrowed his eyes and then dragged a chair around to sit knee to knee with me once more.
He put his hands on my knees. “Ye canna get yer hopes up, Princess. It might be unimportant, it might not mean anything. Ye ken? Ye lost yer parents when ye were verra young, and I ken ye want a message tae explain tae ye what happened, but tis likely that it winna tell ye anything at all.”
I said, “You’re probably right. That’s why I’m not going to open it, because I don’t want to. I’m not ready.” I put it beside me and ran my fingers through my hair. “Do you agree?”
He shook his head. “Nae, I daena agree. Ye will feel better if ye open it.”
“I don’t feel bad. I might feel bad if it says something awful. I actually feel fine. We should get some food, are you hungry?”
“Ye are mutterin’, people daena usually mutter if they are well. And princesses especially.”
I rolled my eyes. “You’re going to try to tell me I’m not behaving like a princess? What would you know about how princesses behave? I’m the princess, I ought to know.”
“I hae never met a princess that mutters, tis what I am sayin’.”
“You, sir, have never met a princess before me.”
The corner of his mouth went up.
I sighed and picked up the letter again. “I wish I could read it without breaking the seal, that seems… Like, for some reason the seal keeps it her letter. Once I break the seal it becomes mine.”
His mouth turned down. “It can be satisfyin’ tae break a seal, ye might not mind it much once tis done.”
I said, “I’m not going to do it, I’m not ready.” I broke the seal.
Torin said, “Och nae, I canna understand the working of yer mind.”
I sadly chuckled. “Yep, I’m a mystery.”
I unfolded the letter.