The Prince and the Count's Daughter

Chapter 19 - The Letter

"There's a letter for you 'ere, lovey." I heard the voice of Mrs Parrish call from my living room.

"I'll be through in a minute!" I called back and swung the covers back. With a huff I climbed out of bed and started to get dressed. I had woken up a while ago but had just laid in bed, feeling down in the dumps. A few days ago I had gone to the abandoned wing to see Cyrus again and found his room empty. It wasn't like last time of course, he had left things behind and I can't have imagined him this time, can I?

I decided that if I was feeling down, I was at least going to look nice. I put on a dusty pink jumper dress with grey boots with the collection of necklaces and rings I always wore, ran a brush through my brown hair and put some light makeup on.

When I got to the living room Mrs Parrish was sitting on my sofa, watching a rerun of some old TV show on the TV. I made some cereal and sat at the breakfast bar next to the letter.

I often got letters from other Kingdoms inviting me to balls there, hoping I would go and marry someone for political alliance, so I wasn't all that worried or even intrigued about the letter... until I saw it.

The front of the envelope said Ava, rather than my full name and 'daughter of the Count' as they usually did. Even more intriguing, this envelope was handwritten. A mixture of panic, dread and excitement filled me. It could be from my dad.

I had to calm down, I still had the letter my dad had left me and the handwriting was clearly different but this was eerily familiar. Thoughts swirled in my head, out of control. He could be alive. Is he coming back? Where has he been all this time?

Without another thought of my cereal I carefully unpeeled the back of the envelope. I wanted to tear it open, I was desperate to know, but if this was from my dad I wanted it in perfect condition. I carefully pulled the paper out and began to read the neat, cursive writing.

Dear Ava,

I'm sure by now you have noticed that I'm not currently at the castle. As you know I had planned to speak to the advisors about their ban on magic and I did so a few days ago. I found them shifty and their refusal to give a detailed answer was very suspicious. Lords Beckett and Ainsworth were about to leave for an allied Kingdom, of which they refused to tell me. I have followed them south to a Kingdom near Coventry, hoping to get to the bottom of this.

I wish I'd had a chance to say goodbye but had I risked it, I would have lost them. Please know I would never choose to leave you. I assure you I will return when I have found exactly what they are doing here and why they all but refused to tell me.

I hope you are well and I cannot wait to return to you. I shall think of nothing but you.

Yours,

Cyrus.

It was from Cyrus? I can't lose someone else like this! I felt frozen. I began to shake and gasp for breath as I started to cry. Dropping the letter back on the counter, I pushed myself up from the chair. I didn't know what to do. My legs felt as though they couldn't hold me anymore and my heart was beating so fast that I thought I would have a heart attack.

Suddenly, I was pulled into someone's arms. "It's okay, you're going to be okay, lovey!" Mrs Parrish assured me in a much more hushed tone than her usual. "What on Earth is wrong?"

I clinged to her, scared that if I let go she would disappear too. I tried to tell her but found I couldn't speak, my voice was trembling as I gasped for breath. Memories of my dad leaving flashed through my mind. This can't happen again, it can't!

She picked up the letter from the counter and read it without letting me go. As she finished the letter she turned to look at me again, with pity in her eyes. She hugged me tighter as I cried into her.

"I know it might be 'ard to believe but this doesn't mean he won't come back either." she assured me. It couldn't see how that could be true though.